"The powerful combination of MCI’s advanced network solutions with Microsoft’s leading web conferencing software and application technologies is fueling the next generation of web collaboration services," said Nancy Gofus, senior vice president of MCI IP Services. "MCI Net Conferencing powered by Microsoft Live Meeting is a terrific example of how the two companies continue to work together and transform the way business gets done around the world."

As the leading provider of Microsoft Office Live Meeting, an online web collaboration and Web conferencing service, MCI has worked closely with Microsoft to develop next-generation web conferencing capabilities. MCI Net Conferencing now offers the 2005 release of Microsoft Office Live Meeting, integrating Web and audio conferencing capabilities, so that users can better manage their audio needs in a seamless Web-based environment. By combining the two companies’ capabilities into a seamless user experience, MCI and Microsoft are enabling business customers to take advantage of multimedia, interactive real-time communications in a rich web collaborative setting.

The latest generation of Microsoft Live Meeting provides web meeting presenters with more control over online web collaborations by focusing on content versus delivery and encouraging more interaction between presenter and participants. Using a new improved control console more closely integrated with the Microsoft Office suite, presenters can more simply change views between documents without opening a new window, increase slide building and animation effects and drop and drag content into a slide show. In addition, participants can more simply ask questions at any time during a meeting using new sidebar Q&A features.

MCI, named by Frost and Sullivan in 2004 as Asia Pacific’s "Most Comprehensive Service Provider," continues to widen its portfolio of voice, data and IP products in Hong Kong with this latest version of MCI Net Conferencing powered by Microsoft Live Meeting. Businesses across the globe can now benefit from an integrated communications solution that allows for voice, video and document sharing capabilities. With a simple click of the mouse, MCI customers can quickly connect to coworkers, partners and customers via email, phone, Web conferencing or instant messaging, utilizing a secure portal and IP transport.

The latest generation of Microsoft Live Meeting capabilities provides web meeting presenters with more control over online collaborations by focusing on content versus delivery and encouraging more interaction between presenter and participants. Using a new improved control console more closely integrated with the Microsoft Office suite, presenters can more simply change views between documents without opening a new window, increase slide building and animation effects and drop and drag content into a slide show. In addition, participants can more simply ask questions at any time during a meeting using new sidebar Q&A features.

In May 2004, Microsoft and MCI established a relationship as preferred web communication and web collaboration partners. As part of the evolving relationship, the two companies are committed to working on a variety of projects including the co-development of new web conferencing services and the expansion of both organizations’ web collaborative communication capabilities. The two companies are dedicating resources to the development of innovative technology solutions based on Session Initiation Protocol (SIP), including presence-based VoIP applications, shared communications and secure instant messaging solutions that will enable business customers to collaborate and communicate in real time. For more information on MCI's web conferencing services, go to www.mci.com.