16 Montana Neighborhoods and Communities Received QWEST High-Speed Internet Service in 2003

New Choice DSL Pricing and Availability of DSL to More than 34,000 New Homes and Businesses Combine to Make Qwest DSL More Accessible than Ever Before

HELENA, Mont., December 22, 2003 – Qwest Communications International Inc. (NYSE: Q) today announced that the company made Qwest high-speed Internet service available to 16 new Montana neighborhoods and communities during 2003. As a result, more than 34,000 additional homes and businesses in Montana now qualify for Qwest DSL (Digital Subscriber Line) service.

“Qwest is committed to increasing DSL availability so more customers can receive this in-demand service,” said Rick Hays, Qwest president for Montana. “The DSL deployments we’ve made this year are a direct response to the strong customer demand we are seeing for the service and ensure that more customers are able to receive a complete solution that includes local, long-distance, wireless, video and DSL service.”

To bring the benefits of broadband to even more new customers, the company has competitively priced its Qwest DSL starting at only $15 per month (plus the fees associated with the Internet Service Provider each customer selects). For example, if a customer purchases Qwest Choice DSL with MSN Premium, the price will be $31.99 per month for up to 256 Kilobits per second.

According to the Yankee Group, U.S. broadband access is expected to increase 165 percent by 2005 to 35.5 million households and Qwest expects to play a key role in expanding Qwest DSL availability to more customers. In fact, Qwest has invested in excess of $100 million for DSL expansion efforts in 2003. This commitment will extend into additional DSL investments in 2004. Once this DSL expansion effort is complete, an additional 900,000 homes and businesses region-wide will qualify for Qwest DSL service.

Customers who purchase the Qwest Choice residential local package or the DISH Network America’s Top 100 package (or one of greater value) through Qwest will receive Qwest Choice DSL with MSN Premium for:

• $26.99 per month for up to 256Kb ($31.99/month without a package)

• $39.99 per month for up to 640Kb ($44.99/month without a package)

Montana is a key example of Qwest’s DSL expansion commitment. In 2003, Qwest has newly deployed or expanded DSL coverage to the following Montana communities: Anaconda, Belgrade, Billings, Bozeman, Dillon, Hamilton, Havre, Helena, Miles City and Missoula.

Qwest DSL Benefits

According to Jupiter Research, online holiday shopping has increased more than 20 percent each year over the last several years, and Jupiter predicts it will increase by another 20 percent this year to $16.8 million. With Qwest DSL, customers can conduct their online holiday shopping quickly and easily, without the delays that often occur with dial-up. Other benefits of DSL include the ability to:

• Talk on the phone while surfing the Internet or reading e-mail

• Enjoy immediate access to the Internet – no need to ever dial in again and no more busy signals when trying to connect to the Internet

• Download movie clips quickly for easy previews at home

• Share the high-speed connection with everyone within a household or small business (wirelessly or through a wired set-up)

• Download photos or large files in seconds rather than minutes

• Download the latest games in seconds and interact with players from all over the world in near real-time

• Download music in minutes rather than hours

For questions about qualification, packages or pricing, or to order Qwest DSL, please call 1-800-244-1111 (residential customers) or 1-800-603-6000 (small-business customers). Customers also can visit http://www.qwest.com/jump/dsl/ to quickly determine whether their line qualifies for DSL.

About Qwest

Qwest Communications International Inc. (NYSE: Q) is a leading provider of voice, video and data services to more than 25 million customers. The company’s 47,000 employees are 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 http://www.qwest.com.

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Forward Looking Statement Note

This release may contain projections and other 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 us with the Securities and Exchange Commission, specifically the most recent reports which identify important risk factors that could cause actual results to differ from those contained in the forward-looking statements, including but not limited to: the duration and extent of the current economic downturn in our 14-state local service area, including its effect on our customers and suppliers; access line losses due to increased competition, including from technology substitution of our access lines with wireless and cable alternatives; our substantial indebtedness, and our inability to complete any efforts to de-lever our balance sheet through asset sales or other transactions; any adverse outcome of the SEC’s current investigation into our accounting policies, practices and procedures and certain transactions; any adverse outcome of the current investigation by the U.S. Attorney’s office in Denver into certain matters relating to us; adverse results of increased review and scrutiny by Congress, regulatory authorities, media and others (including any internal analyses) of financial reporting issues and practices or otherwise; further delays in making required public filings with the SEC; rapid and significant changes in technology and markets; any adverse developments in commercial disputes or legal proceedings, including any adverse outcome of current or future legal proceedings related to matters that are the subject of governmental investigations, and, to the extent not covered by insurance, if any, our inability to satisfy any resulting obligations from funds available to us, if any; potential fluctuations in quarterly results; volatility of our stock price; intense competition in the markets in which we compete including the likelihood of certain of our competitors emerging from bankruptcy court protection or otherwise reorganizing their capital structure and competing effectively against us; changes in demand for our products and services; acceleration of the deployment of advanced new services, such as broadband data, wireless and video services, which could require substantial expenditure of financial and other resources in excess of contemplated levels; higher than anticipated employee levels, capital expenditures and operating expenses; adverse changes in the regulatory or legislative environment affecting our business; and changes in the outcome of future events from the assumed outcome included in our significant accounting policies.

The information contained in this release is a statement of Qwest’s present intention, belief or expectation and is based upon, among other things, the existing regulatory environment, industry conditions, market conditions and prices, the economy in general and Qwest’s assumptions. Qwest may change its intention, belief or expectation, at any time and without notice, based upon any changes in such factors, in Qwest’s assumptions or otherwise. The cautionary statements contained or referred to in this release should be considered in connection with any subsequent written or oral forward-looking statements that Qwest or persons acting on its behalf may issue. This release may include analysts’ estimates and other information prepared by third parties for which Qwest assumes no responsibility.

Qwest undertakes no obligation to review or confirm analysts’ expectations or estimates or to release publicly any revisions to any forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date hereof or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events.

By including any information in this release, Qwest does not necessarily acknowledge that disclosure of such information is required by applicable law or that the information is material.

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Contacts: Media Contact: Investor Contact:
Vince Hancock Stephanie Comfort
801-608-4971 800-567-7296
[email protected] [email protected]