Randy, taken from a WCOM press release, the following:
WilTel is the wholesale services business unit of WorldCom, Inc. One of the
largest long distance telecommunications companies in the United States,
WorldCom, Inc. offers domestic and international voice, data and video
products and services to business customers, other carriers and the
residential market. The company operates a nationwide digital fiber optic
network in the United States and has worldwide network capacity. The common
shares of WorldCom, Inc. trade on the Nasdaq Stock Market under the symbol
WCOM.
(Visit WorldCom, Inc.'s Internet web site at wcom.com)
Now, hopefully I might be able to add some clarification to this confusion.
If my memory serves me, about three years ago, LDDS bought controlling interest in Wiltel, from Williams. I forget the breakdown, but if I remember correctly Worldcomm's (LDDS) primary interest was in owning the physical infrastructure that Wiltel represented, basically the fiber optic network.
I think, but I may be wrong, Williams retained certain assets, or functions, ie. operations or marketing rights, and a certain percentage, possibly even the operational name of Wiltel. Like I said it was a few years ago, and as with most things associated with WCOM, it wasn't a straight up, clean, simple deal. I'm sure some others on this board may be able to give you a more detailed accounting of the transaction, and how it ended up to be what it is today.
I guess the question that it leaves in my mind presents this question; was the reference to Wiltel in Atlanta, Williams Wiltel, or WCOM's Wiltel division, and whatever, would it make a differnce?
It is confusing, but I really think we are talking about the same company. It may be like DigitaXpress, is it Boeing, Conus, or Ceridian's. Well, technically it's all three's, just a matter of percentage points. I guess.
RB |
