MCI Ranked #1 As Most Connected Internet Backbone Provider

Independent TeleGeography Research Confirms MCI's Role in Delivering the Most Direct Connections for its Customers and the Internet Community

ASHBURN, VA. - MCI (WCOEQ, MCWEQ) today reported that its global IP network has been recognized again as the world's most connected Internet backbone. TeleGeography, a research division of PriMetrica, Inc., in its annual Global Internet Geography Database and Report released this week, found that MCI's global network continues to serve the Internet with the greatest number of Autonomous System (AS) network connections of any IP network. MCI's expansive IP footprint, coupled with its direct interconnections, exceeds all other competitor networks and enables its business customers and ISPs to reach more destinations directly through its global IP backbone than any other carrier.

"Our number one ranking for Autonomous System connections illustrates MCI's central role in delivering critical Internet services for our customers and the entire Internet community," said Vint Cerf, senior vice president, MCI Architecture and Technology. "TeleGeography's measurements of Internet activity and IP growth provide a useful snapshot of what's happening on the Internet today, with an eye on what may happen tomorrow."

Alan Mauldin, senior research analyst for TeleGeography added, "The Autonomous System ranking is a measure of the connectedness of an IP network to the rest of the public Internet. While all networks can reach each other on the Internet, the AS ranking demonstrates the closeness of a network to the rest of the Internet, as in number of hops data must take to reach its destination. Since TeleGeography began tracking AS-connectivity in 2001, MCI has ranked first every year."

TeleGeography's global study builds on other independent studies, which confirm MCI's leadership in the IP space. A recent report conducted by the Cooperative Association for Internet Data Analysis (CAIDA), a nonprofit academic organization that analyzes Internet traffic and capacity issues, found that MCI's North American backbone is now and has consistently been a core supplier of Internet service based on number of directly reachable IP addresses. www.caida.org.

MCI, the company that pioneered the commercial Internet in 1987 as UUNET, has built an IP network that spans six continents and supports more than two million global dial modems. MCI's Internet backbone provides more than 4,500 IP POPs throughout North America, Latin America, UK-Europe, Africa and the Asia-Pacific region.

MCI continued its Internet leadership position by helping to build a trans-Pacific submarine cable named Southern Cross that opened up direct Internet traffic routes from California to Hawaii, Australia, New Zealand and Fiji in 2000.

For more information regarding TeleGeography and its 2003 Global Internet Geography Database and Report visit: http://www.primetrica.com.

About WorldCom
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.