Going the Long-Distance for Customers

Qwest Communications International Inc. has unveiled its Internet-based telephone service in Anaheim and Los Angeles, offering long-distance connections for 7.5 cents a minute.

The company, based in Denver, started signing up people here last week, said Stephen Jacobsen, senior vice president of consumer markets for Qwest.

Officials declined to say how many California subscribers it has pulled on to its service. The company already offers its products in Sacramento, Oakland, San Francisco and San Jose.

“We’re in a major growth mode right now,” Jacobsen said. “But the telecommunications game is really competitive. So for us to stay ahead, we need to stay on schedule for building out the network.”

Qwest is constructing a 16,000-mile fiber-optic network that will eventually serve more than 125 cities. So far, 3,600 miles are now in service--from Los Angeles and Orange County to Columbus, Ohio, and from Dallas to Houston.

The lower costs of laying fiber-optic cable, added to the increased demand for phone and Internet service, makes the residential market more attractive now, the company said.

Several other companies--notably IXC Communications Inc. in Austin, Texas; Williams Cos. in Tulsa, Okla., and Level 3 Communications Inc. in Denver--are taking a similar approach.

Until now, Qwest’s core business has been selling spare network capacity to other phone companies.

Hoping to lure residential customers, the company says it will pick up the cost of connecting to conventional phone networks whenever necessary. This way, said Nacchio, subscribers to the new service will still be able to call anywhere in the country at no extra charge.

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P.J. Huffstutter covers high technology for The Times. She can be reached at (714) 966-7830 and at [email protected]