Qwest Communications International Inc. (NYSE: Q) today announced that it has opened a new world-class CyberCenter in the Seattle area to provide secure, reliable and scalable hosting services to businesses. With the opening of the new center, Qwest now operates 14 CyberCenters nationwide.

Qwest CyberCenters are ideal for businesses seeking dependable and safe hosting solutions to manage and protect all critical data and systems. By outsourcing hosting and application services, businesses can maximize efficiencies and realize significant cost savings. Qwest CyberCenters provide expert support for customers to conduct e-commerce, operate complex Web sites, and manage entire IT environments including enterprise applications, databases and data storage.

“Qwest Hosting Services have proven to be a dependable, secure and cost-effective solution for Alaska Airlines,” said Dean DuVall, managing director for IT customer services and infrastructure at Alaska Airlines. “Through our relationship with Qwest Hosting, we are able to maintain a secondary e-commerce presence for our Web-based reservations, vacations, mileage plan and check-in systems. Having this capability significantly increases the performance and availability of our most important and visible Web site."

Qwest offers a full spectrum of CyberCenter^® solutions including collocation, operating systems, application and database monitoring and management, storage management and business protection services. The facilities offer 24-hour-a-day staffing, indoor and outdoor security monitoring and biometric access screening. CyberCenters are equipped to withstand disastrous conditions and protect customer systems and equipment with top-of-the-line fire-detection and fire-suppression systems. In addition, customers receive reliable connectivity to Qwest’s extensive, coast-to-coast network backbone.

“We are seeing a significant increase in the demand for Qwest managed hosting solutions, and the new Qwest CyberCenter will allow Qwest to expand the number of customers we can serve with leading broadband applications and network services,” said Dan Yost, executive vice president of product and marketing at Qwest. “Opening the newest facility in Seattle demonstrates Qwest’s continued success in the hosting arena and our ongoing commitment to providing the most comprehensive and secure solutions available.”

Qwest CyberCenters are state-of-the-art facilities that can house more than three million feet of data cable and fiber optics, providing the extensive infrastructure features necessary to maintain a customer’s environment. Cooling towers, water pumps and chillers provide enough cooling capacity to air-condition the equivalent of approximately 1,820 private homes. With 19.5 mega-watts of emergency power to ensure network operations, Qwest CyberCenters generate enough power for approximately 5,000 households.

The 14 Qwest CyberCenters are located in 11 metropolitan areas, including Burbank, Calif.; Chicago; Columbus, Ohio; Denver; Minneapolis; Newark, N.J.; Sacramento, Calif.; Seattle; Sterling, Va.; Sunnyvale, Calif.; and Tampa, Fla. Qwest was voted "Hosting Center of the Year" in an InfoWorld reader's choice survey and was also ranked number one for providing application services in a recent America's Network end-user survey. Business customers also ranked Qwest a top data provider in a recent issue of Spokane Business Catalyst magazine resulting in an award in the “Best Web Hosting Business” category.

To learn more about Qwest CyberCenter services, visit http://www.qwest.com/largebusiness/enterprisesolutions/products -hosting.html. (Due to its length, this URL may need to be copied/pasted into your Internet browser's address field. Remove the extra space if one exists.)

About Qwest

Qwest offers a unique and powerful combination of voice and data solutions for businesses, government agencies and consumers – locally and throughout the country. Customers coast to coast are turning to Qwest’s industry-leading national fiber optic network and its Spirit of Service for quality products and superior customer experience. For more information on Qwest, and its various operating subsidiaries, please go to www.qwest.com.