Qwest Communications International made what it called its “best and final offer” to buy the outstanding shares of MCI for about $9.9 billion, raising the stakes in its bidding war for MCI with Verizon Communications.The response from MCI could come within hours, as Qwest gave MCI’s board of directors until Saturday to accept the offer.“We request that you take the steps necessary under your agreement with Verizon to declare our offer a Superior Proposal. If MCI does not inform us by 5 p.m. (eastern daylight time) on April 23, 2005, that Qwest’s proposal constitutes a Superior Proposal and give notice of such determination to Verizon, our offer will be withdrawn,” Richard C. Notebaert, Qwest’s MCI Chairman and Chief Executive Officer wrote in the letter to the MCI board. The new offer raises the cash portion of Qwest’s bid by $2.50 per share, to $16 per share, Notebaert said. Qwest maintained its offer of $14 per share in stock and also plans to cover a recent $0.40 per share dividend paid by MCI to stockholders, IDG News Service said. Qwest’s new offer is about 30 percent higher than the $7.64 billion offer from Verizon that was accepted by MCI on March 29, Notebaert said. MCI’s directors have previously turned down Qwest because of its steep debt. But one analyst said Qwest remains viable despite the debt, at more than $15 billion. “Qwest is the smallest of the four Baby Bells (behind Verizon, SBC Communications, and Bell South), but it’s still a strong company,” said Jeff Kagan, an independent telecommunications analyst in Atlanta, Ga. Qwest said it believed MCI would accept the offer.“We are confident that this revised proposal fulfills the MCI Board’s description on April 5 of an offer it was prepared to find a Superior Proposal,” Notebaert wrote. MCI rejected a revised $8.9 billion offer from Qwest on April 5. Verizon had previously signaled that it would not fight Qwest if MCI decided to accept the $8.9 billion offer. But on Thursday, the company spoke of its commitment to closing the deal with MCI. “Notwithstanding the latest Qwest proposal, we continue to believe Verizon is the best partner for MCI. As we move through the proxy process, we will con-tinue to assess the situation and intend to take the necessary steps at the appropriate time to secure shareholder approval and complete our pending transaction,” Verizon said in a statement. Technology Industry