Cable & Wireless to Introduce Edge Co-location Hosting Service -- Addresses Needs of Broadband Content Providers, International Carriers and ISPs.

Business Editors

NetWorld Interop 2000

LAS VEGAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 9, 2000

Cable & Wireless (NYSE: CWP), the global telecommunications group, today announced at Networld+Interop it will soon introduce Edge Co-location, a new high-end suite of hosting solutions to meet the high-bandwidth requirements of broadband content providers and the needs of international carriers and Internet Service Providers (ISPs). By providing co-location space in its major global IP network sites, Cable & Wireless will enable broadband content providers and Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to distribute content more efficiently by using its global IP network in order to deliver an extremely high quality Internet experience for their customers.

"Broadband content providers are currently experiencing inefficiencies in distributing content to end users, while international carriers and ISPs are having trouble routing their traffic efficiently," said Art Medici senior vice president of Marketing at Cable & Wireless North America. "Connecting these content providers, carriers and ISPs to the edges of Cable & Wireless' global IP network allows them to strategically place content closer to their end users, thereby greatly improving the Internet experience for the end users of their services."

Cable & Wireless Edge Co-location addresses two distinct customer groups: Content Distribution and Delivery (CDD) providers and international carriers and ISPs. CDD providers deliver streaming media, caching and content distribution, gaming, and distributed network utility applications over the Internet. Edge Co-location enables businesses to host content at multiple sites on Cable & Wireless' global IP network in order to serve applications that require distributed, real-time and high-volume transmission capability. Customers have access to secure cages and racks in Cable & Wireless' network sites, direct access to its high speed, global IP network and customer-connect port monitoring.

Edge Co-location will also be offered to international carriers and ISPs with applications that require high-volume circuit equipment to be located in Internet sites that act as international gateways into the United States. Edge Co-location allows international carriers and ISPs to co-locate network and traffic management equipment in Cable & Wireless' global IP network sites. The service will be available to carriers and ISPs that use Cable & Wireless' global.net access or buy an international circuit into the U.S.

Specific features of Cable & Wireless' Edge Co-location service include:

-- Site Preparation - Cable & Wireless will provide the required racks/cabinets
for installation of equipment in its major network nodes. Each site is
completely secure and temperature controlled with supplemental physical
security for their equipment.

-- Connectivity - Cable & Wireless will allow customers to make high bandwidth
transfers. The service provides zero-mile cross-connect into Cable & Wireless'
IP network.

-- Monitoring - Cable & Wireless will monitor the customer-connect ports for
up/down time and packet loss and latency and provide monitoring and reporting
on bandwidth utilization and traffic patterns.

Cable & Wireless Edge Co-location will be available in July 2000. Edge Co-location will be supported in select network locations in the U.S. initially, and expanded to additional network locations in the U.S. and internationally early next year.

Cable & Wireless recently announced a three-year, $91 million Edge Co-location agreement with Microcast, the highest capacity provider of Internet video streaming services to the media industry. Microcast will use Cable & Wireless' Edge Co-location service to deliver broadcast-quality media over the Internet, and will have enough capacity to serve up to 250,000 additional simultaneous broadband users.

About Cable & Wireless

With customers in 70 countries, Cable & Wireless is a major global telecommunications business with revenue of around $14 billion annual revenues and over 50,000 employees. Its businesses around the world offer a range of services spanning broadband data and Internet services, fixed and mobile voice, as well as interactive entertainment and information. Cable & Wireless' priority for expansion is the fast growing market of data and IP (Internet Protocol) services for business customers. Since November 1998, it has announced major investments in advanced networks in the US and Europe, the restructuring of Cable & Wireless Communications in the UK and has acquired full control of Cable & Wireless IDC in Japan to support this strategy. Cable & Wireless now holds a unique position in terms of global coverage and services to business customers.