(3)ToneSM Recognized for Technological Excellence
By Internet Telephony Magazine
BROOMFIELD, Colo., December 22, 2003 – Level 3 Communications, Inc. (Nasdaq:LVLT) announced today that its (3)Tone voice service for businesses has been named Product of the Year by Internet Telephony magazine.
Launched in September, (3)Tone is an advanced hosted voice service designed to augment or replace PBX, IP PBX and Centrex enterprise communications systems. The service delivers combined capital and operating savings of as much as 40 percent, and is part of a growing portfolio of voice services offered by Level 3.
“Level 3 is clearly deserving of leadership status in the hosted voice sector of the IP telephony industry,” said Rich Tehrani, group editor-in-chief of Internet Telephony. “We’re proud to reward their hard work and innovation with a Product of the Year Award for 2003.”
“We’re very pleased to receive this distinction,” said Jack Waters, president of voice technologies for
Level 3. “(3)Tone presents companies with a significant opportunity to remove cost from their operations, and we are gratified to receive this endorsement from a leading publication in our industry.”
Level 3 has long been a pioneer in Voice Over IP, having launched the industry’s first carrier-grade IP voice termination service in 1999. Today, the company offers a broad suite of IP-based voice products and operates the largest softswitch network in the world, carrying voice and data calls that total more than 20 billion minutes a month.
(3)Tone enables enterprises to deploy an array of enhanced voice services, including Class 5 capabilities, universally and seamlessly throughout a single-or multi-site corporate environment. The service offers a number of features, including an award-winning communications portal (Comsole), unified messaging, conferencing and Comsole via MS Outlook®. The service significantly lowers up-front capital expenditures, eliminates long-distance charges for calls between branch offices, and cuts costs tied to corporate telecommunications administration.
“The Product of the Year awards exemplify the best that this industry has to offer,” said Greg Galitzine, Internet Telephony’s editorial director. “Level 3 has demonstrated a commitment to quality, and a commitment to the further development of the IP telephony industry, through its (3)Tone offering. We look forward to seeing other innovative solutions from Level 3 as they continue to contribute to the future of IP telephony.”
Level 3 markets (3)Tone via its subsidiary, Level 3 Enhanced Services, Inc. The service is offered to businesses on a wholesale basis through local telephone companies, systems integrators, CLECs, and value-added resellers. For more information about (3)Tone and other IP voice products, visit www.Level3.com/voice.
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.
