Level 3 Expands European Network

LONDON -- Level 3 Communications, Inc. (NASDAQ: LVLT) today announced that it has enabled two national intercity rings (backbones) in southern Europe designed to provide increased connectivity and scalability of services in France and Spain. The national backbones are made possible by the creation of two new, diverse points of presence (PoPs) in Toulouse, France, a new market Level 3 has entered in response to increased demand for communications services from the region’s high-tech industry.

The new PoPs are located at major traffic aggregation points in Toulouse and enable Level 3 to deliver a wider range of services to customers in France and Spain, including Ethernet private line (EPL) and wavelength transport services, high-speed Internet protocol (HSIP), direct Internet access (DIA) and virtual private network (VPN), as well as content and media delivery services.

In recent years, Toulouse has become a center for high-tech industry, including aerospace, computers and pharmaceuticals. Level 3’s new PoPs in Toulouse will make it possible for the company to meet increased demand for telecommunications services from such businesses throughout the region. The new services offer customers higher available bandwidth, lower latency and faster provisioning and delivery – all from a single provider.

Level 3 Communications Inc. (NYSE: LVLT)