CLINTON, Miss., May 15, 2002 — WorldCom (NASDAQ: WCOM), the leading global business data and Internet communications provider, today
introduced the first comprehensive suite of Ethernet services permitting U.S. businesses to access their corporate networks, the In
ternet and network-based applications. WorldCom’s Ethernet services allow customers to cost-effectively and easily update existing n
etworks, quickly establish high-capacity connections to multiple locations and achieve new business capabilities.
“WorldCom is setting the stage for significant advances in enterprise networking,” said Brian Brewer, WorldCom chief marketing offic
er. "With WorldCom’s Ethernet services, companies can increase the functionality of their existing networks while sweeping aside tec
hnological barriers to future business applications and information asset management that will be made possible by continued advance
ments in Ethernet technology. We envision a day when workers will be able to plug into an Ethernet port and gain ubiquitous access
to all of their business applications.”
WorldCom’s Ethernet services provide a wide range of solutions -- Internet Dedicated Ethernet, Internet Dedicated Gigabit Ethernet
Port Only, Metro Private Line Ethernet, Wide Area Private Line Ethernet and Enterprise Ethernet Metro Services – all tailored to mee
t a variety of customers’ specific bandwidth, security and performance requirements.
WorldCom plans to offer Ethernet services wherever it operates metropolitan fiber networks. Metropolitan and Private Line Ethernet s
ervices, initially deployed utilizing Nortel Networks Optical Ethernet technology, are immediately available in 84 U.S. markets. Et
hernet services to access the Internet or establish Virtual Private Network (VPN) connections are offered in major metropolitan mark
ets, including New York, Chicago, Dallas, San Francisco, San Jose, Northern Virginia and Washington DC. Additional markets will be a
dded based on customer demand.
WorldCom’s extensive SONET footprint allows the company to offer high-speed Ethernet services and bring new facilities online quickl
y with the reliability of self-healing circuits. In addition, WorldCom Internet Dedicated Ethernet customers can connect to the worl
d’s farthest-reaching IP backbone – which spans six continents with more than 3,800 Points of Presence (PoPs).
“We believe retail metro Ethernet services revenue is set to increase sharply over the next five years, reaching over $4 billion by
2006,” said Marian Stasney, senior analyst at the Yankee Group. “WorldCom’s Ethernet services meet the demand that is clearly there
. With an extensive SONET footprint and more than 6000 lit buildings, WorldCom is poised to offer cost-effective Ethernet solutions
and to bring customers on-line quickly.”
WorldCom delivers an extensive portfolio of network access, transport and value-added services, permitting WorldCom customers to pic
k and choose the solution that best meets their requirements. Since Ethernet is an integrated part of WorldCom’s access and transpor
t strategy, WorldCom customers can migrate to Ethernet at their own pace, while avoiding the unattractive choice of completely re-en
gineering a network or stranding information assets, such as payroll or word processing applications, on a stand alone Ethernet solu
tion.
By extending Ethernet beyond the customer’s LAN into metro and wide area networks, WorldCom is enabling its customers to utilize fam
iliar, proven technology without investing in costly equipment or hiring specialized personnel to manage day-to-day operations. Wor
ldCom’s Ethernet services meet the needs of all businesses by providing access to premier data centers for colocation, complex hosti
ng and Storage Networking as well as popular security features, such as managed firewalls, to ensure corporate information is transm
itted in one of the most secure network environments available today. Additionally, WorldCom’s Ethernet services are backed by indus
try leading Service Level Agreements including 100 percent network availability and 99 percent or greater packet delivery.
About WorldCom Group
WorldCom group (NASDAQ: WCOM) is a pre-eminent global communications provider for the digital generation, operating in more than 65
countries. With one of the most expansive, wholly owned IP networks in the world, WorldCom provides innovative data and Internet se
rvices for businesses to communicate in today's market. For more information, go to http://www.wo
rldcom.com.
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