WorldCom, AOL Strike Marketing Agreement

Telecom company WorldCom and America Online Inc. struck a deal Wednesday which has WorldCom marketing the giant ISP to its millions of residential and long-distance customers.

The deal calls for WorldCom to offer its customers free calls when they join AOL , and WorldCom has even agreed to encourage its residential ISP customers to join AOL.

“This expansion of our successful relationship with WorldCom allows us to work together to make joining AOL easy, convenient, and a great value for MCI WorldCom subscribers,” said Jan Brandt, AOL’s president of marketing.

Under the terms of the agreement, financial details of which were not disclosed, WorldCom will also market AOL services to its employees.

The two companies also have ties on the infrastructure side, and this marketing deal continues that relationship. WorldCom’s UUNET has been a provider for AOL’s dial-up service for several years.