MCI International, Inc.

MCI International, Inc. was the cornerstone of MCI's efforts to develop international communications operations in the 1980s. The company was formed when MCI Telecommunications Corporation acquired Western Union International, Inc. (WUI) from the Xerox Corporation on July 1, 1982 to form MCI International, Inc. (also known as MCII). A subsidiary of MCI Communications Corporation, MCII was established as the holding company for Western Union International telex business and to provide a base for MCI to establish international telecommunications services.

Western Union Telegraph Company's foreign operations were split off by FCC and Congressional mandate when it merged with its last domestic competitor, the Postal Telegraph Company, in 1945. As a result, Western Union International was created in 1961. WUI's influence was greatest in Europe, while RCA Globcom did the bulk of its business in the Far East, especially Japan. The roots of both companies are in telegraph service.