WorldCom Says It Has No Acquisition, Alliance Plans In Japan
September 10, 1998 12:43 PM
TOKYO -(Dow Jones)- WorldCom Inc.'s Japanese
unit has no plans to acquire or form alliances with
Japanese companies as it moves to expand its
fiber-optic network in Japan, WorldCom Asia Pacific's
president said Thursday.
"We have no plans to acquire, but we always keep an
open mind," said Steve Liddell at a press conference in
Tokyo. "WorldCom isn't an alliance. We prefer to invest
in countries and commit capital."
But the Jackson, Miss., company (WCOM) is currently
in talks with Japanese cellular-phone-service providers
in order to tap into Japan's mobile telecommunications
market, WorldCom Japan Ltd. Chairman and
Representative Director Takehiro Ikeuchi said.
WorldCom Japan Thursday began laying fiber optic
cable in Tokyo, becoming the first foreign carrier to do
so in Japan. It received a type-one license in March
from the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications,
enabling it to offer domestic and international services
over its own facilities in Japan.
The company said it plans to offer international voice,
leased line, and local call service over the network,
which is scheduled to be completed in 2000.
WorldCom wouldn't disclose the cost of building the
network or the rates it plans to charge for its services.
"Everything is expensive in Japan. Japan so far is our
most expensive construction site," said William Sheils,
president and CEO of WorldCom Japan. "Our strategy
for Japan and the rest of the Asia Pacific is to bring price
competition into the market. (As for) the pricing strategy
in Japan, we can't go into details yet."
WorldCom Japan currently offers international simple
resale voice and data services aimed at corporate
customers by leasing lines from Japanese type-one
carriers.
Copyright (c) 1998 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
All Rights Reserved.
smartmoney.com
|
