Agreement Delivers on Customer Needs for Seamless Voice and
Data Services on a Global Basis
Extends MCI WorldCom's On-Net global services throughout North
America
Jackson, MS and Toronto, Ontario - March 3, 1999 -
MCI WorldCom and Bell Canada announced today that they have joined
forces to provide seamless North American and global services to
customers. Through this alliance, North American businesses will
benefit from one North American contract, and a single point of contact
for voice and data services as well as volume discounts on MCI
WorldCom's On-Net global services, the industry's most
extensive portfolio of integrated global products and services.
The new agreement with Bell Canada builds on a relationship dating
back to 1992. The alliance combines the benefits of MCI WorldCom's
On-Net - the industry's first single, high-capacity, end-to-end
network - with Canada's leading communications provider, serving
seven million residential and business customers, including
Canada's major corporations. Through this new alliance, Bell
Canada's customers will have access to MCI WorldCom's seamless
network, linking major commercial centers across North America and the
rest of the world.
"MCI WorldCom's agreement with Bell Canada strengthens the
competitive positions of both our companies. By partnering with Bell
Canada, we extend the MCI WorldCom On-Net global services portfolio
into Canada, building upon the company's seamless North American
network platform," said Walter Schonfeld, senior vice president,
Alliances, MCI WorldCom. "MCI WorldCom experienced 120 percent
growth in Canada-U.S. cross-border data communications over the past
two years alone, already the largest business telecommunications
corridor in the world," added Schonfeld.
Terry Jarman, president and CEO of Bell Nexxia, added "to reach
out to new markets, streamline operations, and generate new revenues,
Bell's customers need to be able to conduct business on a North
American and a global basis as effortlessly as they do at home. By
working with MCI WorldCom, we will deliver this competitive advantage
to our customers."
As the exclusive distributor of MCI WorldCom's On-Net global
services portfolio in Canada, Bell Canada will provide customers with
an enhanced set of voice and data products including managed
international private line, frame relay, ATM and virtual voice and call
center services. MCI WorldCom will source all its Canadian customer
requirements through Bell Canada. Bell, in turn, will source all its
non-Canadian customer requirements from MCI WorldCom.
At the earliest, the agreement is expected to become effective the
first quarter of 2000, and will replace MCI WorldCom's existing
alliance with Stentor. Until the agreement with Bell Canada takes
effect, current Stentor alliance products will continue to be sold and
current alliance customers will be fully supported throughout the life
of their contracts.
MCI WorldCom is a global communications company with revenue 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. For
more information on MCI WorldCom, visit the World Wide Web at
http://www.wcom.com/.
Bell Canada, the largest Canadian telecommunications operating
company, markets a full range of state-of-the-art products and services
to more than seven million business and residential customers in
Ontario and Quebec. Bell Canada's Internet web site is located at
http://www.bell.ca.
