MCI Mail was a commercial email service that was operated by MCI Communications Corp. (abbreviated "MCI") during the period 1983 - 2003. The service is widely credited with being the first commercial email service in the United States.
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The MCI Mail service by launched on September 23, 1983 in Washington DC during a press conference that was hosted by MCI's founder and Chairman, William G. McGowan.
Access to the initial MCI Mail service was provided using a modem connected to a standard telephone land line. A user connected to the MCI Mail service was able to send a text-based email to another MCI Mail user, a telex, or a message that would be printed and delivered by the postal service.
Messages destined to postal addresses were laser printed at an MCI Mail print site, placed in an envelope and mailed via the U.S. Postal Service. The cost was $1 to $2 per page. The service was attractive because there were few affordable letter-quality laser printers available to consumers at the time. Most consumers could only afford low quality dot matrix printers, which were not suitable for business correspondence. It also saved a trip to the post office.
The service also allowed users to select overnight and 4-Hour delivery options. The 4-hour service in particular was attractive as no one offered the ability to print a document and have it delivered in this time frame. There were a number of print facilities around the U.S. which offered this service. The most popular locations were New York, Washington D.C. and Los Angeles. At one point there was a print facility in Hawaii and they also ventured into the international space with a location in Brussels, Belgium.
The hard copy delivery service was later discontinued due to the high operating cost, the increasing availability of letter-quality home printers, and the increased use of email.
Later the service offering was expanded so that users could send messages to email users on other email networks, and to fax terminals. Several email clients were developed to facilitate email handling, including Lotus Express, Norton Commander's MCI Mail utility and MailRoom from Sierra Solutions.
The service was primarily sold using a third-party "agency program". Agents were paid a commission on usage.
  | MCI Mail Changes The Nature Of Letters, NY Times, 9 Nov 1993 - PERIPHERALS; MCI Mail Changes The Nature Of Letters - The New York Times |
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