DALLAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 12, 1996--While other communications companies are promising a future of integrated products and services on a single bill, MCI delivered it to American businesses today: networkMCI One(SM). A feat of billing, engineering and marketing sophistication, this fully integrated package of services will immediately allow U.S. business in 13 major markets to receive local, long distance, international, data, conferencing, paging, Internet, cellular and more -- from one company and pay for it through a single, customized bill. As MCI expands its wireless and local footprint, the number of markets will grow. -0-
The 13 markets where networkMCI One is available today, include:
-- New York -- Atlanta -- Pittsburgh
-- Chicago -- Cleveland -- Milwaukee
-- Philadelphia -- Seattle -- Portland, Ore.
-- Detroit -- Baltimore -- Hartford, Conn.
-- Boston -0-
networkMCI One is the next step in MCI's strategy to offer one-stop shopping to all its customers. Earlier this year, the company launched the industry's first and only integrated, single-source services package for consumers and small businesses -- MCI One(SM). Both offerings solidify the company's lead in the race to provide end-to-end services and reinforce MCI's mantra that integration and simplicity yield greater customer stability and higher revenues.
"MCI's strategic and competitive imperative is to offer customers integrated services and single-billing convenience," said Brian Brewer, MCI's senior vice president of business marketing. "Businesses no longer have to take a multiple choice test when deciding their communications needs. MCI gives them clear and single choice -- networkMCI One."
A Brand for the Future
With the passage of telecom legislation, communications companies are fiercely competing on one another's turf. The ability to offer integrated services and one-stop shopping for customers will be a critical market differentiator.
In preparation for this new era of competition, MCI has invested years building and developing sophisticated and flexible billing systems, a multi-city local network, the world's largest and fastest Internet backbone, and aggressive wireless strategy. networkMCI One leverages all of these developments as well as other products and services.
MCI -- whose local presence is unrivaled by any other long distance carrier -- will be providing local service to companies in 25 major markets by first quarter 1997 -- which translates to 45 percent of all businesses in the country. Cellular service will be available in 34 leading markets by year-end, blanketing 54 percent of the nation's population -- giving MCI the largest cellular footprint in the industry. MCI already offers paging services to customers nationwide, and dial-up Internet access is available in 300 cities -- the most coverage offered by any long distance company. With its acquisition of SHL Systemhouse -- now known as MCI Systemhouse -- the company added global systems integration and outsourcing capabilities to its comprehensive portfolio of offerings.
MCI's global network extends to more than 250 countries and places worldwide, allowing networkMCI One customers to receive international services -- including long distance calling and toll-free service -- as part of their integrated package. Business customers also benefit through global alliances MCI has in place with BT, Banacci, Stentor, NewsCorp., Microsoft, Intel and Digital Equipment Corp., among others.
In addition to long distance, local, Internet, cellular and paging, networkMCI One customers can choose from a variety of products and services for their integration package, including:
-- call center services -- dedicated access
-- data services -- remote access
-- conferencing -- calling cards
-- toll-free services -- fax
-- international toll-free -- e-mail
-- international long distance
"No other company offers so many communications services and consolidates them on one single bill," added Brewer. "Many telecom companies are just beginning to catch on -- frantically merging and spending billions of dollars in acquisitions to get where MCI is today. While these companies go through the difficult and time-consuming process of integrating their corporate cultures, marketing, sales and sales and services operations -- MCI will be working on its next product offering."
Marketing Meets Billing Ingenuity
networkMCI One offers U.S. businesses an information management tool through integrated invoices that can be tailored to each company's needs. For instance, a corporate level monthly report summarizes overall expenditures and then segments them by location, overall usage and service type, making telecom and cost tracking a simpler process for a company with multiple offices.
Integration also yield better bottom-line value through maximum volume discounts. The more products and services a company purchases through networkMCI One, the greater their overall discount. In addition to integrated invoicing capabilities, MCI's flexible billing system will be able to calculate special pricings and promotions based on each business' needs.
"Gone is the one-size-fits-all mentality that other businesses are peddling to their customers," added Brewer. "With networkMCI One, businesses can now have one contact and one contract for all their communications needs -- from local to global, voice to data, wireless to conferencing, and a whole lot more."
Offering Unique Resources
One of the unique facets of networkMCI One is the ability to take advantage of the networkMCI Fund -- a special account for larger business customers who sign a term agreement. The networkMCI Fund allows customers to choose from a broad selection of "best-of-breed" MCI and partner products and services with no out-of-pocket investment. They can even choose to apply the fund to offset the cost of their integrated telecommunications services. The more services they choose from MCI, the greater their fund grows.
MCI, headquartered in Washington, D.C., is one of the world's largest and fastest growing diversified communications companies. With annual revenue of more than $15 billion, MCI offers consumers and businesses a broad portfolio of services including long distance, wireless, local, paging, messaging, Internet, information services, outsourcing, and advanced global communications.
CONTACT: MCI
Mark Pettit/Marianne Steiner, 1-800-644-NEWS (6397)
