City of Missoula Uses Qwest iQ Networking for Anti-Spam and Virus Protection.

DENVER -- Qwest Communications International Inc. (NYSE: Q) today announced that the city of Missoula, Mont., has selected Qwest's wide area networking (WAN) solution, known as iQ Networking(TM), to help it control and eliminate unwanted spam and viruses that present a strain on the city's network.

With approximately 300 employees, many of them with public e-mail addresses, the city of Missoula was challenged by the very large volumes of spam on a daily basis. The city had resource constraints it imposed on their network but never had the expertise or tools to adequately block or measure spam and email viruses. Qwest delivered a gateway-based anti-spam/anti-virus managed security service that filters and cleans e-mail from the Internet prior to reaching the customer's network. The service also can block inappropriate content and can prevent e-mail worms from infiltrating the customer's network.

"We didn't realize the sheer amount of unwanted email we received until we implemented this solution and could track this problem," said David Boring, information network manager for the city of Missoula. "The iQ Networking service was extremely simple to implement and ultimately, we're saving valuable resources, both in terms of management and costs."

"There are estimates that 45-50 percent of all e-mail is spam, which creates an enormous burden on customers' memory and storage requirements," said Cliff Holtz, executive vice president, business markets group for Qwest. "We're pleased to work with the city of Missoula to solve this problem and make their working environment more productive."

The Qwest iQ Networking solution offers a wide variety of WAN services including a managed security service requiring no additional hardware or software. The security solution helps ensure that all encountered spam, adult content and viruses are quarantined and can be managed by the customer 24 hours per day. Qwest also obtains virus updates 24 times per day and constantly updates scanning techniques, providing the latest in e-mail spam and virus protection. A secure custom Web site allows authorized administrators access to the quarantined messages to define filtering preferences, create safe lists and black lists, view message reports, statistics and search the quarantine database.

About Qwest

Qwest Communications International Inc. (NYSE: Q) is a leading provider of voice, video and data services. With more than 40,000 employees, Qwest is committed to the "Spirit of Service" and providing world-class services that exceed customers' expectations for quality, value and reliability. For more information, please visit the Qwest Web site at www.qwest.com.

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