Business News - New Carriers Ranked Among Top 5 IXCs, FCC 1998 Statistics Show

Posted: 08/1999

New Carriers Ranked Among Top 5 IXCs, FCC 1998
Statistics Show

Williams Communications Inc. and Qwest Communications Services both were listed as
top-five interexchange carriers (IXCs) according to the 1998 edition of the Federal
Communications Commission (FCC) Statistics of Communications Common Carriers, released in
June.

Tulsa, Okla.-based Williams Communications, the long distance arm of The Williams
Companies, which has been on the radar screen for less than two years, was ranked fourth
with $1.72 billion in operating revenues. The company was reformed in January 1998
following the expiration of a non-compete agreement made when Williams sold its national
fiber network to WorldCom Inc. (now MCI WorldCom Inc.).

Qwest Communications Services, Denver, the long distance division of Qwest
Communications International Inc., also broke into the top five with operating revenues of
$1.66 billion. This is the first time the company, founded in 1988 as Southern Pacific
Telecommunications Co., a subsidiary of Southern Pacific Transportation Co., has made it
into the top five; it ranked fifth.

AT&T Corp. led the IXC pack with operating revenues of $40.55 billion, followed by
MCI WorldCom with $24.13 billion. Sprint Corp. was third with operating revenues of $9.91
billion.

This year’s report looked at 119 telecommunications companies, including holding
companies, IXCs, regional Bell operating companies (RBOCs), incumbent local exchange
carriers (ILECs) and competitive LECs (CLECs). The report surveys each company’s selected
financial data, including revenues, costs and expenses, net income, earnings per share,
total assets and more.