MCI WorldCom Creates Alliance With CompuServe To Launch Consumer Internet Service
New Service Provides Easy, Fast, Reliable Internet Service
with Added Benefit of Airline Frequent Flyer Miles
ARLINGTON, VA and COLUMBUS, OH, February 4, 1999 -
MCI WorldCom today introduced MCI WorldCom Internet, a consumer
Internet service which features fast, reliable local access using MCI
WorldCom's UUNET Internet network. The service utilizes a portal
operated through a new strategic alliance with CompuServe, a unit of
America Online (NYSE: AOL). MCI WorldCom Internet is available to MCI
WorldCom long-distance subscribers for just $16.95 per month for the
first 150 hours of local access and provides additional benefits to
those subscribers enrolled with any one of MCI WorldCom's eight
major U.S. airline partner programs.
MCI WorldCom Internet will offer customers a "start page,"
or portal, customized by CompuServe and featuring top news and
information through approximately 20 "Web Centers;" direct
links to stock quotes; customization features for news, weather and
favorite links; and a licensed version of CompuServe's Instant
Messenger. For added convenience, MCI WorldCom Internet and
long-distance customers will receive just one bill for these
communications services.
"MCI WorldCom Internet provides fast, easy access to the
Internet," said John Donoghue, MCI WorldCom's senior vice
president of consumer marketing. "We have combined the power and
reliability of our network and our highly valued airline partnerships
with the dynamic content and communications tools of CompuServe, a
proven online brand with a track record in helping busy people get the
most out of their Internet experience."
"We're pleased to be working with MCI WorldCom, a
telecommunications powerhouse, that will utilize CompuServe's
premium content, navigation and communication tools to power its MCI
WorldCom Internet portal," said Audrey Weil, chief operating
officer of CompuServe. "As a strategic partner, MCI WorldCom also
gives us increased exposure to telecommunications and business
customers, as well as the opportunity to generate significant
advertising and commerce revenue, and we look forward to building on
this relationship in the future."
Traveling The Web Helps Frequent Flyers Travel The Globe
MCI WorldCom is leveraging its exclusive agreements with eight
leading U.S. airlines to offer customers the ability to earn frequent
flyer miles or flight credits while online and airline-customized MCI
WorldCom start pages that include links to frequent flyer mileage
information, exclusive travel deals and online travel booking through
the affiliated airline.
New MCI WorldCom Internet customers who sign up through most of the
participating frequent flyer programs will receive 1,000 bonus miles by
adding Internet service to their long-distance package, or one bonus
Rapid Rewards flight credit with Southwest Airlines. With sign-up
bonuses and its standing offer of five frequent flyer miles for every
dollar spent on MCI WorldCom products and services, or one Rapid
Rewards flight credit for every $150 spent, the average MCI WorldCom
partner customer with Internet and long-distance can earn more than
6,000 miles or six Rapid Rewards flight credits in the first year
alone.
MCI WorldCom airline partners include: American Airlines,
Continental Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Hawaiian Airlines, Midwest
Express, Southwest Airlines, United Airlines and US Airways.
MCI WorldCom Internet - Convenience, Content and Communication
According to recent studies, more than a third of U.S. adults are
online today and more than 17 million new people are expected to get
online in 1999. Additionally, between 62 and 67 percent of frequent
flyers have access to the Internet. More than half of all Internet
users go online regularly to get their news-rapidly approaching
broadcast and cable television as an evening news source. In fact,
according a recent AOL Roper Starch Cyberstudy, 64% of those online for
three or more years said the Internet was a necessity to them, and 67%
picked Internet access over TV if stranded on a desert island.
"The Internet is becoming a daily tool and source of
entertainment for consumers throughout the country," said Vint
Cerf, senior vice president for MCI WorldCom Internet architecture and
technology. "This market will continue to see tremendous growth
and change as consumers become even more savvy about online service and
what the Internet has to offer."
Available at www.mciworld.com, MCI WorldCom Internet will provide
subscribers with quick and easy access to the latest news, weather,
sports and stock quotes through its strategic agreement with
CompuServe, who will draw upon its online service expertise to provide
premium content and manage the Internet portal.
CompuServe will contribute continuously updated top business,
national and sports news; customization tools; 20 "Web
Centers" that aggregate the best of the web in categories like
Travel, Personal Finance, Health, Shopping; stock quotes, personalized
weather, and more.
Additionally, MCI WorldCom Internet customers will be able to
download a licensed version of CompuServe's Instant Messenger
software, which will allow customers to create a contact list of their
friends, family and colleagues on the Web, send instant messages and
conduct real-time chats. MCI WorldCom Internet's start page will
also search the Internet, provide subscribers with daily featured sites
and allow users to place quick links to their favorite websites.
Other features of MCI WorldCom Internet include:
- Free parental control software for safe surfing provided by Cyber
Patrol - Powerful search engine and short cuts to Yellow and White Pages,
job listings, and more - Five megabytes of space and all the tools needed to build a
personal web page - High quality customer support and customer service 24 hours a
day, seven days a week both online and via a toll free number.
MCI WorldCom Internet's 150 hours of local access is also available
to MCI WorldCom long-distance customers who are not members of airline
partner programs for $16.95 per month. MCI WorldCom Internet
subscribers who are not long-distance customers can receive this
special rate for the first three months and pay only $19.95 per month
for 150 hours of local access after that.
CompuServe Interactive Services is one of the world's premier
Internet services and a wholly owned subsidiary of America Online
(NYSE: AOL). CompuServe provides approximately 2 million worldwide
members with unparalleled depth and breadth of content, premium
services, hundreds of Forums and access to the Internet.
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 38,000 buildings worldwide. For
more information on MCI WorldCom, visit the World Wide Web at
www.mciworldcom.com
or
www.wcom.com
.
Consumers are invited to sign up for MCI WorldCom Internet at
www.mciworldcom.com
or call 1-800-459-8892.
