MCI Communications Corp. is breaking out as an early favorite in the race to market with a one-bill offering.
Washington, D.C.-based MCI has launched a one-number, follow-me service that includes cellular phones and pagers. It is branded MCI One and is being advertised nationwide.
“Americans feel overwhelmed by a frantic pace and want it all,” MCI said. Citizens need the telecom selection process to be simplified for them, into a single step if possible, MCI said. A Oneness, as MCI sees it.
All MCI One charges will be included on one bill. All equipment the customer needs can be shipped in one box-including a computer. Customers with questions call one helpline number.
Providing customers with multiple telecom services but only one bill is something many U.S. carriers aspire to accomplish but few can do now. Even AT&T Wireless Services can’t provide a single bill yet, MCI points out, referring to its titanic competitor.
AT&T admits it is only doing a limited trial integrating long distance and cellular billing, but said that as the nation’s largest long distance company with 80 million long distance customers, the size of its undertaking is more immense and requires more time. MCI has about 20 percent of the nation’s long-distance business.
These services are available in the MCI One package now:
A personal 1-800 or 1-888 number with intelligent routing features. Since the 800 numbers are central access numbers, a four-digit personal identification number is assigned to each customer.
Cellular phone service at 15 cents a minute. MCI Cellular customers already receive free domestic long distance, paying only for airtime. MCI now offers wireless service in 10 major markets, and is adding 20 markets this year to cover 45 percent of the nation’s population.
Pager service, numeric or alphanumeric, local or nationwide. The pager must be acquired from MCI; the company doesn’t provide service only.
Thirty minutes of long distance calling, including in-bound 800, MCI One card and dial-one calls. Then 15 cents a minute thereafter.
Free software for Internet access, including Microsoft’s Explorer browser and e-mail.
Five free hours of Internet access and e-mail. After five hours, it’s $2.50 an hour or $19.95 for unlimited access.
An MCI One calling card.
The initial package is $34.95 a month for the one-number service, 30 minutes of calling, five hours of Internet access and e-mail, and the calling card.
If you add a cellular phone and pager, the monthly charge increases to $37.95 a month. The offering can be customized, but MCI thinks people want to choose from a package, Donoghue said.
Some parts of the MCI One package won’t begin until the near future.
When MCI local phone service is available, it will be added to MCI One, said John Donoghue, MCI’s senior vice president of marketing. MCI Metro has built fiber optic local phone networks in 10 major cities, with comprehensive plans to roll out local service in 15 more cities by the end of the year.
