WorldCom and Digex Unveil Managed Hosting Solutions For Small To Mid-Size Businesses Worldwide

'Managed Express Hosting' Meets Growing Demand for Affordable, High Performance Web & Application Hosting Services

CLINTON, Miss., and LAUREL, Md., December 11, 2001 - WorldCom (NASDAQ: WCOM), the leading global business data and Internet communications provider, and its affiliate Digex (NASDAQ: DIGX), the leading managed hosting provider for business on the Internet, today announced the introduction of Managed Express Hosting. A new global managed Web and application hosting portfolio developed to meet the unique, growing demands of small to medium-size enterprises (SMEs), Managed Express Hosting also addresses the departmental Web requirements of larger enterprises.

Managed Express Hosting offers the features and benefits of secure, high performance hosting solutions at a moderate price - leveraging the advanced technology, engineering, network facilities, and business practices that have made the WorldCom-Digex affiliation a leader in the global high-end managed hosting space. Managed Express allows enterprises to benefit from the time and cost savings of outsourced managed hosting, utilizing only the features and functions they need today, while maintaining the flexibility to expand the functionality of their hosted Web sites and applications as their business grows.

Offered in 12 different configurations, with base prices ranging from (U.S.) $1,320 to $2,500 per month, all Managed Express Hosting solutions are available immediately in the United States, Canada and the U.K. The portfolio will be introduced to enterprise customers in France, Germany and Japan in the first quarter of 2002.

Each fully-managed, pre-configured solution comes complete with a defined set of features including: hosting, security, connectivity and infrastructure, as well as Web, database and server administration. Managed Express also offers an online customer care portal and 24x7 multi-lingual technical service and support - all backed by service level guarantees. In addition, customers have a wide range of defined optional services to tailor their solution to their individual needs, providing higher levels of administration, security, support, performance, usage monitoring, reporting, and data recovery.

The WorldCom-Digex Managed Express Hosting solutions are based on industry-leading technologies, including the Microsoft Windows 2000 and Sun Solaris operating systems, Compaq and Sun servers, and Microsoft and Oracle database software.

"Until now, small and mid-size businesses haven't had access to the type of sophisticated managed hosting solutions that WorldCom and Digex routinely provide to larger enterprises," said Ron McMurtrie, vice president of WorldCom Global e-Services. "That isn't the case any longer. Managed Express Hosting will allow them to rapidly and affordably meet their competitors in the online marketplace with solutions that satisfy their individual needs, which is key for this market."

"Managed Express Hosting brings a new dimension to the Web and application hosting space for large enterprises as well," said Martha Gilbertson, vice president of product management for Digex. "Express is ideal for companies who want to provide multiple individual platforms to specific divisions or departments within a company, all built to a common design and all managed in the same way."

By combining the companies' industry-leading hosting management capabilities, unrivaled global IP network, and expansive worldwide Internet data center footprint, Managed Express Hosting offers the highest levels of business-class performance, security, reliability and scalability on the market today. Backed by the reputation and the financial strength of WorldCom, Managed Hosting Express offers Digex and WorldCom customers alike the assurance of long-term provider stability, while ensuring online business continuity through an outsourced hosting solution housed in a secure, off-site, data center facility.

"The SME market is an important market segment in today's economy and is expected to grow significantly over the next three to five years," said IDC Web hosting analyst Melanie Posey. "The demand for more complex Web site functionality, ever-escalating costs and greater outsourcing benefits will further spur outsourced hosting among SMEs and Managed Express Hosting is one offering that caters to these requirements."

About Digex
Digex is the leading managed hosting provider for business on the Internet. Digex customers, from mainstream enterprise corporations, Internet-based businesses and Application Service Providers (ASPs), leverage Digex's services to deploy secure, scaleable, high performance business solutions, including electronic retailing, online financial services, online procurement and customer self-service applications. Digex also offers value-added enterprise and professional services, including performance and security testing, monitoring, reporting and networking services. Additional information on Digex is available at www.digex.com.

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.