IN BRIEF : New Transatlantic Cable Ready

NEW YORK — The first fiber-optic communications cable linking the United States and Europe will go into service Wednesday, American Telephone & Telegraph Co. said today.

The cable, designated TAT-8, will carry voice, computer and video calls as pulses of laser-generated light over 3,160 miles of hair-thin glass circuits buried beneath the Atlantic Ocean. The fiber-optic technology will greatly expand the amount of traffic that can flow between Europe and North America, AT&T; said. TAT-8 will be able to handle 40,000 simultaneous conversations, compared to 8,500 calls for TAT-7, a copper cable built in 1983. Satellites also beam calls between North America and Europe.