MCI WorldCom to offer consumer Internet service
NEW YORK, Feb 3 (Reuters) - MCI WorldCom Inc. , the
No. 2 U.S. long distance company, said Wednesday it will launch
a new Internet access service for consumers.
The new service, which will be formally announced this
week, will return the company to the consumer Internet market
after a four-and-a-half month absence.
MCI Communications Corp. was forced to sell its Internet
business to gain regulatory approval for its $40 billion
acquisition by WorldCom Inc. WorldCom was allowed to keep its
UUNet Internet service, which serves businesses.
"This week we'll be announcing a brand new offering from
MCI WorldCom -- Internet access for all consumers -- featuring
fast, reliable, dial-up access to the Internet using the UUNet
Internet backbone," according to the prepared text of a speech
Tim Price, president of MCI WorldCom's communications division,
plans to give at an event sponsored by the Economic Strategies
Institute, a Washington-based think tank.
MCI WorldCom will initially offer consumers regular, dial-
up Internet access and eventually will offer super-fast
Internet links over ordinary phone lines using a technique
called digital subscriber line (DSL) service, Price's preparedspeech said.
Sources familiar with the situation told Reuters about the
plans last week. Consumers will be able to buy the Internet
service separately or buy a package of services, including
Internet access and phone services, these sources said.
Additional details were not immediately available.
(( Jessica Hall, New York newsroom 212-859-1729, with
Aaron Pressman in Washington )) |
