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Consortium Names MCI 'Endorsed Provider' for Company's Products, Services ASHBURN, Va., Dec. 5 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- MCI, Inc. (NASDAQ:MCIP) today announced it has a new agreement to provide IP, data, voice and managed services to MiCTA and the American TeleEdCommunications Alliance (ATAlliance). "Since 1998, MCI has had a strong relationship with MiCTA and we look forward to delivering the next generation of IP services that members will require to operate effectively today and in the future," said Jerry Edgerton, senior vice president for MCI Government Markets. "As a full-service provider, MCI provides a complete end-to-end solution for state and local government agencies to address all their communications needs." MiCTA and the ATAlliance represent a consortium of non-profit organizations, including higher education institutions, healthcare, libraries and K-12 schools. Its members are composed of the four regional education boards, including the Southern Regional Education Board (SREB), the New England Board of Higher Education (NEBHE), the Midwestern Higher Education Compact (MHEC) and the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE). MCI's suite of services recently achieved "endorsed" status -- the highest recognition awarded by MiCTA/ATAlliance. As an endorsed provider, MCI products and services have been judged by MiCTA/ATAlliance to be the best value based on price, quality and service. MCI services available to MiCTA/ATAlliance members include IP, data and managed services; local and long distance voice service; enhanced call routing and speech recognition technologies; conferencing services; fax services including inbound and outbound, ImagePort and Document Library services; GPS/automatic vehicle location (AVL) services and paging services. "MCI has offered MiCTA members great values on data, voice and managed services for many years. I am very pleased that we will continue this very important partnership with MCI and the ATAlliance,' said Kim Ellertson, CEO of MiCTA Service Corporation. The MiCTA/ATAlliance currently assists with procurement for more than 20,000 member organizations nationwide that can benefit from this new agreement. The consortium offers its members a streamlined contracting process for a wide range of voice, video and data network services that cuts the cost, complexity and risk of traditional IT contracting. The three-year contract is offered to MiCTA/ATAlliance members in the 50 states with an option of two additional one-year terms, allowing members to continue their savings through 2010. About MCI, Inc. MCI, Inc. (NASDAQ:MCIP) is a leading global communications provider, delivering innovative, cost-effective, advanced communications connectivity to businesses, governments and consumers. With one of the most expansive global IP backbones 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. For more information, go to http://www.mci.com/. DATASOURCE: MCI, Inc. CONTACT: Stefanie Scott of MCI Media Relations, 1-800-644-NEWS; or Dan Odykirk of MiCTA Service Corporation, 1-888-870-8677 Web site: http://www.mci.com/

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