Company Expanding Wholesale Dial-Up Access Market Position
BROOMFIELD, Colo., August 27, 2002 - Level 3 Communications, Inc. (Nasdaq:LVLT) today announced that the United States Patent and Trademark Office has issued to Level 3 a patent for the company's proprietary softswitch. Level 3 uses its softswitch to provide managed modem services to dial-up Internet service providers across the country.
Patent Number 6,442,169, issued today and entitled "System and Method for Bypassing Data from Egress Facilities," grants Level 3 the exclusive right to use and license the intellectual property used in its managed modem service offering. Level 3 provides managed modem service to all of the major dial-up ISPs in the United States, including AOL, EarthLink, SBC Internet Services (formerly Prodigy), and United Online, handling more than 13 billion minutes of traffic per month.
"We believe that the U.S. Government's issuance of the patent is further recognition of Level 3's founding role in creating and commercializing softswitch-based managed modem services," said Charles Meyers, senior vice president of Softswitch Services for Level 3. "The technology we have patented has been fundamental to our success in building one of the largest local exchange minutes carriers in the United States. In addition to our solid base of dial-up traffic, we are expanding our nationwide managed modem network to offer innovative and high-quality Voice-over-IP services leveraging our existing network investment."
Level 3 is examining several options for using the patent to enhance its position in the managed modem and voice markets. In addition to providing Level 3 with the ability to protect its intellectual property, the patent provides
Level 3 the opportunity to earn new revenue based on the licensing of the intellectual property.
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.
