Plans for Back-Up Frame Relay Services and a New Parallel
Network Set the Stage for Unprecedented Frame Relay Reliability and
Growth
JACKSON, Miss. - November 18, 1999 - MCI WorldCom today
announced that it will provide business customers new levels of frame
relay service reliability and customer satisfaction backed by its
Network Assurance initiative and the introduction of back-up frame
relay services.
The company will continue to grow both of its established frame
relay networks for primary frame relay services and enable new and
existing customers, served by either platform, to use its other
platform for back-up service. With this new service, a company will be
able to replicate its primary frame relay network and alternate service
to a diverse MCI WorldCom network under disaster recovery conditions.
In addition to "peace of mind," frame relay customers who use
MCI WorldCom for primary and back-up frame relay services will benefit
from volume discounts and one-contact-accountability, associated with
multiple services provided by a single carrier.
In addition, MCI WorldCom will build a parallel frame relay network
planned for completion in the first half of 2000 to accommodate future
service growth. This network will use the latest generation of Lucent
Technologies hardware and software and will be fully integrated with
the company's existing Lucent frame relay network.
"We've strengthened our frame relay offerings across the
board to deliver a level of service that no other carrier offers
today," said Jim DeMerlis, vice president of Data & Enterprise
Product Marketing. "MCI WorldCom's ability to offer both
primary and backup services are the foundation of a comprehensive
Network Assurance initiative that today addresses a wide range of
customer interests. Our new parallel network will set the stage for
future growth and deliver the robustness of service customers will
increasingly require into the next millennium."
New and existing frame relay customers will be able to take
advantage of a variety of standalone or multiple Network Assurance
initiatives, outlined today by the company, including expanded disaster
recovery options, service level guarantees, customer communications,
special promotions and managed services solutions
Disaster Recovery
MCI WorldCom in December will introduce Frame Shield, a new disaster
recovery option designed to automatically reroute frame relay traffic
to ISDN backup services in the event of network congestion or
inordinate network delays. Disaster recovery options available today
from MCI WorldCom include dial backup, remote LAN dial, PVC Redirect
and switched digital access.
"MCI WorldCom worked hand-in-hand with us to develop a
cost-effective disaster recovery solution based on ISDN backup services
leveraging the company's extensive voice network," said Shawn
Bowen, vice president of Connectivity Services, The TriZetto Group,
Inc. "Our healthcare industry customers rely on us for a broad
range of comprehensive, professionally managed, information technology
solutions requiring 24 X 7 network availability."
Service Level Guarantees/Service Satisfaction Guarantee
All MCI WorldCom eligible domestic frame relay customers today
benefit from MCI WorldCom's most recent domestic Service Level
Guarantee (SLG) tariff filing of October 8, 1999, including customers
whose contracts were signed prior to that date under previous SLGs. MCI
WorldCom customers today benefit from an industry-leading service level
guarantee featuring 100% guaranteed network availability for customers
using MCI WorldCom-owned access facilities in the U.S., United Kingdom
and most European Countries within MCI WorldCom's European
network.
MCI WorldCom is also introducing a Service Satisfaction Guarantee
for new frame relay customers. Customers will be able to switch to
another MCI WorldCom service type at no additional cost, if they are
dissatisfied with MCI WorldCom's frame relay service within 90 days
of full service installation.
Customer Communications
MCI WorldCom is introducing a new Proactive Notification policy
whereby the company intends to proactively contact registered customers
within 60 minutes after a customer's single frame relay network
connection has been lost for a 10-minute period. This is part of MCI
WorldCom's standard domestic frame relay offering and available at
no additional charge to customers.
In an effort to improve the company's overall customer
communications procedures, MCI WorldCom is committed to use of its
corporate intranet for instantaneous employee/account team
communications about customer impacting news. For customers, MCI
WorldCom will use its current online communications vehicles, including
Interact and Web NMS, to post updates to a message board to provide
periodic network quality reports and product updates. MCI WorldCom will
also use its quarterly newsletter, Perspective, to keep customers
apprised of company product news, marketing programs and technology
initiatives relevant to customer network services and product
enhancements.
Special Promotions
MCI WorldCom currently is offering various pricing promotions for
frame relay customers. A Flat Rate Access promotion, available today,
enables customers to pay a flat, distance "insensitive" fee
from a customer location to the network access location of MCI
WorldCom's frame relay network. A Super Size Port promotion,
available today, allows customers to purchase any size port at the
price associated with the next smallest port size.
Managed Solutions
MCI WorldCom will offer additional incentives for managed frame
relay customers including a 30-day trial offer, available today, for
customers to sample CircuitView, MCI WorldCom's online network
management and reporting tool, that enables customers to view and
manage PVCs throughout their frame relay network. In addition, MCI
WorldCom is today offering Network Reliability Services, a fee-based
consulting package that enables customers to leverage MCI
WorldCom's strategic relationship with Lucent NetCare (formerly
INS), to obtain objective, comprehensive risk assessment and solutions
at the network, hardware or application level.
MCI WorldCom (NASDAQ: WCOM) is a global leader in communications
services with 1998 revenues of more than $30 billion and operations in
more than 65 countries. MCI WorldCom's global networks provide
high- capacity connectivity to more than 45,000 buildings worldwide.
MCI WorldCom and Sprint have announced a merger agreement, which the
companies expect to close in the second half of 2000, following
regulatory and shareholder approvals. The new company will be called
WorldCom. For more information go to http://www.wcom.com.
