Boise Cascade Corporation Signs New Multimillion Dollar Agreement With MCI for Networking, Call Center and Conferencing Services

ASHBURN Va., December 2, 2003 -- MCI (WCOEQ, MCWEQ) today announced that Boise Cascade Corporation has awarded the company a three-year, $16 million contract for networking, call center, and conferencing services. Under terms of the agreement, MCI is providing Boise with a 180-site frame relay network, an ATM network linking all six of Boise's customer service centers, and an advanced call routing service that will help Boise differentiate its products and services through industry-best customer service.

Assisting Boise in reaching its customer service goals, MCI has deployed Gateway, a call routing service specifically designed for large and geographically dispersed contact centers. Gateway's Automatic Number Identification (ANI) routing directs calls by party number. The service also provides Boise with the ability to route calls based on customer profiles. In addition, Boise service centers can conduct load balancing to ensure customer attention is received in a timely manner.

"MCI has provided us with high-quality products and excellent service for 10 years," said Bob Egan, vice president of Information Technology for Boise. "We felt comfortable adapting these new products based on the company's expertise and understanding of our business objective to maintain the highest level of customer service in our industry."

In addition, MCI is providing a 180-site frame relay network that will connect all of Boise's offices across the U.S. through a secure private network. For Boise's traveling and remote workers, such as their sales force of more than 1,000, MCI is supplying remote Internet access capabilities that will allow employees to dial-up from any location into the corporate network to access company systems and e-mail. With a large number of geographically dispersed offices, Boise will rely on MCI's industry-leading audio and Net conferencing services to streamline communications between employees by conducting virtual meetings from anywhere, anytime.

"MCI's extended relationship with Boise is reflective of our approach to listening to customers' business objectives and delivering products and services designed to help meet their goals as efficiently and effectively as possible," said Connie Paquette, vice president of Global Accounts for MCI's Midwest region. "Through this new agreement, MCI will enhance the ability of Boise employees across the country to communicate quickly and securely through the use of state-of-the-art private networks, remote Internet access and audio and video conferencing."

About Boise Cascade Corporation
Boise delivers office, building, and paper solutions that help our customers to manage productive offices and construct well-built homes - two of the most important activities in our society. Boise's 23,000 employees help people work more efficiently, build more effectively, and create new ways to meet business challenges. Boise also provides constructive solutions for environmental conservation by managing natural resources for the benefit of future generations. Boise had sales of $7.4 billion in 2002. Visit the Boise website at http://www.bc.com/.

About WorldCom, Inc.
WorldCom, Inc. (WCOEQ, MCWEQ), which currently conducts business under the MCI brand name, is a leading global communications provider, delivering innovative, cost-effective, advanced communications connectivity to businesses, governments and consumers. With the industry's most expansive global IP backbone, based on the number of company-owned POPs, and wholly owned data networks, WorldCom develops the converged communications products and services that are the foundation for commerce and communications in today's market. For more information, go to http://www.mci.com.