(3)VoIPSM Local Inbound Service to Deliver Local Calling Capability in More than 300 U.S. Markets by
End of June
(3)VoIP Local Inbound Traffic Increasing an Average of 30 Percent Monthly
BROOMFIELD, Colo., May 17, 2004 – Level 3 Communications, Inc. (Nasdaq:LVLT) today announced that the availability of its (3)VoIP Local Inbound service will be expanded from 73 U.S. markets to more than 300 U.S. markets by the end of June.
(3)VoIP Local Inbound service significantly reduces communications costs for foreign carriers, call center operators, conferencing providers, and other service providers that require a reliable and geographically expansive local calling infrastructure. The service complements Level 3’s worldwide (3)Voice® Termination service and (3)VoIP Toll FreeSM, the company’s toll-free, nationwide calling solution.
“Level 3 has the most experience and expertise in the industry in originating, transporting and terminating IP-based telephone calls,” said Kevin Dundon, senior vice president of Wholesale Voice Services for Level 3. “Since January 2004, (3)VoIP Local Inbound traffic has been increasing at an average monthly rate of approximately 30 percent. The expansion we announced today gives Level 3 much broader geographic coverage that significantly enhances our customers’ ability to cost-effectively develop and deliver new and existing services for their end-user customers.”
The expansion of (3)VoIP Local Inbound service enables more than 80 percent of the U.S. population to have local dialing access to Level 3’s customer base. Level 3 will receive calls that typically originate on the traditional telephone network and convert them to Internet Protocol for delivery to the customer’s IP address.
Customers can use (3)VoIP Local Inbound and (3)VoIP Toll Free services to leverage traditional telephone service capabilities while maintaining the control they need to create new products and services. With these services, customers can create and deliver applications faster, maximize call routing and back-end signaling efficiency, reduce maintenance and equipment costs, and increase their overall return on investment.
“(3)VoIP Local Inbound teams with (3)VoIP Toll Free to provide local and nationwide call-origination options,” said Gordon Boyes, vice president of Wholesale Voice Services for Level 3. “Customers can leverage the power, scope and economics of IP networks by converting PSTN calls into IP and directing them across Level 3’s MPLS-enabled backbone for delivery to their own IP end-points.”
(3)VoIP Local Inbound service – and its complementary (3)VoIP Toll Free service – ride Level 3’s softswitch platform, which is one of the largest in the world.
The (3)VoIP Local Inbound service enables customers to:
(3)Voice Termination Service
(3)Voice Termination service, originally launched in December 1999, enables foreign and U.S. carriers, inter-exchange carriers, enhanced service providers, cable operators and other companies to terminate calls in the U.S. and abroad. (3)Voice Termination was the world’s first long-distance voice service that offered customers voice quality indistinguishable from traditional telephone networks, but with the efficiencies and inherent cost advantages of IP.
“Level 3’s voice termination business has increased approximately 40 percent since the beginning of this year,” said Frank de Bloois, vice president of (3)Voice Termination services for Level 3. “We believe the significant growth we’re seeing is attributable to the quality and reliability of our IP network, and the cost-efficiencies and broad geographic coverage that our softswitch-based VoIP platform delivers.”
In December 2003, Level 3 significantly expanded its softswitch-based (3)Voice Termination service by enabling customers to hand off traffic directly to Level 3 using an IP interface, further lowering their fixed network costs and capital expenses. Level 3’s expanded voice capability allows IP-to-IP interconnection with the Level 3 network at the high levels of security required for voice traffic.
For more information about (3)VoIP Local Inbound and Level 3’s full suite of wholesale voice services, please visit www.level3.com
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.
