Reinforcing WorldCom's commitment to Asia Pacific
Plan calls for more focus on profitability, customer care
13 November, 2002 (Hong Kong) - WorldCom today announced its realignment plan for its Asia Pacific business units. The plan is designed to better balance current market conditions and customer needs while concurrently optimizing its Asia Pacific network and operations. The company has refocused its Asian business plan with an emphasis on profitability rather than the traditional focus on revenue growth. Additionally, WorldCom Asia Pacific will continue to rationalize and optimize its local and international networks and facilities while seamlessly offering its premier data, Internet and voice services. WorldCom Asia Pacific intends to maintain its current level of network quality and reliability as well as world-class customer service and SLAs.
"We are confident that this renewed commitment to our Asia Pacific business strategy will allow us to achieve continued stable and structured growth in the current market environment," said Seth Blumenfeld, President, WorldCom International. "It is our strong belief that this plan will allow WorldCom Asia Pacific to remain a highly competitive, and stable, communications service provider with world-class customer service. We will continue to provide customers with state-of-the-art data, Internet and voice offerings throughout the Asia Pacific region."
The elements of this business plan include:
- Maintaining retail and wholesale voice, IP and data services across the region.
- Optimizing and rationalizing WorldCom network and facilities in the region without sacrificing quality and reliability that customers have come to expect.
- Downsizing the workforce in Asia Pacific.
- Reviewing existing market segmentation and channel strategy in a few countries and adjust them to better align customer requirements with WorldCom service offerings.
- Centralizing and enhancing the existing Asia Pacific customer service functions in Singapore. The Singapore customer service center provides 24x7 customer service support in seven languages: Cantonese, English, Mandarin, Japanese, Korean, Bahasa and Tagalog.
"This realignment plan reinforces WorldCom's commitment to Asia Pacific. This region remains an integral part of WorldCom's global business strategy, and I am confident that we will see an overall stronger company as a result," said Blumenfeld. "Our new business plan will allow WorldCom Asia Pacific to be better positioned for the future and continue to provide premier products and customer service in any of our markets."
ABOUT WORLDCOM, INC.
WorldCom, Inc. (Nasdaq: WCOEQ, MCWEQ) is a pre-eminent global communications provider for the digital generation, operating in more than 65 countries. With one of the most expansive, wholly-owned IP networks in the world, WorldCom provides innovative data and Internet services for businesses to communicate in today's market. In April 2002, WorldCom launched The Neighborhood built by MCI - the industry's first truly any-distance, all-inclusive local and long-distance offering to U.S. consumers for one fixed monthly price. For more information, go to http://www.worldcom.com.
ABOUT WORLDCOM ASIA PACIFIC
In Asia Pacific, WorldCom has over 17 points of presence, and metropolitan networks in Australia, Japan and Singapore. WorldCom's Asia Pacific headquarters is located in Hong Kong. The regional team provides technical, marketing, business development, regulatory/legal and financial support to fully staffed operating companies in Hong Kong, Singapore, Australia, Japan, Guam, Korea, Taiwan, the Philippines, Malaysia, India and Indonesia.
For more information, go to http://www.worldcom.com/asiapac
| Area: | Global |
| Name: | WorldCom News Bureau |
| Tel: | (800) 644-NEWS |
| Area: | Global |
| Name: | Ms. Rowena Kwok |
| Role: | Regional Public Relations Manager, Asia Pacific |
| E-mail: | pr@wcom.com.hk |
