TECHNOLOGY & TELECOMMUNICATIONS

Connecticut Phone Company Plans Layoffs: Southern New England Telecommunications Corp. said it will lay off up to 1,500 employees, or 14% of its work force, to become more competitive in a rapidly changing market. The New Haven-based company serves 1.5 million local phone customers in Connecticut. In recent years, it has moved gradually to reduce costs and shrink its work force. But with fast-moving changes transforming telecommunications, including the merging of industries, the company said the slow approach had to be abandoned. It plans to begin the layoffs Jan. 12.