Qwest Network Becomes an Additional Backbone for Internet2 Project "Abilene"; Abilene Project to Create Farthest Reaching, Highest Capacity Research and Education Network in the World

Business Wire, April 14, 1998

DENVER--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 14, 1998--Qwest Communications, in conjunction with the University Corporation for Advanced Internet Development (UCAID), today announced they will together provide the Internet2 Internet Protocol (IP) backbone network called Abilene. Project Abilene will have access to the Qwest Macro Capacity(SM) Fiber Network nationwide to create the farthest reaching, highest capacity research and education network in the world.

At a White House ceremony, Vice President Al Gore today unveiled the Abilene network - a collaboration of Qwest, Cisco Systems, and NORTEL led by UCAID. The Abilene research and education network will be the most advanced native IP backbone network available to the Internet2 member universities.

"We are very excited the Qwest network will be used as the platform for our universities to further technological innovation of the Internet," said Joseph P. Nacchio, president and CEO of Qwest. "The Qwest network is the most sophisticated of its kind in a decade. With our network's unprecedented speed, capacity and reliability, we believe the beneficiaries of project Abilene will reap the rewards from this quantum step forward in state-of-the-art communications applications and services."

"Abilene's advanced networking capabilities will enable researchers and educators to develop the advanced applications crucial to the mission of higher education," said Dr. Douglas E. Van Houweling, UCAID's president and CEO.

Project Abilene joins the CALRen2 high-performance, next generation Internet project, as a second higher education organization to use the Qwest network as its backbone. With initial operation expected to begin before the end of this year, and full deployment completed by the end of 1999, the Abilene network will work with existing advanced research and education networking efforts, such as the federal government's Next Generation Internet (NGI) initiative.

The Qwest Macro Capacity Fiber Network

Qwest's planned domestic 16,285 mile native IP network will serve over 125 cities, which represent approximately 80 percent of the data and voice traffic originating in the United States, upon its scheduled completion in the second quarter of 1999. Currently, more than 5,400 miles are activated from California to New York, from Dallas to Houston and from Phoenix to Austin, Texas. Qwest is also extending its network 1,400 miles into Mexico with completion slated for late third quarter 1998.

The Qwest Macro Capacity Fiber network is designed with a highly reliable and secure bi-directional, line switching OC-192 SONET ring architecture. Upon completion, the native IP network will offer a self-healing system that provides the ultimate security and reliability by allowing instantaneous rerouting in the event of a fiber cut.

About the University Corporation for Advanced Internet Development (UCAID)

The University Corporation for Advanced Internet Development provides leadership and direction for advanced networking development within the U.S. university community. Its activities include the Internet2 project, as well as other programs devoted to network research, technology transfer, and collaborative activities in related fields such as distance learning and educational technology. Internet2 is a collaborative project by over 120 U.S. research universities, in partnership with industry leaders and U.S. federal agencies, to develop a new family of advanced applications to meet emerging academic requirements in research, teaching and learning. Internet2 is addressing this challenge by creating a leading edge network capability, enabling a new generation of applications, and integrating these efforts with the current academic Internet services. For more information, see www.ucaid.edu.

About Qwest

Qwest Communications International Inc. (NASDAQ:QWST) is a multimedia communications company building a high-capacity, native IP fiber optic network for the 21st century. With its cutting-edge technology, Qwest will deliver high-quality data, video and voice connectivity securely and reliably to businesses, consumers and other communications service providers. Further information is available at www.qwest.net. -0-

This release may contain forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. These statements may differ materially from actual future events or results. Readers are referred to the documents filed by Qwest with the SEC, specifically the most recent reports on Form 10-Q, which identify important risk factors that could cause actual results to differ from those contained in the forward-looking statements, including potential fluctuations in quarterly results, dependence on new product development, rapid technological and market change, failure to complete the network on schedule, volatility of stock price, financial risk management and future growth subject to risks.

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