Seven Lehigh Valley Colleges to Use Level 3 Services for High-Speed Collaboration, Content Delivery and Next Generation Applications
BROOMFIELD, Colo., November 30, 2006 - Level 3 Communications’ Business Markets Group today announced a five-year, $2.4 million agreement with the Lehigh Valley Association of Independent Colleges (LVAIC) to provide Level 3® Dedicated Internet Access over Ethernet service to seven LVAIC-affiliated institutions in Eastern Pennsylvania. Under the terms of the agreement, the new service will be used by each college to enable high-speed collaboration, enhance Internet content delivery, share next-generation applications, and implement disaster recovery protocols.
“Level 3’s comprehensive network capabilities and extensive experience in servicing the higher education marketplace made them our most logical and strategic partner for this major, multiple college deployment,” said Bill Marushak, director of business services for LVAIC. “The high performance interconnections provided by this service will deliver significant value to each of the seven colleges participating in this initiative. We also anticipate a positive effect on the greater Lehigh Valley community in the form of increased collaboration between LVAIC institutions and area enterprises, potentially resulting in more local employment opportunities.”
The initial delivery of 1 Gigabyte of Level 3® Dedicated Internet Access over Ethernet service to the LVAIC-affiliated institutions will begin in early 2007, with the complete rollout targeted for early 2008.
"We are pleased to announce this agreement with the Lehigh Valley Association of Independent Colleges and look forward to supporting the advanced needs of the individual colleges, as well as those of the consortium,” said Joe McCourt, senior vice president of sales for Level 3’s Business Markets Group. “This agreement with LVAIC underscores our commitment to providing the academic community with state-of-the-art network services that encourage collaboration, research, administration and online educational activities.”
Earlier this year, as part of its continuing support of the higher education market, Level 3 announced plans with Internet2, a U.S. advanced networking consortium led by the research and education community, to develop and deploy a new nationwide network that will provide next-generation production services and a platform for the development of networking ideas and protocols.
Level 3’s Business Markets Group is dedicated to serving a broad range of organizations with high demands for connectivity and advanced network services, such as enterprises, government agencies, and local and regional carriers. With dedicated sales and service staff in 120 markets, facilities-based access to the company’s expansive footprint, and a comprehensive solutions portfolio, Level 3 is well-positioned to address the enterprise telecommunications environment.
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.
