MCI Teams With North American Aerospace Defense Command To Track Santa's Journey On Christmas Eve

--Toll-Free Hotline Enables Children to Connect to NORAD Santa Tracking Team --

ASHBURN, Va., December 22, 2003- MCI (WCOEQ, MCWEQ) today announced it has once again teamed with the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) to provide toll-free calling to the NORAD Tracks Santa hotline, so children can track Santa Claus's global Christmas Eve journey. Beginning December 24 at 7:00 a.m. (MST) through December 25 at 1:00 a.m. (MST), children across the U.S and Canada can call 1-877-HI-NORAD, to determine Santa's exact location throughout Christmas Eve.

Using advanced radar and satellite tracking technology, the men and women of NORAD will begin tracking Santa's worldwide travels in the early morning of December 24. More than 400 volunteers, including MCI employees, will be continuously manning the NORAD Santa Tracking hotline. Callers residing in the local Colorado Springs, Colo. calling area can reach the hotline by dialing 719-474-2111.

Through its relationship with MCI, NORAD is able to provide toll-free calling for the second time in its 49-year history. Children across America and Canada will be able to access the NORAD Santa Tracking hotline without incurring long distance charges. In 2002, nearly 27,000 calls were received.

"We're proud to be donating our time and services to a tradition that warms the hearts of children all over the country," said Jerry Edgerton, senior vice president of MCI Government Markets. "The annual NORAD Tracks Santa Hotline is a creative use of MCI's toll-free calling service that captures the imagination of children while teaching them how the communications system connects us to individuals and information."

Real-time information on Santa's exact location - in English, French, Spanish, Portugese, Italian and Japanese - complete with radar maps and streaming SantaCam video images documenting his global journey past some of the world's most famous landmarks - are available via the Internet at the "NORAD Tracks Santa" Web site (www.noradsanta.org).

NORAD is the bi-national U.S.-Canadian military organization responsible for the aerospace defense of the United States and Canada. NORAD was created by a 1958 agreement between Canada and the United States. The agreement has been renewed nine times, most recently in 2000.

NORAD's Santa tracking tradition started by accident in 1955 after a local newspaper ran a department store advertisement featuring a special 'Santa Hotline' phone number. But instead of ringing a phone at the store, the phone number turned out to be the 'Operations Hotline' to Continental Air Defense Command (NORAD's predecessor).

The senior officer on duty at the time was Colonel Harry Shoup (who still resides in Colorado Springs). Colonel Shoup took the first call and quickly figured out what had happened after hearing six-year-olds asking if they could speak to Santa. The colonel said he was helping Santa, telling the children he could see Santa on the radar screens heading south from the North Pole.

Local news media learned of the calls and reported the story. The next year, calls came flooding into Continental Air Defense Command from children who wanted to know where Santa was on Christmas Eve. Thus, a tradition was born - a tradition NORAD assumed in 1957. Since then, the program has gradually grown over the years, expanding to the Internet in 1997 and the introduction of toll-free calling in 2002.

About WorldCom, Inc.
WorldCom, Inc. (WCOEQ, MCWEQ), which, together with its subsidiaries, 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.