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To: SDR-SI who wrote (3347)	9/28/1998 6:15:00 PM
From: Anthony Wong	Respond to of 11568

MCI WorldCom : Exec. 'Comfortable' With Estimate Range September 28, 1998 5:28 PM MCI WorldCom is targeting not only the Bells' local franchise and overseas carriers but its two largest long-distance rivals, AT&T Corp. (T) and Sprint Corp. (FON). Both companies are involved in huge joint ventures aimed at providing global service to business. AT&T has teamed with British Telecommunications PLC (BTY), Sprint with France Telecom (FTE) and Deutsche Telekom AG (DT). WorldCom said its service is superior to anything currently available because its customers can rely on a single company's network for many local and international needs instead of having their calls hop from one company's networks to another. "There is no other single carrier or consortium of carriers that can match our reach," said Brian Brewer, senior vice president of marketing. "This will force other providers to do much of the same and before long this could be the new standard: A unified local and long-distance, voice and data, national and global network and suite of services," said Jeff Kagan of Kagan Telecom Associates, an Atlanta consulting firm. AT&T, New York, has moved toward a seamless network with its purchase of Teleport Communications Group Inc., a major provider of local service to business and its partnership with British Telecommunications. It also is testing a high-speed service that would allow businesses to carry voice and data over a single communications system. Sprint, Westwood, Kan., is courting global business customers with its European partners as it prepares to offer integrated voice and data service on demand through a new service dubbed Ion. Analysts are strongly positive about the combined MCI WorldCom's position in this lucrative but difficult and competitive part of the telecommunications market. "The newly formed MCI WorldCom, in our opinion, has the most attractive combination of assets in the industry with unique local, long-haul, Internet, international assets and strong marketing distribution muscle," wrote Warburg Dillon Read LLC analyst Linda Meltzer in a recent report. Meltzer estimates the combined company will have 1999 revenue of more than $35 billion and earnings for 1999 of $2 a share as it reaps $2.5 billion in cost savings from the merger. She expects earnings of 90 cents for 1998. Price, president and chief executive of the domestic unit, said the company is "comfortable" with the range of analysts' estimates. The consensus of analysts surveyed by First Call Inc. is that MCI WorldCom will earn 89 cents in 1998 and $1.99 in 1999. MCI WorldCom shares closed Monday at 49 7/8, down 1/4, or 0.5% on Nasdaq volume of 9.9 million. Average daily volume is 12.7 million shares. - Shawn Young; 201-938-5248 shawn.young@cor.dowjones.com