BROOMFIELD, Colo. -- Level 3 Communications, Inc. (Nasdaq: LVLT - News) today launched a new voice service that enables customers to activate lower cost Voice-over-IP (VoIP) toll-free calling across the U.S.

The new service, called (3)VoIP TOLL FREE, reduces communications costs for businesses requiring a reliable, toll-free, nationwide calling infrastructure, and complements the (3)VoIP MARKETPLACE(SM) local calling service that Level 3 launched in September 2003. Both services complement the international voice termination solution announced yesterday by Level 3.

"We now have a compelling combination of local and toll-free nationwide VoIP calling solutions that give customers the control they need to create new products and services," said Sureel Choksi, executive vice president of Softswitch Services for Level 3. "And, most importantly, Level 3's toll-free and local calling solutions enable our customers to develop new services at significantly lower cost and without any loss in quality over comparable traditional services."

"We believe we have the industry's most technologically advanced IP network and highest quality portfolio of market-ready VoIP services," said Jack Waters, CTO and president of Voice Technologies for Level 3. "We expect to further enhance our technological advantages and expand our position as a leading provider of wholesale, IP-based voice products in the coming months and quarters."

(3)VoIP TOLL FREE and (3)VoIP MARKETPLACE are nationwide and local solutions ideally suited for conferencing service providers, call center operators, voice portals, and other businesses that need cost-effective and reliable local and national calling infrastructure. Raindance Communications (Nasdaq: RNDC - News), a premier provider of integrated Web and audio conferencing services, is among the initial customers of the new toll-free service. Raindance is launching an innovative new VoIP conferencing platform that incorporates the Level 3 voice network. "As interest in VoIP conferencing begins to surge, more and more businesses are getting savvy to the promise of enhanced services," said Todd Vernon, Raindance's chief technology officer. "Through our development work with Level 3, we're well positioned to answer the call by delivering a proprietary VoIP platform in the conferencing realm. This is just one of many VoIP-enhanced offerings to come from Raindance."

Level 3 Communications Inc.