WorldCom Delivers High Performance and Reliability to Weather News and Information Leader
CLINTON, Miss., December 5, 2001 - WorldCom (NASDAQ: WCOM), the leading global business data and Internet communications provider, today announced that The Weather Channel has selected WorldCom to provide Internet colocation services for weather.com, the world's leading source of weather, news and information on the Web.
Averaging 350 million page views and 14 million unique users per month, weather.com, the official Web site of The Weather Channel, features comprehensive weather information for 77,000 locations worldwide. Maps and other features available on television can also be accessed over the Internet via weather.com, along with weather-related news, educational material, a weather glossary, a storm encyclopedia, seasonal features and more. Weather.com also provides personalized content and information for a wide range of activities and interests including travel, health and sport.
As the dominant online brand among all 22 news and information Web sites, according to a recent Myers Media Brand Tracker report, weather.com recognized its need to select a provider with proven hosting credentials, long-term business stability and most importantly, a record of IP technology innovation - to help maintain its ranking as one of the Web's most recognized brand names.
"At minimum, we need a hosting provider with secure, state-of-the-art data centers, top notch IP network performance, 24x7 on-site technical support and value-added services. WorldCom meets all of those requirements and goes a step further," said Debora Wilson, president and CEO for weather.com. "With its unique reputation as one of the top providers and innovators in the hosting business, as well as its solid, stable future, we're convinced that WorldCom is the best provider for the job."
Through WorldCom, weather.com's servers will now be directly connected to the world's farthest reaching and most reliable global IP network with on-demand scalable bandwidth. And, with the industry's first six-point service level agreement guarantees, WorldCom assures that its site will be up and running around-the-clock.
"By entrusting its Internet infrastructure management and monitoring to the experts at WorldCom, weather.com is able to save time, money and resources while focusing its IT staff's attention on its core strengths - server, content and application management," said Ron McMurtrie, vice president of WorldCom Global e-Services. "As weather.com's decision demonstrates, outsourcing your company's Web hosting needs is a sound business decision - if you choose the right provider."
WorldCom offers Web hosting services to meet every customer's need, from Web server colocation to shared, dedicated and custom managed hosting services. WorldCom's suite of global Web hosting services run over the company's award-winning global IP network and through its state-of-the-art data centers located throughout the United States, Europe and Asia Pacific. Web hosting services are part of the full continuum of advanced digital data communications products and services WorldCom provides to business customers of all sizes around the world.
About Weather.com
weather.com, The Weather Channel Web site, is the world's leading source of weather on the Web. weather.com is consistently ranked among the top single-content sites on the Web by Media Metrix and as one of the leading news and information sites by Nielsen//NetRatings. Averaging 350 million page views and 14 million unique users per month, the weather.com network offers comprehensive forecasts for more than 77,000 locations worldwide and provides relevant content to help users plan for everyday life. Additionally, weather.com services users through its availability on multiple platforms and through strategic partnerships. weather.com is the leading provider of broadband and wireless weather products accessible through high-speed Internet services, phones, pagers, Palm Pilots and other personal digital assistants.
About WorldCom Group
WorldCom Group (NASDAQ: WCOM) is a preeminent global communications provider for the digital generation, operating in more than 65 countries with annualized revenues of more than $20 billion. WorldCom provides the innovative technologies and services that are the foundation for business in the 21st century. For more information go to http://www.worldcom.com.
| Area: | Global |
| Name: | News Bureau |
| Role: | Media Relations |
| Tel: | 800-644-NEWS |
