WorldCom Inc, Jackson, Mississippi telecoms company and the fourth-largest long-distanceprovider in the US, saw second-quarter net income slide 21% but still managed to beat the First Call consensus. Net income for the quarter was $79m, or $0.08 per share, when analysts were expecting $0.07. Earnings were crippled by the lingering effects of the January acquisition of MFS Communications Co, which also helped to increase revenue by 65% to $1.77bn. Long-distance traffic for the quarter rose 57%. Domestic private line revenue grew 35%, while internet revenue rose 133%. International revenues grew 82% to $197m. Six-month net fell 33% to $128m on revenue up 64% at $3.45bn. Earnings per share fell 68% to $0.08 for the quarter, and 72% to $0.13 for the half. Year-ago figures exclude pre-tax charges of $15.6m.
