MCI Concludes Qwest Proposal Not Superior

MCI, Inc. (www.mci.com) today announced that its Board of Directors voted that the Qwest proposal in its current form, taken as a whole, is not superior to its merger agreement with Verizon.

The Board carefully reviewed and considered financial terms, merger-related conditions, market risks and customer reactions in arriving at its conclusion. The Board reached out to Qwest seeking improvements on financial terms, certainty of close and other merger terms.

MCI's Board also took into consideration a number of uncertainties in terms of value and likelihood of closing, including the negative sentiment among MCI customers toward a Qwest combination.

In the face of these risks, MCI was not willing to jeopardize the certainty of its Verizon agreement for the uncertainties surrounding the Qwest proposal.

MCI has the right to engage in discussions with Qwest and remains open to the possibility of further discussions.The MCI Board has notified both companies of its decision.

MCI, Inc. (NASDAQ: MCIP) 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 points of presence, and wholly-owned data networks, MCI develops the converged communications products and services that are the foundation for commerce and communications in today's market.

This document contains statements about expected future events and financial results that are forward-looking and subject to risks and uncertainties.