MCI Ranked #1 As Most-Connected U.S. Internet Colocation Provider

Independent TeleGeography Research Finds MCI Provides Data Center Customers Unparalleled Network Reach

ASHBURN, VA. - October 23, 2003 - MCI (WCOEQ, MCWEQ) today reported that it was ranked first as the most-connected U.S. colocation provider, according to TeleGeography, a research division of PriMetrica, Inc., in its recently released Colocation 2004 Database and Report. Additionally, MCI was found to be the second most-connected colocation provider in Europe.

TeleGeography's findings were based on the research firm's evaluation of more than 400 colocation providers in 10 major U.S. cities, including Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Los Angeles, Miami, New York City, San Francisco, Seattle and Washington, D.C., and six international locations, including Amsterdam, Brussels, Frankfurt, London, Paris and Stockholm.

"The findings indicate that MCI provides data center customers with significant access to U.S. networks-which is an important consideration today for enterprises," said Paul Melton, TeleGeography senior analyst. "By having data centers well-connected to bandwidth providers in the U.S. and Europe, MCI customers benefit from greater flexibility in meeting bandwidth needs while enabling them to seamlessly increase redundancy and enhance their ability to maintain business continuity."

"Our ranking as the most-connected colocation provider illustrates MCI's determination to deliver increasingly critical Internet services to our customers," said Vint Cerf, senior vice president of Technology Strategy for MCI. "We have rigorously engineered the connectivity of our data centers to be among the most robust in the industry-through a network that offers unparalleled reach and redundancy for our customers."

Today MCI's more than 130 global data centers span five continents across North America, Europe, Africa, Australia, and the Asia-Pacific region.

Earlier this year, TeleGeography reported that MCI was ranked #1 as the most-connected Internet backbone provider in its annual 2003 Global Internet Geography Database and Report. The report found that MCI's expansive IP footprint, coupled with its direct interconnections, exceeds all other competing networks and enables its business customers and ISPs to reach more destinations directly through its global IP backbone than any other carrier.

MCI offers a complete suite of outsourced data networking and value-added hosting services through its Data Centers. These include Internet, private line, frame relay, ATM and SONET network solutions, shadow and diverse connectivity handoffs, firewall security services, equipment leasing and installation, on-site technical service and support, and the MCI Virtual ConsoleSM-one of the industry's leading online performance management tools. Using the Virtual Console, customers can view and reconfigure any monitoring service associated with their colocation and storage solutions, open and check the status of service requests, reference MCI policies and procedures, and more.

With the support of its managed Web and application hosting affiliate Digex (OTC: DIGX), MCI offers the full array of hosting solutions from colocation to shared, dedicated and custom managed hosting. Each runs over MCI's facilities-based global network, through its state-of-the-art data centers across the U.S., Canada, Europe and Asia Pacific. Hosting services are part of the full continuum of advanced data communications solutions MCI provides to enterprise customers around the world.

For more information regarding TeleGeography and its 2004 Colocation 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 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.