TELECOMMUNICATIONS

Pactel to Sell U.K. Cable Operations: Pactel Corp. said it was negotiating to sell all or some of its British cable television businesses in order to concentrate on cellular telephone and paging overseas. The move signaled a significant strategic shift for the Pacific Telesis Group subsidiary, which had planned to use its experience in the British market to enter the U.S. cable business once regulatory barriers were lifted. Pactel Chief Executive Lee Cox said the company had been far more successful than anticipated at winning wireless communications licenses overseas, and wants to concentrate all its resources on that promising market. Cox said there was no immediate plan to dispose of an option to buy a majority interest in Prime Cable of Chicago, which remains subject to regulatory approval.