BALTIMORE, Md., April 23, 2003 - Level 3 Communications, Inc. (Nasdaq:LVLT) today announced a dial-up program for mid-market Internet service providers (ISPs) in the U.S. The program is designed for ISPs that have client bases ranging from approximately 10,000 to more than 50,000 subscribers. The announcement was made at the 10th annual ISPCON event, where Level 3 is exhibiting in booth #314, and is presenting a seminar about the future of dial-up Internet access.
"As part of Level 3's ongoing commitment to our dial-up business, we've dedicated ourselves to serving the unique needs of the growing mid-market ISP industry," said Charles Meyers, senior vice president of Global Softwswitch Services for Level 3. "Mid-market ISPs can benefit from a newer and wider range of flexible pricing options, while receiving similar wholesale dial-up features, performance and geographic coverage that we offer to larger ISP customers."
Launched late last year, the program has yielded significant results, highlighted by a 25 percent increase in (3)Connect Modem usage by Level 3's mid-market ISP customers since October 2002. Some of Level 3's mid-market ISP customers include Toledo, Ohio-based CISP, GlobalPOPs in Pittsburgh, Ikano in Salt Lake City, Utah and Southern California's Orange County Online.
Jeff Klingshirn, CEO for CISP, said, "We would not have selected Level 3 without the per-subscriber pricing option. Also, I don't get network issues with Level 3. The company has helped us cost-effectively scale our business without facing the network performance or financial viability issues that seem so prevalent today with other providers."
"I talked to Level 3 extensively before selecting them as my wholesale managed modem vendor," said Brian Packham, CEO for Orange County Online, a dial-up provider that also offers broadband access, hosting and colocation services. "One of the factors that influenced my decision was Level 3's rollout of V.92, which is something that our client base was demanding."
Other major selling points for Packham were Level 3's per-hour pricing option and customer service. "By paying a per hour charge and then putting a cap per month on our users, it works out well from a cost standpoint no matter where they log on," he said. "Additionally, I've been impressed by how helpful and responsive my local Level 3 account representative and the company's technical support people have been."
"In addition to special pricing options, Level 3's mid-market (3)Connect Modem service offers ISPs our industry-leading call completion rates," added Meyers. "As part of the program, we're also offering five-day service installation for first-time customers, mean time to repair (MTTR) of under two hours and V.92 support."
Level 3's mid-market pricing options include a fixed port, fixed port with bursting, usage-based (per hour), subscriber-based and 800 nationwide access plans. Service is available in all 50 states and covers more than 90 percent of the U.S. population, with additional geographic expansion expected.
Softswitch Milestone
In January, Level 3 surpassed the 20 billion minute per month milestone on its softswitch platform, underscoring the technology's reliability, robustness and ability to scale. The company now has processed more than 300 billion minutes of IP voice and managed modem calls since the inception of its softswitch platform. The United States Patent and Trademark Office issued a patent to Level 3 for the proprietary softswitch the company uses to provide managed modem services to dial-up Internet service providers across the country.
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.
