GTE celebrates landmark growth

GTE marked milestones in long-distance, international calling and Internet growth last week.

The carrier celebrated its one-year anniversary in the long-distance market by showering its 1 millionth customer-a couple from Virginia Beach, Va.-with 1 million free airline miles. Yet the long-distance business isn't expected to turn a profit until the fourth quarter of 1998, GTE Long Distance President Rob McCoy said during a press conference.

The carrier's Internet subscribers have reached the 100,000 mark, and it plans to double-and in some cases, quadruple-its dial-up capacity in the 381 markets where it provides GTE Internet Solutions. The expansion will include adding 200,000 modems throughout the country.

GTE also will offer Internet access in 120 new markets during the next four months. Of those, half will be within GTE's wireline and wireless serving territory.

GTE, never constrained by the federal rules placed on the Bell regional holding companies, attributed its rapid wireline growth to a consolidated billing system, a 14¢-per-minute long-distance plan and strategies aimed at making things simple for end users.

The international calling plan for residential users bases its rates on the time of day a call is placed and applies peak rates to all calls made to Asia, Africa and Europe at all times. "There will be no more guesswork in trying to calculate when to call a certain country so you hit the lowest calling rate," McCoy said. "GTE's plan is based on our customer's clock."