Level 3 Communications Launches New York City Facility; Company Obtains Franchise From City of New York
February 9, 1999 08:00 AM
NEW YORK, Feb. 9 /PRNewswire/ -- Level 3 Communications, Inc. LVLT , today announced that it has obtained clearances from the city of New York to install a fiber optic network in New York City. Initially, the Level 3 network will be installed in the boroughs of Manhattan, Brooklyn, Bronx and Queens. Additionally, the company has begun providing select telecommunications services in the New York metropolitan area, as part of its national city roll-out. With the inclusion of New York, Level 3 is now offering services in 17 U.S. cities and two international cities (London and Frankfurt).
The New York City facility will also serve as one of Level 3's international gateways connecting the U.S. intercity network and planned Pan- European network. Level 3 is building the first international network based on Internet Protocol (IP) technology. The Level 3 Network will combine both local and long distance networks, connecting customers end-to-end across the U.S. and in Europe and the Pacific Rim.
Level 3 has announced it will construct local city networks that directly serve businesses in 25 U.S. cities within the next three years. In that same time frame, the company has announced that it will also have gateways and be offering services over local leased lines in another 25 U.S. cities. Ultimately, the company plans to offer local service capabilities over its own fiber facilities in all 50 U.S. cities.
The company is also currently building an approximately 16,000 mile long distance national network to interconnect these cities. This intercity network will connect approximately 150 cities where the company can terminate and provide long distance services.
Level 3 Offers Services in New York
The Level 3 New York City operations facility is located at 111 8th Ave, New York, NY 10011. The 65,000 square foot facility will house the local operational staff and gateway switch equipment, along with additional space for expansion and colocation services. Initially, Level 3 plans to employ approximately 75 professionals at the facility. The company's New York area sales office is located at 380 Lexington Ave, Suite 1700, New York, NY 10168.
"Providing the New York metropolitan area with telecommunications services requires a sophisticated professional and support staff equipped to meet the volume and complexity of demands inherent to this dynamic business epicenter," said Jim Dineen, Level 3 New York sales city director. "We have just begun to lay conduit in four boroughs and are already seeking additional space to meet increasing demand for our gateway and operational facilities. The challenge for Level 3 is in providing seamless service with room for growth that is essential to survival in this competitive environment."
Level 3 believes it is now installing the basic building blocks for current and future communications needs in the New York City area and cities across the nation. By building a network based on IP technology, Level 3 is positioning itself to take advantage of what it sees as a fundamental technological shift in communications. The company believes that this shift from 100-year old circuit switching technology to the newer Internet Protocol technology will change the way businesses communicate, and that the shift is as important as that from the telegraph to the telephone, or from the mainframe to the PC.
Initial Services Offered
Level 3 is positioning itself to begin providing businesses with basic, but critical services on a competitive basis. Initially, Level 3 will use leased network capacity and, as its national IP-based network is completed, the company will be able to seamlessly switch customers to its own network.
The initial products being offered to business customers by Level 3 include the following services:
Private Lines -- a point-to-point service used to provide communications from one company location to another;
Telephony Colocation -- a state-of-the-art network facility of telephone hosting equipment to provide reliable and secure 24-hour access for mission critical equipment; and
Internet Services -- a full range of Dedicated and Dial-up access services offering high-capacity connections for Service Providers and corporate users.
About Level 3 Communications
Level 3 Communications, Inc., is a communications and information services company that is building the first international network optimized for Internet Protocol technology. The Level 3 Network will combine both local and long distance networks, connecting customers end-to-end across the U.S. and in Europe and Asia. The company expects to complete the U.S. inter-city portion of the network during the first quarter of 2001. In the interim, Level 3 has leased a national network over which it began to offer services in the third quarter of 1998. Level 3 will provide a full range of communications services (including local, long distance, international and Internet services). Level 3's common stock is traded on The Nasdaq National Market under the symbol LVLT. Its World Wide Web address is www.Level3.com.
Some of the statements made by Level 3 in this press release are forward- looking in nature. Actual results may differ materially from those projected in forward-looking statements. Level 3 believes that its primary risk factors include, but are not limited to: substantial capital requirements, development of effective internal processes and systems; the ability to attract and retain high quality employees; changes in the overall economy; technology; the number and size of competitors in its markets; law and regulatory policy; and the mix of products and services offered in the company's target markets. 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 release should be evaluated in light of these important factors.
SOURCE Level 3 Communications, Inc.
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