Cable & Wireless USA plans an aggressive marketing
campaign to lure subscribers to its Internet access service, the company
announced Monday.
Cable & Wireless jumped into the
consumer Internet access game in September with its $1.75 billion purchase
of MCI Communications Corp.’s Internet access unit.
WorldCom decided to sell the unit to help passify regulatory authorities as
part of its takeover of MCI. The combined company is now known as MCI/WorldCom Inc.
Cable & Wireless is offering Internet users 150 hours of access a month and
a free personal home page for $14.95 a month. Additional hours are 99
cents. Anyone who signs up for the Internet service and Cable & Wireless
long distance will receive a discount on their telephone calls.
“Thousands of people are getting online every day. Now they can send
e-mails, search for information or just surf the ‘Net using one of the most
sophisticated, powerful global Internet networks in the world,” said Rich
Yalen, chief executive officer of Cable & Wireless USA.