Level 3 Launches New Ultra-High-Speed Trading Route Between London and Frankfurt

LONDON, July 11, 2011 /PRNewswire/ --

- Route Provides Traders with New Low-Latency Fibre-Optic Connectivity between Europe's Two Main Financial Centres, Other Key Financial Centres in Europe and U.S.

Level 3 Communications, Inc. (NASDAQ: LVLT) today announced the launch of a new ultra-low-latency fibre-optic route to increase trading speeds between London and Frankfurt. The new route will also allow banks, hedge funds, brokers and other financial services institutions to execute trades with lower latency between additional exchanges connected to the Level 3 network including Zurich, Milan, New York and Chicago.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20110523/LA06722LOGO)

"Frankfurt-London is one of the top 10 highest-bandwidth routes for international Internet traffic," says TeleGeography Senior Analyst Erik Kreifeldt. "Ultra-low latency affords a distinct differentiation on one of the most critical routes for global bandwidth, particularly for the financial services industry."

Level 3 has a proven track record when providing support for the financial services industry. The company currently supports nine of the top 10 investment banks in North America, as well as nine of the top 10 banks and four out of the five top financial exchanges in the world.

"Having access to fast network speeds can be a significant competitive advantage for the financial services industry, but it's an even bigger advantage to have access to a fast network that keeps getting faster," said James Heard, president of European Markets at Level 3. "We consistently upgrade our routes to better serve our global customer base. This latest route upgrade further underlines our commitment to anticipating our financial services customers' evolving needs, especially for rapid transactions, and demonstrates our network's unrivalled scale and continuously increasing quality of service."

Level 3 has worked closely with its customers in the financial services industry to develop a diverse portfolio of solutions, including ultra-low-latency routes into Milan, Zurich, as well as the main financial sectors of New York, Chicago, London and Frankfurt. Level 3 provides traders on these routes with a broad range of high-speed connectivity options, allowing for a variety of design options for low latency solutions. The London-to-Frankfurt route is offered with a stringent latency service level agreement as well as end-to-end management, giving customers increased peace of mind and security.

The Level 3 network today spans more than 20 countries and reaches approximately 190 markets in Europe and North America. Level 3 manages 57,000 intercity fibre miles and 27,000 metro fibre miles, providing a size and depth of connectivity on a broad scale. To learn more about Level 3's European capabilities, please click here.

About Level 3 Communications

Level 3 Communications, Inc. (NASDAQ: LVLT) is a leading international provider of fiber-based communications services. Enterprise, content, wholesale and government customers rely on Level 3 to deliver services with an industry-leading combination of scalability and value over an end-to-end fiber network. Level 3 offers a portfolio of metro and long-haul services, including transport, data, Internet, content delivery and voice. Level 3 services are provided by wholly-owned subsidiaries of Level 3 Communications, Inc. For more information, visit http://www.Level3.com.

Forward-Looking Statement

Some of the statements made in this press release are forward looking in nature. These statements are based on management's current expectations or beliefs. These forward looking statements are not a guarantee of performance and are subject to a number of uncertainties and other factors, many of which are outside Level 3's control, which could cause actual events to differ materially from those expressed or implied by the statements. The most important factors that could prevent Level 3 from achieving its stated goals include, but are not limited to: the current uncertainty in the global financial markets and the global economy; a discontinuation of the development and expansion of the Internet as a communications medium and marketplace for the distribution and consumption of data and video; and disruptions in the financial markets that could affect Level 3's ability to obtain additional financing. Additional factors include, but are not limited to, the company's ability to: increase and maintain the volume of traffic on its network; develop effective business support systems; manage system and network failures or disruptions; develop new services that meet customer demands and generate acceptable margins; defend intellectual property and proprietary rights; adapt to rapid technological changes that lead to further competition; attract and retain qualified management and other personnel; successfully integrate acquisitions; and meet all of the terms and conditions of debt obligations. 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 press release should be evaluated in light of these important factors. Level 3 is under no obligation to, and expressly disclaims any such obligation to, update or alter its forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise.

Contact Information

    Media:                     Investors:
    Monica Martinez            Mark Stoutenberg
    +1-720-888-3991            +1-720-888-2518
    Monica.Martinez@Level3.com Mark.Stoutenberg@Level3.com