When MCI and Microsoft announced their collaboration on web conferencing in May 2004, MCI CEO Michael Capellas said they would eventually expand that relationship to bring voice to the desktop. Today, the companies announced MCI Web Calling for Windows Live Call, a consumer-based PC-to-phone voice service.

“We think it is the right time in the evolution of our industry for people to start adopting this new way of making phones calls,” said Patty Proferes, senior vice president of mass markets and corporate advertising for MCI.

MCI Web Calling for Windows Live Call will be introduced sometime in 2006. It is currently being beta-tested in the U.S., where it will be initially available before expanding to France, Germany, Spain and the U.K. Users will be able to place calls to and from 220 countries for approximately $.023 per minute during the trial. Final pricing is to be determined. The service will be pre-paid.

“We have our eye on many more country rollouts and plan to reach as many of those 185 million customers as we possibly can and have the biggest roster as possible when we go commercial together,” Proferes said.

She said MCI hopes to go commercial in the first half of 2006.

Windows Live Messenger is the successor to MSN Messenger, which has more than 185 million active accounts around the world. The solution combines Windows Live software, voice-over-IP capabilities and MCI’s global network.

“Users already have the MSN application on their PC. Once the service is rolled out commercially, they can just click on the Web Calling invitation and begin making phone calls,” Proferes said. “It gives you a portable and convenient way to tap into the VoIP explosion.”

Microsoft’s PC-to-PC voice technology also enables users to call from mobile phones by simply clicking on an entry within their contact list in Windows Live Messenger or typing a phone number into the Windows Live Call softphone.

Customers can register for MCI Web Calling via the Windows Live Messenger client. MCI will manage customer registration, terminating calls, customer account management, customer support and billing for the PC-to-phone voice service.

Regarding the proposed merger with MCI, Proferes said that the service does not conflict at this time with any Verizon VoIP implementations. “This is an important strategic relationship between our company and Microsoft and I don’t see the value of that relationship decreasing with the merger,” she said.