WORLD IN BRIEF : SAUDI ARABIA : $4-Billion Contract Signed With AT

Saudi Arabia and AT&T; signed a $4-billion contract for what the company called the world’s most extensive telecommunications project. The contract will almost double Saudi Arabia’s number of telephone subscribers, giving the kingdom 1.5 million new digital lines and 200,000 mobile lines for its 17 million people. AT&T; will install a digital system that turns signals into the language of computers, allowing them to be handled by more devices than ordinary telephones, AT&T; Chairman Robert E. Allen said. The project is expected to be completed in about seven years.