MCI lays out service plans at N+I

LAS VEGAS – MCI promises new services and capital investments to build up its product portfolio throughout the year.

MCI, formerly WorldCom, launched its “Convergence Networking” product strategy at NetWorld+Interop this week. The company is planning a series of product rollouts that center around voice and data convergence and managed services. 

One of the carrier’s first initiatives, which is currently underway, includes the deployment of Secure Interworking Gateways (SIG) throughout its data networks. MCI hinted about this effort earlier this month when it filed its reorganization plan and announced its name change.

MCI is using the gateways to turn up a new service called IP VPN Remote.

“The service will be available in three phases beginning in June, October and November,” says Ron McMurtrie, vice president of global marketing at the service provider.

The first phase will allow VPN customers to support dial-in access within MCI’s network rather than at the customer premise. Today, users that access their corporate VPN via a dial-up connection to the Internet are authenticated on a Nortel Contivity device deployed at a customer’s site.

Users will be able to eliminate the cost of maintaining and upgrading that device with MCI’s SIG upgrade. Customers that chose not to upgrade can continue to use the Nortel device to support dial-in VPN users.

“The second and third phases address how the (data) networks get glued together,” McMurtrie says.

In its second phase, MCI will interconnect its frame relay and Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS) IP networks that support its Private IP and IP VPN services, respectively. The third phase will interconnect its remaining data networks — ATM, private line and public IP.

By interconnecting its various data networks, MCI customers should expect greater flexibility when deploying and supporting their VPNs, McMurtrie says.

In May, the carrier will disclose the vendor of the device used to interconnect its data networks.

MCI says it will also enhance its MCI Advantage voice and data convergence service. This is not a new offering, but one that’s been renamed a couple of times. It was most recently called WorldCom Connection, and IP Communication before that.

The service allows users to support enterprise voice and data traffic over the same network. Today, the service is available in conjunction with MCI’s IP and frame relay services. In July, the carrier is expected to also make MCI Advantage available to its Private IP customers.

The service provider is also expanding this offering to Europe later this year. Currently, it is only available in the U.S.

MCI also says managed hosting services are an integral part of its product strategy going forward even though its association with subsidiary Digex is unclear. CEO Michael Capellas said last month that MCI is trying to work out Digex “ownership” issues.

In the meantime, the carrier is moving forward with its hosting service plans.

MCI is testing its Enterprise Content Delivery service with business users now, and expects to launch the offering in June. The service is expected to allow users to cost-effectively cache and push bandwidth-intensive content over their corporate network, McMurtrie says.

The carrier also talked about its planned support of Web services, which are still in the “R&D” stage, McMurtrie says. MCI plans to work with companies such as Sun and Microsoft to ensure its networks are optimized to support Web services applications, he says.

Next month, MCI is expected to reveal more details about its product development plans, including its financial investment, McMurtrie says. He says MCI is doubling its investment in new products this year compared to last.