MCI WorldCom, the long-distance telephone company set to buy smaller rival Sprint, said yesterday that its first-quarter profits rose about 80 per cent, just ahead of Wall Street expectations, amid strong growth in its data, Internet and international operations.

MCI WorldCom said net income in the quarter was $1.3 billion (€1.4 billion) or 44 US cents per share, compared to $712 million, or 24 cents, a year ago. Shares of MCI WorldCom gained 871/2 cents to $41.75 on Nasdaq despite general weakness throughout the stock market.

MCI WorldCom, the second-largest US long-distance telephone company, said total revenues increased to $10 billion (€10.8 billion) from $9.1 billion a year ago. Data, Internet and international services now account for 46 per cent of MCI WorldCom's total revenues. MCI WorldCom has focused on these fast-growing segments of the telecommunications market and shifted away from the slower-growing areas, such as the consumer long-distance and wholesale markets.

MCI WorldCom recently said it planned to move into lucrative services such as website creation or web hosting (the software and services that run websites). The new initiative will allow MCI WorldCom to provide the sophisticated services that businesses will use to design, run and expand online.

MCI WorldCom, the product of more than 60 acquisitions over the past decade, in October agreed to buy Sprint, the third-largest long-distance company, for $115 billion, edging aside rival bidder BellSouth. The planned acquisition, which is subject to regulatory approval, would allow MCI WorldCom to enter the wireless telephone market and to expand its long-distance customer base.