OUTAGE: MCI/Worldcom frame-relay network

Sun Aug 8 01:39:03 UTC 1999

SEAN at dra.COM (Sean Donelan) writes:
>It is unknown when the network will stabilize.

MCI/Worldcom now claims the network is 'up.'  However it is suffering
heavy congestion, in some parts dropping 90%-100% of the frames.  We're
debating with MCI/Worldcom what a 'working' PVC really means.

But no rest for the exhausted.  There is a software upgrade scheduled later
tonight.

I thought everyone in this business knew who Bernie was, I was wrong.
Bernard J. Ebbers is the CEO of MCI/Worldcom.  No I don't expect Bernie
to know what a frame-relay switch looks like.  But when 10% of the Chicago
Board of Trade goes down the tubes, you expect the CEO of the network
provider to be nominally in charge.  Ebay's Meg Whitman showed up on
CNBC and had public statements, AT&T's Michael Armstrong kept customers
updated during their various outages which were much shorter than
MCI/Worldcom's.  Look on MCI/Worldcom's web site and the most recent
statement you'll find is a press release about second quarter earnings.

Hint: never sign a five-year contract with a provider.  You never know
just how bad they will get.
-- 
Sean Donelan, Data Research Associates, Inc, St. Louis, MO
  Affiliation given for identification not representation