Verizon Communications Inc. (VZ) continued its move into the television business by announcing a deal with NBC Universal Cable to carry all 12 of its cable networks, as well as NBC and other programming, Tuesday's Wall Street Journal reported.

The deal marks the third major announcement for the New York-based phone giant, which is spending billions of dollars to build a new fiber-optic network to carry television, telephone and broadband signals. Following deals with Discovery Communications Inc. and Starz Entertainment Group LLC, Verizon is in varying stages of talks with scores of other content providers.

General Electric Co. (GE), Fairfield Conn., owns 80% of NBC Universal .

Verizon is planning to launch television service later this year in several areas and expand into markets nationwide as it competes with cable-TV companies over which can offer the best package of TV, phone and high-speed Internet services.

Verizon executives say that their television service will use a new Internet- based technology that will enable it to offer more features and content than cable operators do.

Wall Street Journal Staff Reporter Peter Grant contributed to this report. Dow Jones Newswires 04-19-05 0006ET Copyright (C) 2005 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved.