New VoIP Contract Will Provide Vonage With E-911 Solution For Nomadic VoIP Customers
EDISON, N.J. and BROOMFIELD, Colo., September 19, 2005 — Vonage Network, a subsidiary of Vonage Holdings Corp, a leading provider of broadband phone service, today announced it has selected Level 3 Communications, LLC, the U.S. operating subsidiary of Level 3 Communications, Inc. (Nasdaq:LVLT) to enable critical components of Vonage’s nomadic E-911 service. Under the terms of the agreement, Level 3 will deliver its Level(3) E-911 DirectSM service to support Vonage’s E-911 rollout.
“Vonage is running hard and fast to meet the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) 120-day deadline to turn up E-911 service throughout our footprint. To meet this ambitious goal, physical connectivity is the first critical piece of infrastructure we need to build to get our calls to the selective routers,” said Martin Hakim Din, senior vice president, Architecture, Vonage Network. “Level 3 offered the comprehensive and reliable set of services that enables us to get these connections up and running.”
With its advanced service offerings, Level 3 is setting the pace in enabling companies like Vonage to deliver Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) 911 services to their customers. While others are now just beginning to develop their E-911 network assets, today Level 3 has network connections to Public Safety Answering Points (PSAPs) that serve approximately 67% of all U.S. households, with a projected build-out to 70% by the end of 2005. Having network connections to the PSAPs is a necessary component of the delivery of any nomadic E-911 solution, and Level 3 believes that having its network connectivity already in place provides it with an advantage over its competitors.
Vonage will utilize Level 3’s existing Competitive Local Exchange Carrier (CLEC) infrastructure for interconnection into hundreds of Selective Routers across the country. The Level (3) E-911 DirectSM service provides a critical component of Vonage’s E-911 solution needed to comply with the FCC’s mandate that all interconnected VoIP providers automatically provide E-911 services to their two-way voice customers. The two companies plan to begin deploying E-911 service for Vonage customers in the fourth quarter of 2005.
“National Emergency Number Association (NENA) looks forward to the E-911 service benefits which should result from Vonage's use of Level 3's established IP network and access to E-911 systems across large parts of the nation,” said David Jones, president, NENA. “The Emergency Services Gateway approach is supportive of NENA's Interim Solution (I2) path forward for VoIP E-911.”
In addition to the new Level(3) E-911 Direct service, Level 3 also provides key building blocks for VoIP services. These include (3)Voice® Termination service, which provides wholesale termination of voice calls, (3)VoIPSM Local Inbound service, which delivers local phone calls to IP end points nationwide, and
(3)VoIP EnhancedSM Local service, which helps providers deliver IP-based local and long-distance communications services.
“Our work with Vonage is an important industry milestone. Vonage will be able to provide their customers with one of the industry’s broadest reaching E-911 network solutions,” said Sureel Choksi, executive vice president, Services of Level 3 Communications. “Our industry-leading Level(3) E-911 Direct offering is just one example of Level 3’s belief that technology advances should not sacrifice consumer safety.”
About Vonage
Vonage has pioneered the broadband phone industry, setting the standard for pricing, features, call quality and reliability for the entire VoIP category. Vonage's award winning service is sold on the web and through national retailers like SAM's Club, RadioShack, Best Buy, Circuit City, Staples, Fry's Electronics, Office Depot and CompUSA. Vonage Holdings Corporation is headquartered in Edison, New Jersey. For more information about Vonage's products and services, please visit http://www.vonage.com or call 1-VONAGE-HELP. Vonage® is a trademark of Vonage Marketing, a subsidiary of Vonage Holdings Corp. Vonage Network is a subsidiary of Vonage Holdings Corp.
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.
