MCI Gets Postal Contract, Its Largest Ever

MCI Communications Corp. said it won a contract worth up to $3 billion to manage the Postal Service’s telecommunications network, the largest deal in the long-distance phone company’s history. Under the contract, Washington-based MCI and its partners will create and manage a telecommunications network linking as many as 34,000 post offices and other postal facilities. The contract has a guaranteed value of at least $100 million and an upper limit of $3 billion if the Postal Service chooses to make full use of MCI services specified in the deal. MCI has agreed to a $20-billion acquisition by British Telecommunications that is awaiting shareholder and regulatory approval.