USS Kennedy sets sail with MCI PrePaid Americana Card; MCI provides personal telephone services for more than 5,500 sailors.

McLEAN, Va.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 23, 1996--More than 5,500 sailors aboard the aircraft carrier USS Kennedy can now communicate to home from anywhere on the seven seas, thanks to MCI PrePaid Card services.

The Navy Exchange Service Command (NEXCOM) recently awarded MCI the contract to provide exclusive prepaid services to the USS Kennedy for sailors' personal communications.

"Out at sea for months at a time, there's no better way to lift your spirits than to hear a voice from home," said Jerry Edgerton, vice president of MCI Government Markets. "MCI is proud to provide sailors an economical personal link that can connect them to anyone, anytime, anywhere."

A telephone calling card that is "paid" in advance, the MCI PrePaid Card utilizes satellite technology to provide telephone services to the USS Kennedy. When a call is placed, a signal transmits from the ship to the MCI network via satellite. Prior to prepaid card services, sailors out at sea could only make emergency personal calls using expensive International Maritime Satellite Transmission (INMARSAT) technology.

With prepaid services, sailors are now able to make both domestic and international calls at significantly reduced rates.

Commenting on the award of the service to MCI, Charles Vaughan, NEXCOM program manager for Afloat Telephone Services stated, "The opportunity for NEXCOM to partner with MCI to improve the quality of life for the USS Kennedy sailors is just one more example of fulfilling our motto `Service to the Fleet.'"

MCI PrePaid Americana Cards are sold in the USS Kennedy ship store for $20. The cards feature an image of the U.S. Stars and Stripes with the Statue of Liberty in the forefront. Features of the card include 24-hour operator service and speed dialing. Sailors are also able to use the card from both domestic and international pay telephones.

Awarded April 18, 1996, MCI estimates the value of the 17-month contract to be more than $2 million. MCI plans to transition to a customized card featuring a graphic of the USS Kennedy by early August.

Popular in Europe since the mid-1970s and in the Far East since the early '80s, prepaid calling cards entered the U.S. market in the early '90s. Industry analysts predict the U.S. prepaid calling card market to top $1 billion in 1996.

Named for the 35th President of the United States, the USS Kennedy is classified as a CV-67 attack aircraft carrier, an all-purpose, multimission vessel. Christened in 1967 by President Kennedy's daughter Caroline, the USS Kennedy's homeport is in Mayport, Fla.

The Navy Exchange Service Command, or NEXCOM, is headquarters for the worldwide Navy Exchange System. Its mission is to provide authorized customers quality goods and services at a savings and to support quality-of-life programs for active duty military, retirees, reservists and their families. Navy Exchanges are self-sufficient and do not receive appropriated taxpayer dollars.

MCI Government Markets, based in McLean, is the sales and marketing group serving the U.S. government and its agencies. With headquarters in Washington, D.C., MCI 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 access, paging, Internet software and access, information services, outsourcing, business software, advanced global telecommunications services, and music distribution and merchandising. -0-

Editor's Note: Sample cards available upon request.

CONTACT: MCI Media Relations

Kristen Barletta, 703/902-6094