To support the expansion of World Link into new markets, MCI provided almost all of its channel resources, but only within the southern states.
Yes, MCI's support for World Link was conditional, or rather limited.
That limitation was that, for now, World Link could only operate in the southern states.
In other states, such as the East Coast, the Midwest, and parts of the West Coast, MCI did not offer World Link any special favors.
Why? Because MCI needed to protect its own base.
IP telephony, with its extremely low cost, would inevitably challenge the traditional telephone market.
This challenge was not only against AT&T but could also possibly affect MCI itself.
Its market value was close to 18 billion US Dollars, with tens of thousands of employees.
And what underpinned all this was the market share that MCI currently held in the traditional telephone market.
If they provided indiscriminate support for World Link in other states, it would likely be an act of self-sabotage.
