Competition Means Customers Can Save on Local Toll
Calls
SAN FRANCISCO, May 6, 1999 - MCI WorldCom is striking up
competition in California's $1.7 billion local toll calling market.
Beginning May 7, California consumers in PacBell territory will be able
to choose their local toll carrier like they choose their long-distance
provider.
For the first time, consumers who live in areas of the state where
PacBell provides local phone service will be able to select a company
other than PacBell to automatically carry their local toll calls.
Previously, in order to choose another carrier, consumers in PacBell
territory had to dial a cumbersome access code before placing these
calls. Meanwhile, GTE customers have been able to pre-select their
local toll carrier for more than a year.
Competition Brings Lower Rates
"More choices in the local toll market means greater savings
for consumers," said Joyce Dorris, MCI WorldCom director of brand
marketing. "Starting tomorrow, MCI One Savings residential
long-distance customers who live in California can enjoy a low rate of
just four cents per minute on their local toll calls during evenings
and weekends -- a 29% savings over PacBell's most widely used basic
rates. With California being the largest local toll state, Californians
stand to save tens of millions of dollars this year alone."
Local toll calls, also referred to as local long-distance calls, are
calls placed within a Local Access Transport Area (LATA), yet are
outside the local calling area. For example, calls from San Francisco
to San Jose or from Los Angeles to Riverside are local toll calls.
Charges for these calls are not included in a customer's monthly
charge for local phone service. These types of calls generally are
itemized on phone bills as local toll calls or local long-distance.
Consumers interested in learning more about local toll rates or who
would like to sign up for local toll service with MCI WorldCom are
invited to call 1-800-754-3002.
A Long Time Coming
Historically, local toll calls were handled solely by local
telephone monopolies, but competition has gradually increased with the
entry of companies like MCI WorldCom into this market. With the advent
of choice, consumers are seeing lower prices and the other benefits of
competition, such as better customer service.
MCI WorldCom
MCI WorldCom is a global leader in communications services with 1998
revenues of more than $30 billion and established operations in over 65
countries encompassing the Americas, Europe and the Asia-Pacific
regions. MCI WorldCom is a premier provider of facilities-based and
fully integrated local, long distance, international and Internet
services. MCI WorldCom's global networks, including its
state-of-the-art pan-European network and transoceanic cable systems,
provide end-to-end high-capacity connectivity to more than 40,000
buildings worldwide. MCI WorldCom is traded on NASDAQ under WCOM. For
more information on MCI WorldCom, visit the World Wide Web at
http://www.wcom.com.
