MCI Creates "Cyber Playground" for Smithsonian 150th Anniversary Exhibition Tour; Futuristic Exhibit Transforms the Urban Playground into a Technological Playing Field

Business Wire, Feb 9, 1996

LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 9, 1996--Imagine an urban playground with basketball backboards that feature two-way videoconferencing, a 'jungle gym' with multimedia PCs and Internet access, a phone that plays music, and videos that offer a glimpse into the not-so-distant high-tech future.

In what could pass as a setting for Hollywood's next futuristic flick -- MCI Communications Corp. has created a 3,000 square foot Cyber Playground as its exhibit for the Smithsonian Institution's 150th Anniversary Exhibition, "America's Smithsonian," which opens today in Los Angeles.

Touted as an interactive playing field for youngsters and the young-at-heart, the MCI Cyber Playground melds the shapes, materials and equipment commonly found in contemporary school yards with the technological 'toys' and tools of the future.

The perimeter of the display -- which is 50 by 60 feet -- is constructed of high metal-mesh fencing and bolstered with brick corner units while video monitors mounted on tubular metal displays beckon passers-by to enter the Cyber Playground. Once inside, children and adults are transported to a futuristic and highly interactive playground. At the display's center are eight multimedia PCs hung from a tubular-metal "jungle gym." Each computer has dedicated Internet access, allowing visitors to vault into cyberscape with just a hop, skip and a jump.

Opposing basketball courts -- with blacktop line markings -- allow budding "forwards" and "centers" to take "time out" for a team talk via videoconferencing units mounted onto the backboards. The two-way PC-based units feature state-of-the-art desktop videoconferencing technology from networkMCI.

Oversized industrial-style lighting fixtures throughout the exhibit add to the high-tech urban experience while two metal structures -- with video monitors -- take visitors on a voyage into the coming age of communications convergence.

Other interactive components of MCI's Cyber Playground include phone banks and booths in facing corners that offer on-demand demonstrations of 1-800 MUSIC NOW(SM), the new revolutionary virtual store for sampling and buying music and 1-800 COLLECT, the country's most recognized collect calling service.

Visitors to the exhibit will be able to make "free" 1-800-COLLECT calls to anyone, anywhere in the U.S. Call recipients will not be billed for any calls placed from the 1-800-COLLECT phone bank during the tour.

For cyber-samplers, an individual kiosk allows visitors to browse 1-800 MUSIC NOW Online(SM) -- http://www.1800musicnow.mci.com -- which features album art and audio clips from thousands of albums from fourteen music styles, including children's music, rock, alternative, country, R&B and sound tracks.

"Ticket demand for the Smithsonian exhibit has been greatest with schoolchildren, so we anticipate our exhibit to be very popular with youngsters, their parents and teachers," said Brian Brewer, vice president of Business Marketing. "Our goal was to create a fun, educational and entertaining exhibit for visitors, while providing a showcase for MCI's technology. We want visitors to walk away from our exhibit knowing that MCI is no longer a traditional long distance company, but an Information Age architect."

MCI, headquartered in Washington, D.C., is one of the world's largest and fastest-growing diversified communications companies. With annual revenue of more than $15 billion, MCI offers consumers and businesses a broad portfolio of services including long distance, wireless, local access, paging, Internet software and access, information services, outsourcing, business software, advanced global telecommunications services, and music distribution and merchandising.

CONTACT: MCI Media Relations

Marianne Steiner, 770/668-6306 or 800/644-NEWS

newsmci@mcimail.com

or

MCI Media Relations

Les Kumagai, 213/239-2388 or 800/644-NEWS

newsmci@mcimail.com