WilTel announces deep discounts for carrier customer providing telecommunications service to Cuba

TULSA, Okla. (January 3, 1995)-- In a decisive move, WilTel announces deep discounts to its WilMax carrier and reseller customers calling Cuba. The new rate and promotional discount reflects a maximum 40-percent reduction from the previous carrier rate. Telecommunications access to Cuba is another WilTel first. Until late November, 1+ dialing to Cuba had not been available from the United States, and persons wishing to place a call had to dial a 1-700 number to schedule a call 72 hours in advance. WilTel was one of the first interexchange carriers to provide the direct dial service to Cuba.

"We are known as the 'carrier's carrier' and we want to offer our customers the best rates possible," said John Barnett, president of WilTel Intentional. "We hope these new rates and discounts will give our carrier and reseller customers an opportunity to continue their growth in this new market. We have many carrier customers who provide long-distance telephone service to customers in southern Florida, the region where many calls are made from the United States to Cuba."

WilTel service offerings to Cuba include WilMax carrier terminations direct to Cuba, CustomOne 1+ switched and dedicated access, WilPlus IV-Option 1, 1+ direct dialing and WilTel prepaid calling cards. Before WilTel began offering 1+ direct dial telecommunications service to Cuba, only about one percent of 60 million calls placed each year from the United States to Cuba were completed; that is one call in every 100. Telco Communications Group, Inc., a WilTel carrier customer based in Chantilly, Virginia, is currently offering service to Cuba via the WilTel network. "We are finding the integrity of the WilTel telecommunications system into Cuba to be very good. Since we were one of the first carriers into Cuba, this rate reduction will only add incentive for telephone service customers to sign on with Telco Communications for service into Cuba," said Lindy Bowman, Telco Communications Group marketing director.

WilTel is offering an additional 15-percent promotional discount off its newly reduced WilMax rate for customers signing a one-year term service agreement. Existing WilMax customers with at least a one-year service agreement will automatically receive the one-year, 15-percent promotional discount automatically. New WilMax carrier customers who sign up for a one-year term agreement and have traffic on the network before April 1, 1995, also will qualify for the 15-percent promotional discount. This promotional discount offer ends December 31, 1995. "WilTel wants to make certain that our carriers can be competitive in this new market and be able to make a good margin at the same time," said Christina Kretzschmar, WilTel Cuba service product manager. "We have analyzed the various telecommunications rates offered from the United States to Cuba and have set our carrier rates to enable WilTel carrier customers to compete effectively in a growing new market." Added Barnett, "We are pleased to be able to offer these discounted rates for our international service to Cuba. There are almost one million people of Cuban descent living in the United States. Many of them have friends and relatives in Cuba and they have looked forward to the day when calling Cuba would be as easy as calling any international destination."

WilTel, based in Tulsa, Okla., is a full-service telecommunications company that offers data, voice and video products and services nationwide. WilTel owns and operates a nationwide digital fiber-optic network, one of only four in the United States, with access to more than 30,000 system miles. WilTel has sales and service offices in more than 100 cities nationwide.