Telecom Watch

WorldCom-MFS Marriage Complete: The groundbreaking infotech merger of WorldCom Inc., Jackson, Miss., and MFS Communications Co. Inc., Omaha, Neb., which owns Fairfax, Va.-based UUnet Technologies Inc., has been completed. The combined company, which has 3,000 employees, will be known as WorldCom.

Under the merger, each share of MFS common stock will be converted into the right to receive 2.1 shares of WorldCom common stock. Shares will trade on Nasdaq under WCOM and WCOMP.

Baby Bell Goes Shopping in Peru: BellSouth Corp., Atlanta, has made a bid to buy a controlling interest in a Peruvian communications company called Tele 2000. The ownership is pending BellSouth's ability to buy at least 54 percent of the outstanding shares, which are selling at $1.50 per share. BellSouth estimates the value of the 54 percent ownership at $100 million.

BellSouth has already said it will purchase 38 percent of Tele TV from two major shareholders, including the Peruvian company's chairman, Genaro Delgado Parker. Along with the public offer, BellSouth and Parker would together own 90 percent of Tele 2000's stock.

Tele 2000 sells cellular phone, cable TV and paging services to Lima and parts of western Peru.

Internet's Impact on Sales: A new survey of Fortune 1000 infotech executives found that 46 percent expect the Internet to have either a "huge" or "significant" impact on their sales processes over the next three years.

The report, published by Forrester Research, Cambridge, Mass., is called "Rethinking Sales Automation." One of the results of this new impact, according to Forrester, is that chief information officers will become best friends with the vice presidents of sales.

A Computer in Every Pot: In a separate study, Forrester found that by 2001, more than half of the nation's homes will have personal computers.

While today only 38 percent have PCs, by 2001 some 53 percent of homes are expected to have them. Lower priced computers are expected to make the difference by attracting consumers who don't want to spend a lot on home electronics. Forrester predicts the prevalence of computers will mean consumers will patronize discount retail outlets and mail order companies rather than going to specialty computer stores.

-Shannon Henry

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