Chicago Symphony Orchestra Hits a High Note With Qwest Web Hosting Services [24th November 2003]

DENVER, Nov 24, 2003 /PRNewswire-FirstCall via Comtex/ -- Qwest Communications International Inc. (Q) today announced that the Chicago Symphony Orchestra Association (CSO) has signed a multi-year agreement for Qwest Web hosting services. From its state-of-the-art Chicago CyberCenter(sm), Qwest is helping the CSO bring the world of classical music to the Web browsers.

The CSO is a well recognized group in Chicago and around the world. Symphony Center, the home of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, presents more than 200 performances and events per year ranging from classical and jazz to family and world music performances. The CSO has also garnered many loyal fans through its Web site, www.cso.org , which offers rich educational material, audio and video clips, an online music store, and concert and performance information, including ticket sales.

Qwest's Web hosting services will help the CSO ensure its site is always up and running and performing at peak levels so that Web users will always have access to the abundance of content.

"Ticket sales through our Web channel have grown nine times during the past three years, so we can't afford downtime or outages," said Adam Fenton, Web site administrator, Chicago Symphony Orchestra. "It's crucial that our Web site, and in particular our ability to sell concert tickets, is always working -- as that represents a major source of revenue for us. Qwest is able to provide us with a secure Web hosting solution that fits our requirements. I am also impressed with the Qwest team's expert service and caring approach to our business."

"We're very pleased with this new agreement with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra Association because it shows our commitment to Web hosting and our commitment to bringing new clients to Qwest," said Cliff Holtz, executive vice president, Qwest business markets group. "We hope to grow our relationship with the CSO and other important civic groups throughout Chicago."

Qwest hosting services offer an integrated portfolio of Internet solutions over an all optical Internet protocol (IP) network. Customers can choose from a complete spectrum of fully customizable solutions covering domestic and international dedicated hosting, storage services, backup services, hosted equipment and security services.

Qwest's eight CyberCenters are located in Burbank, Calif.; Chicago; Denver; Newark; Tampa; Sacramento; Sterling, VA; and Sunnyvale, Calif. The CyberCenters have some of the industry's most advanced procedures for monitoring, diagnosing and resolving network, operating system, and application problems before they start. Voted "Hosting Center of the Year" in a recent InfoWorld reader's choice survey, Qwest was also ranked number one for providing application services in a recent America's Network end-user survey.

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 www.qwest.com .

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SOURCE Qwest Communications International Inc.