WorldCom reveals Asian job losses
Rowena Kwok, WorldCom Asia-Pacific spokesperson, told ZDNet Australia that a total of 35 employees in the region would lose their jobs, although she could not provide further details.
MCI WorldCom has around 700 staff in Australia, which includes employees from its wholly-owned subsidiary UUNET. It has another 1,000 across the region.
The service provider is laying off 17,000 employees worldwide in an attempt to turn the company around, with most of these appearing to be coming from the U.S. operations.
In addition to the layoffs, WorldCom is exiting the wireless resale business, which it claims will save US$700 million annually. It is also exploring the sale of a series of non-core businesses, including other wireless assets and certain South American assets.
Staff writers Megan Mcauliffe and Irene Tham contributed to this story.