Level 3 Ready for IPv6

BROOMFIELD, Colo. -- Level 3 Communications, Inc. (NASDAQ: LVLT) today announced its participation in the Internet Society's World IPv6 Day, emphasizing the company's compelling solution for the migration of Internet traffic to the emerging Internet protocol version six (IPv6) protocol standard. As a key participant in the development of the IPv6 protocol, Level 3 has spent years developing a solution for customers that enables a simple and seamless transition to the new standard.

The Internet has long operated based on internetworking standards developed via IPv4, a protocol at the core of assigning the Internet addresses widely used today. With the last block of available IPv4 addresses allocated in early February of this year, the Internet is now rapidly approaching address exhaustion. Given the increasing number of IP-reliant devices and services entering the market, it is crucial for Web service companies and providers to prepare for the transition to a new protocol standard that offers a broader scope of possible Internet addresses. IPv6, a new protocol standard with a significant increase in available Internet addresses, has been developed to replace IPv4, but adoption has been gradual.

Level 3 has been testing protocol solutions for years to ensure a seamless transition between protocol standards for its customers, developing a dual-stack IPv4/IPv6 architecture. The dual-stack architecture delivers services over the same infrastructure as Level 3's native IPv4 support and enables customers to move seamlessly between protocol versions regardless of the type of traffic being generated. Consequently, every market that Level 3 currently serves is IPv6 ready, enabling customers to make the transition to IPv6 at any time.

"Level 3's dual-stack approach is meant to be a bridge that will simplify the protocol migration process for our customers and the industry as a whole," said Andrew Crouch, president of Sales for Level 3. "Backed by a wealth of experience in defining and developing the protocol, Level 3 is committed to offering its customers a secure, reliable and efficient means of transitioning to IPv6 to ensure they receive the same high-quality service they have come to expect from Level 3."

Level 3 Communications Inc. (NYSE: LVLT)