Level 3 to Provide E-911 and Other Network Services under New Collaboration
BROOMFIELD, Colo., September 20, 2005 – Level 3 Communications (Nasdaq:LVLT) announced today that it has been selected to provide network services supporting new consumer Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) service offerings from EarthLink (Nasdaq:ELNK), the nation’s next generation Internet service provider.
EarthLink has selected Level 3’s (3)VoIP EnhancedSM Local service to provide local, long distance and international carrier services, including connectivity to the public switched telephone network and E-911 services, for EarthLink voice customers. In addition, Level 3 will provide telephone numbers that EarthLink can assign to its voice customers, and will assist in making local numbers portable for EarthLink customers.
“EarthLink is rolling out high-quality, low-cost voice services that will allow consumers to experience the benefits of talking with family, friends and colleagues over the Internet,” said Steve Howe, EarthLink vice president of Voice. “As we deploy our Internet voice products, our customers will benefit from Level 3’s reliable network and E-911 services.”
“Level 3 continues to set the pace in VoIP by assisting companies like EarthLink as they deploy new Internet voice services, providing a broad set of VoIP services including E-911 capabilities for customers,” said Myrle McNeal, senior vice president of Consumer Voice Services for Level 3. “We’ve been providing a range of network services to EarthLink for many years and are pleased that EarthLink has selected Level 3 as a carrier provider for its new phone services.”
EarthLink’s plans include introducing several innovative voice services, including a line-powered residential phone service that will operate during a power outage and be marketed as a primary line alternative to traditional local and long-distance phone services. In addition, EarthLink will roll out its next generation of residential VoIP service, EarthLink trueVoice, which will include a number of new features, such as call blocking.
With Level 3’s (3)VoIP Enhanced Local service, EarthLink customers will benefit from one of the industry’s most extensive E-911 services for Voice over IP. Two years ago, Level 3 became one of the first providers to deliver enhanced 911 services for VoIP, and the company continues to strengthen its leadership position by expanding its services. While others are now just beginning to develop their E-911 network assets, today Level 3 has the network connections to the Public Safety Answering Points (PSAPs) that serve approximately 67 percent of all U.S. households. Level 3 plans to extend its coverage to more than 70 percent of U.S. households by the end of 2005.
Portfolio of Local Wholesale VoIP Services
Level 3’s portfolio of local wholesale VoIP solutions provides the essential components required to offer high quality VoIP services. These include (3)VoIP Enhanced Local, (3)VoIPSM Local Inbound, and (3)Voice® Termination services. These services provide companies that operate their own switching infrastructure the ability to launch IP-based local and long-distance communications services to residential and business customers via any broadband connection. In addition, the recently launched Level(3) E-911 DirectSM service will add fixed location and nomadic E-911 capabilities. Level 3’s proprietary softswitch platform makes these services efficient, enabling companies to cost effectively speed their deployment of high-quality VoIP services.
For more information about Level 3’s broad portfolio of VoIP 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.
