TECHNOLOGY & TELECOMMUNICATIONS

Telecom Partners Unveil Internet Upgrade: The plan for a $300-million upgrade of British Telecom and MCI’s Internet networks is a bid to grab a leading share of the fast-growing market. Britain’s largest telephone company and MCI Communications Corp., the second-largest U.S. long-distance carrier, plan to combine their existing networks into eight global “super-hubs” to offer businesses and other users faster, more reliable performance. The initial investment will, in effect, increase the Internet’s global capacity by nearly a third. Analysts said the plan is the first major Internet investment by a global telecom group; they said others are expected to follow. The upgrade should give companies faster, more reliable access to the Internet, as well as better communications with networks around the world. The market for Internet services, dominated initially by a host of smaller competitors, has now attracted major players such as AT&T; Corp. and Sprint Corp., with its partners France Telecom and Deutsche Telekom.