At&T; Builds Case For Deal With Sbc

Building his case for a possible deal with SBC Communications, AT&T Chairman Robert Allen said Tuesday that such a partnership could “turbocharge” AT&T’s expansion into local phone service.

In a speech to business leaders and in later remarks to reporters, Allen refused to confirm reports of talks with SBC, one of the local phone companies created by the breakup of AT&T 13 years ago.

But Allen said a hypothetical union between a long-distance telephone carrier and a local carrier could be completed in a way that increases competition.

Allen held out the possibility that AT&T could help a local telephone company take on rivals nationwide.