TECHNOLOGY & TELECOMMUNICATIONS

GTE Selling 500,000 Phone Lines for $1.1 Billion: GTE Corp. said it will sell 500,000 telephone lines in nine states to Citizens Utilities Co. GTE said the sale involves phone lines in California, eastern Arizona, Montana, New York, Tennessee, Utah, West Virginia, Oregon and Idaho. About 1% of GTE’s lines in California are being sold, along with fewer than 2% of its phone lines in Oregon, and 14% of its telephone lines in Idaho. Citizens is a Stamford, Conn.-based utility that provides telecommunications, electric, natural gas, water and waste water services in 13 states.