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Level 3 Signs New Agreement with Microsoft

    Microsoft Buys IP Services for its MSN Properties Serving More than 230 Million Unique Users Worldwide

    Three-year Agreement Makes Level 3 One of the Primary Providers of MSN Broadband Services

BROOMFIELD, Colo., June 26, 2001 - Level 3 Communications, Inc. (Nasdaq:LVLT) today announced it has signed a new three-year agreement with Microsoft Corp. Under the terms of the agreement, Level 3 will provide (3)CrossRoads Internet access service in North America for six properties in the MSN network of Internet services, including MSN Hotmail and MSN Messenger. Combined, MSN Internet properties serve more than 230 million unique users worldwide.

The three-year agreement makes Level 3 one of Microsoft?s primary providers of broadband services. MSN will route significant traffic to the Level 3 network for global delivery, beginning with an initial service target of three gigabits per second of Level 3's backbone capacity. These three gigabits represent a large portion of the combined 10 gigabits of total MSN traffic, and MSN will have the option to use Level 3 for that entire amount in the future if it chooses. A gigabit - equivalent to one billion bits - represents the amount of information transmitted in one second.

"We look forward to working with Microsoft and supporting their worldwide offering of Internet services," said Neil Hobbs, group vice president for Level 3. "As we work with them to meet their rising needs for more bandwidth to serve their growing user base, we believe we will see significant traffic and revenue growth. We appreciate the commitment that Microsoft has made to Level 3 and will work hard to live up to our commitment to meet their outsourcing needs."

"We selected Level 3 because the company has the infrastructure to help us maintain the highest standards for providing our users with a high-quality experience," said Michael Myers, director of global networking for MSN. "Level 3 is providing us with an optimal combination of high network reliability and low cost, and is working closely with us to meet our rapidly growing bandwidth capacity requirements."

(3)CrossRoads Internet Access Service
(3)CrossRoads is a global Internet access service designed to provide superior network performance across Level 3's multi-protocol label switching (MPLS) backbone currently operating at 10 gigabits per second. Engineered for maximum flexibility and scalability, (3)CrossRoads takes advantage of the latest available technologies to meet customers' needs. (3)CrossRoads provides 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 2.5 gigabits per second. 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.