DENVER, Colo., April 5, 2000 - FirstWorld Communications, Inc. (Nasdaq: FWIS), a rapidly growing provider of Internet and data center solutions for small-to-medium sized businesses, has teamed with Cisco Systems, Inc. (Nasdaq: CSCO), the worldwide leader in networking for the Internet, to expand its Cisco Powered Network status for its Internet Data Centers (IDCs). As a Cisco Powered Network member, FirstWorld will deliver Dedicated Internet Access and Integrated Data Center (IDC) solutions (Web and application hosting, co-location, etc.), based on a Cisco infrastructure, via FirstWorld's state-of-the-art Internet Data Centers.

As a Cisco Powered Network, FirstWorld provides reliable and secure Internet access and Web and application hosting services, such as colocation, Virtual Private Networks (VPNs), network management services and high-speed, dedicated Internet access. Cisco developed the Cisco Powered Network program to differentiate service providers that use Cisco equipment to offer high levels of quality and reliability, from others in the industry worldwide. As a Cisco Powered Network member, FirstWorld will be able to participate in joint marketing efforts with Cisco such as shared marketing dollars, joint tradeshow participation and on-line and off-line cross-promotional opportunities.

"Our data centers are built with our customer's mission critical e-business applications in mind, and this designation as a Cisco Powered Network underscores our commitment to providing our customers with the highest quality solutions possible," said Sheldon S. Ohringer, president and CEO of FirstWorld. "Working with an industry leader like Cisco, our customers know that FirstWorld data centers can give them the competitive advantage they are looking for."

"We are pleased that FirstWorld has chosen to build their IDCs utilizing Cisco's high-performance, reliable and secure components to achieve the Cisco Powered Network designation," said Kevin Outcalt, senior director of service provider marketing of Cisco. "Our relationship with FirstWorld will enable their customers to have access to a high level of integrity in network performance and advanced New World services such as high-speed broadband access and voice and video streaming."

FirstWorld IDCs

FirstWorld currently operates IDCs in Glendale, San Diego, Santa Clara, Irvine, and Denver, and plans to open six additional IDCs in markets it currently serves. FirstWorld's IDCs host, monitor, and maintain mission critical Web sites, e-commerce platforms, and other e-business applications within a secure, monitored, climate-controlled, state-of-the-art facility. In addition, the IDCs offer high-speed Internet connectivity and are designed to provide continuous, reliable service, including back-up power generators, fire suppression, raised computer floors, separate cooling zones and seismically braced racks. All systems are designed with built-in redundancy to provide a high level of reliability.

FirstWorld's Internet Data Centers are built around and support leading Internet hardware and software platforms, including Cisco, Microsoft, Oracle, Sun Microsystems, Compaq and EMC2.

In addition, FirstWorld can host a variety of standard software applications including advanced e-mail services, e-commerce applications, HTML development, security and firewall services, remote monitoring and backup, and web authoring, as well as customer provided applications designed to run on NT or Unix/Solaris operating systems.

Cisco Powered Network Program

FirstWorld's participation in the Cisco Powered Network program demonstrates its ability to provide industry-leading technology solutions and services that are based on Cisco solutions. FirstWorld, along with Cisco, is helping to create a New World communications infrastructure that supports high-value integrated communications services including colocation, Web hosting, security services, virtual private networks (VPNs), network management services and 24x7x365 network operations support.

About FirstWorld

FirstWorld Communications, Inc., headquartered in Denver, is a full-service business Internet provider with distributed Internet data centers, offering Internet and telephony solutions for small and medium-sized businesses. Utilizing fiber optics and DSL technologies, FirstWorld provides broadband solutions including high-speed Internet access, digital subscriber line (DSL), Web hosting, data center colocation, e-business solutions, Web integration and consulting, and telephony services.

For more information, visit FirstWorld's Web site www.firstworld.com.