MCI Chairman of the Board Nicholas deB Katzenbach Letter to Qwest Chairman & CEO Richard Notebaert

March 1, 2005

Richard C. Notebaert
Chairman & Chief Executive Officer

Qwest Communications International Inc.
1801 California Street
Denver, Colorado 80202

Dear Mr. Notebaert:

I am writing to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated February 24, 2005 with regard to a revised proposal for a merger between MCI and Qwest. As noted in our statement on February 24, the MCI Board will respond in due course after conducting a thorough review of Qwest's revised proposal, as it has with all previous proposals.

Over the past seven months, MCI and Qwest have had numerous discussions about possible transactions. As you know, MCI and Qwest management and strategy teams have had 25 in-person meetings and more than 50 joint conference calls. Also, during this time, the MCI Board conducted 26 board meetings in which strategic options, including opportunities with Qwest, were discussed. Throughout this period, Qwest was given substantial access to MCI legal, financial, and operational information.

MCI's Board, with the participation of the court-appointed Corporate Monitor and former SEC Chairman, Richard C. Breeden, has reviewed all options in a process that was both thorough and deliberate. The full extent of the MCI review process will be outlined in the MCI filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission in the upcoming weeks.

I am hopeful that this letter will clear up any misconceptions and reassure you that the latest proposal from Qwest will receive the same extensive review as all previous proposals.

Sincerely,

Nicholas deB Katzenbach
Chairman of the Board
MCI