MCI Conducts Vigorous Review Of Competitors' Claims

Company retains law firm to conduct internal analysis

ASHBURN, Va., July 29, 2003 - MCI (WCOEQ, MCWEQ) today announced the appointment of Washington D.C. law firm Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP to lead a review regarding competitor claims surrounding the company's handling of call routing and access fees. Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP is a nationally prominent firm with expertise in complex corporate, litigation and government investigation matters. MCI is committed to providing all necessary company resources and its full cooperation to the review.

Responding to recent media reports Jerry Edgerton, MCI senior vice president of Government Markets said:

"It is important to emphasize that we are confident that all U.S. government secure calls on MCI networks have been handled properly. Contrary to some of our competitors' implications, secure government traffic travels over MCI's network with a dedicated connection and encryption, not through gateways. National security has not been compromised through our secure network.

Commenting on the use of Least Cost Routing (LCR), Fred Briggs, MCI president of Operations & Technology said:

"MCI routes approximately 8 percent of its traffic to Least Cost Routing (LCR) companies. These are companies that have existed in the industry for more than a decade. They provide long-distance and competitive local exchange carriers a legitimate alternative to terminate traffic and reduce access fees. MCI is reviewing its LCR relationships as part of its internal review."

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 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.