BROOMFIELD, Colo. -- Level 3 Communications, Inc. (Nasdaq:LVLT) today announced it is supplying network services to BT Americas Inc., a U.S. subsidiary of BT plc (NYSE: BTY), one of Europe's leading providers of information and communications technology (ICT) services.

Under the terms of the agreement, BT – a global ICT service provider that has been operating in the U.S. since 1988 – will use Level 3’s new (3)HubSM Private Line and (3)Center® Colocation services to expand its MPLS backbone in the Americas. New MPLS nodes will be rolled out in 15 new cities; the first 8 have just been activated. Once all nodes are activated, BT will own and operate one of the largest native MPLS networks in the U.S. and one of the most extensive in the world.

“BT is committed to providing complete communications services to multi-site global corporations in the Americas,” said Chuck Pol, COO, BT Americas. “These customers want to find new ways to make their operations more flexible for the future and help them gain a competitive advantage. We believe that an IP-based infrastructure is key to achieving this flexibility.

“Almost half of our top 2,000 target customers are U.S. headquartered, multi-site corporations with extensive operations and requirements globally,” added Pol. “Level 3’s network services help BT expand on our strategy in the Americas by allowing these customers to connect multiple sites seamlessly and cost-effectively.”

BT's MPLS network is accessible in 71 countries from more than 1,000 points of presence. The BT MPLS network today includes more than 19,000 ports and services about 1,200 customers globally.

“BT provides a comprehensive set of ICT services and solutions to meet the varying and complex demands of multi-site corporations and government organizations,” said Sureel Choksi, president of Transport and Infrastructure Services for Level 3. “We’re pleased that BT Americas has chosen Level 3 to supply network solutions that help enable BT to provide its customers with the quality service and reliability they have come to expect.”

(3)Hub Private Line is a “self-service” private line offering that leverages the company’s award-winning ONTAPSM system to enable customers to provision, upgrade and manage their own metropolitan and long-haul circuits on an as needed, pay-as-you-go basis. (3)Hub provides a level of self-managed provisioning and cost control that until now was not available using private lines. This approach is a further step toward empowering Level 3’s customers with the tools and flexibility to manage their own networks more cost-effectively.

Level 3 provides (3)Hub Private Line service in 83 markets. Customers can connect to (3)Hub throughout the range of traditional Sonet and SDH interfaces from DS1/E1 to OC48/STM16. Customers can also take advantage of the flexibility offered through the availability of both protected and unprotected facilities and circuits.

Level 3 is one of the largest providers of colocation space in the world, operating more than 70 state-of-the-art, highly controlled data center facilities in the U.S. and Europe. Level 3 has an open policy regarding interconnection among its customers and, in most major cities, enables access to 8 to 10 other network providers within a Level 3 facility.

Level 3 Communications Inc.

British Telecommunications plc (BT)