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Home / Newsroom / Press Releases / 2001 / Level 3 Announces New Customer Agreements for (3)CrossRoads Internet Access Service in Asia
Level 3 Announces New Customer Agreements for (3)CrossRoads Internet Access Service in Asia

Customers Include China Unicom, Accelia, GlobalNet and Produce on Demand

Level 3 Communications Limited, a subsidiary of Level 3 Communications, Inc. (Nasdaq:LVLT), a global broadband infrastructure company, today announced new customer agreements in Asia for its (3)CrossRoads Internet access service.

The new customer agreements in Asia are with China Unicom, Accelia, GlobalNet Telecommunications International Limited, and Produce on Demand. (3)CrossRoads is a high-performance Internet access service that enables communications-intensive companies such as carriers, Internet service providers, and content companies to gain cost and performance benefits for bringing and exchanging traffic on Level 3's global broadband network.

"We're pleased to be the bandwidth provider of choice for these companies that represent some of Asia's key communications-intensive companies," said Weichou Su, vice president of Greater China for Level 3. "Our aim is to work closely together with these companies to help reduce their costs and in turn enable them to offer new innovative services to their customers."

"Level 3 built and is now operating a continuously upgradeable global network that is fully optimised for Internet Protocol (IP) technologies," said Che-hoo Cheng, senior director of Global IP Services for Level 3 in Asia. "We are realising the cost and quality benefits of our IP network with innovative IP services such as (3)CrossRoads. The unique pricing schemes of our (3)CrossRoads service, including one that bases charges on volume and destination of the data traffic, also gives customers the maximum cost benefits and flexibility in scaling their services."

Level 3's North Asia undersea cable system will connect key markets in Japan, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Korea, and will seamlessly link to the Japan-U.S. cable network, offering international city-to-city connectivity to enable the growth of the communications-intensive community in Asia. The first section of the North Asia cable, connecting Hong Kong to Japan, is scheduled to enter service in the second quarter of 2001.

Level 3 currently offers a variety of IP-enabled communications services in Asia through its Gateways located in Tokyo and Hong Kong.

(3)CrossRoads Internet Access Service
(3)CrossRoads is a global Internet access service designed to provide communications-intensive companies with superior broadband performance. Engineered for maximum flexibility and scalability, (3)CrossRoads provides global connectivity from a variety of locations around the world, including 46 Level 3 data centers in the U.S., Europe and Asia, at port speeds up to one gigabit per second.

(3)CrossRoads' Ethernet connectivity option enables Level 3 to activate customers' service within days. (3)CrossRoads features flexible pricing options, including Destination Sensitive Billing (DSB), the industry's first pricing based on the destination of Internet traffic. For more information on (3)CrossRoads, visit www.level3.com/us/services/crossroads.

About Level 3 Communications
Level 3 Communications, Inc. (NASDAQ: LVLT), an international communications company, operates one of the largest Internet backbones in the world, connecting 180 markets in 18 countries. The company serves a broad range of wholesale, enterprise and content customers with a comprehensive suite of services including: Internet Protocol (IP) services, broadband transport and infrastructure services, colocation services, voice and voice over IP services, content delivery and media distribution services. These services provide the building blocks to enable Level 3’s customers to meet their growing demands for advanced communications solutions. The company’s Web address is www.Level3.com.

"Level 3 Communications,” "Level 3," the red 3D brackets and the Level 3 Communications logo are registered service marks of Level 3 Communications, LLC in the United States and/or other countries.  Level 3 services are provided by wholly owned subsidiaries of Level 3 Communications, Inc.  Any other service, product or company names recited herein may be trademarks or service marks of their respective owners.

Forward-Looking Statement
Some of the statements that we make in this press release are forward looking in nature. These statements are based on management’s current expectations or beliefs. These forward looking statements are not a guarantee of performance and are subject to a number of uncertainties and other factors, many of which are outside our control, which could cause actual events to differ materially from those expressed or implied by the statements. The most important factors that could prevent us from achieving our stated goals include, but are not limited to our ability to: successfully integrate acquisitions; increase the volume of traffic on our network; defend our intellectual property and proprietary rights; develop new products and services that meet customer demands and generate acceptable margins; successfully complete commercial testing of new technology and information systems to support new products and services; attract and retain qualified management and other personnel; and meet all of the terms and conditions of our debt obligations. Additional information concerning these and other important factors can be found within Level 3’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Statements in this press release should be evaluated in light of these important factors. Level 3 is under no obligation to, and expressly disclaims any such obligation to, update or alter its forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise.