LEVEL 3

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Level 3 Communications, Inc.
Official Website: http://www.level3.com/
Official about page: http://www.level3.com/en/about-us/company-information/
Country: Please specify country
Location: North America HQ: 1025 Eldorado Boulevard, Broomfield, Colorado 80021 USA
Founded: 1994
Business:
Contact
Phone: +1 720-888-1000
Fax: +1 720-888-5085


Background

"Level 3 Communications, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, operates as a facilities-based provider of a range of integrated communications services.

  • Strategy

The company’s strategy is to deploy network infrastructure in major metropolitan areas and to link these networks with significant intercity and trans-oceanic networks in North America, Europe, and Latin America.

  • Service Offerings
  • Core Network Services Transport Services:

Transport services include wavelengths, private lines, transoceanic services, and dark fiber, as well as related professional services. These services are available across its metropolitan and intercity fiber network.

Wavelength services provide unprotected point-to-point connections of a fixed amount of bandwidth with Ethernet or synchronous optical network (SONET) interfaces. Wavelength services are available at a range of speeds from 1 Gpbs to 100 Gbps. This service offering targets customers that require significant amounts of bandwidth, desire more direct control and provide their own network management. Private line services are also point-to-point connections of dedicated bandwidth but include SONET or synchronous digital hierarchy protection to provide resiliency to fiber or equipment outages. Private line services are available in a range of speeds with electrical, optical and Ethernet interfaces.

The company also provides transport services within its transatlantic cable system connecting North America, Europe and Latin America, as well as via leased bulk capacity on other transoceanic systems. International backhaul transport services, interconnecting cable landing stations and its terrestrial North American, European and Latin American networks, are also available.

The company’s dark fiber service provides carriers, service providers, government entities and enterprises a fiber solution when applications, control or scale requirements make this service desirable. This includes fiber, colocation space in its Gateway and in its network facilities, power and physical operations and maintenance of the fiber and associated infrastructure. Professional services related to its transport and data services include network architectural design, engineering, installation and turn-up, ongoing network monitoring and management services, and field technical services.


  • Colocation and Data Center Services:

Colocation and Data Center services include data center facilities and services, including cloud, hosting, and application management solutions. The company’s data center facilities offer data center space where customers can locate servers, content storage devices and communications network equipment in a safe and secure technical operating environment. In addition, the company offers high-speed, reliable connectivity to its network and to other networks, including metro and intercity networks, the traditional public switched telephone network and the Internet.

The company’s data center services range from single tenant blade hosting and cloud services to complex managed solutions, including disaster recovery, applications management, business continuity, and security services to manage mission critical applications.


  • Internet Protocol (IP) and Data Services:

Data services include high speed IP service, dedicated Internet access (DIA) service, virtual private network (VPN) service, content delivery network service, media delivery service, Vyvx broadcast service, Converged Business Network service and Security Services.


  • High Speed IP Service:

The company offers wholesale and content provider customers with high speed access to the Internet. Access to the Internet is enabled through interconnection among its customers across its network, as well as interconnections with other Internet service provider peers.


  • DIA:

DIA is the company’s enterprise focused Internet access product leveraging the same core Internet backbone as its high speed IP service. Its DIA offers various access methods and speeds. The service is available stand-alone or in conjunction with managed services offerings, such as Managed Router where the company deploy and manage a router that is on the customer premise or its network-based distributed denial of service, Mitigation, which protects its business customers from Internet based distributed denial of service attacks.


  • VPN Service:

Built on its optical transport network, the company offers customers the ability to create private point-to-point, point-to-multipoint, and full-mesh networks based on IP VPN, Virtual Private LAN service, or VPLS, Ethernet Virtual Private Line, or EVPL, or MPLS VPN technologies. These services allow service providers, enterprises and government entities to replace multiple networks with a single solution that simplifies the transmission of voice, video, and data over a single or converged network, while delivering service and security. These services are used for service provider and corporate data and voice networks, data center networking, disaster recovery and out-of-region or redundant customer connectivity for other service providers.

VPN services are sold stand-alone or in conjunction with its managed services offerings.


  • Content Delivery Network Services:

The company’s content delivery network services combine its IP network, Gateway facilities and patented technology that directs a requestor or end user to the best location or server cluster in its network to retrieve the requested content based on location and network conditions.

The company’s caching and download services provide http delivery of large files, such as video, software, security patches, audio and graphics to mass audiences.

The company’s streaming service can be used to deliver streams, either live or on-demand, to end users using proprietary protocols.

Each service set provides features to enable customers to control their content delivery to ensure quality end-user experience, security, freshness and targeting.

The company also offers storage solutions enabling customers to upload and store content to its network as part of an optimized delivery platform. In addition to its delivery services, its patented Intelligent Traffic Management service enables customers to set rules to dynamically route traffic to meet failover or dual vendor objectives.

  • Media Delivery Service:

The company offers media delivery service to customers seeking to manage, protect and monetize content delivered over the Internet. The company’s media delivery service extends support for online distribution models and operation by providing customers with means to ingest and digitize live video content and to manage the organization and presentation of both live and on demand video to end users via a content management system. Additionally, support for content monetization via paid and advertising supported models is provided. The company’s media delivery services utilize its content delivery network for the delivery of managed content to end users.


  • Vyvx Broadcast Service:

The company offers various services to provide audio and video feeds over fiber or satellite for broadcast and production customers. These services vary in capacity provided, frequency of use (that is, may be provided on an occasional or dedicated basis) and price.

The company also offers encoding services to translate the broadcast video feeds it carry for its customers into formats for Internet distribution.


  • Converged Business Network Service:

The company’s Converged Business Network service enables customers to connect their offices or other locations with various telecommunications services. The Converged Business Network service combines a customer's services over a single access circuit per customer location.


  • Security Services:

Level 3 Security Solutions can be used to enable customers to address the threat of cyber-attack and allow customers to create a secure network, safeguard brand value, enable business continuity, and avoid complexity and cost. The company’s Security Services include, 

Secure Access which provides secure and encrypted connectivity for mobile users or remote offices;
    • Cloud and Premises based Managed Firewall and Unified Threat Management Services, including Intrusion Prevention and Detection service and Web Content filtering;

network-based Distributed Denial of Service Mitigation, which protects against Internet based distributed denial of service attacks; and

Security Consulting services for Governance, Risk Management and Compliance.

Security Services are sold stand-alone or in conjunction with Data Services.


  • Voice:

The company offers a range of local and enterprise voice services, including VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) services and traditional circuit-switch based services. The company’s local and enterprise voice services include VoIP enhanced local service, SIP Trunking, local inbound service, primary rate interface (PRI) service, long distance service, toll free service and a suite of audio, Web and video collaboration services.

The following is a general description of its voice services. Some of the following services are also offered to its wholesale voice customers.

    • VoIP Enhanced Local:

The company’s VoIP enhanced local service is a VoIP service that enables broadband cable operators, interexchange carriers (IXCs), voice over IP providers, and other companies operating their own switching infrastructure to launch IP-based local and long-distance voice services via any broadband connection. The service is also used by enterprises that self-provide their own local voice features and call routing within premises-based IP Private Branch eXchange (PBX) equipment.

The service includes the essential building blocks required for residential or business voice service, such as local phone numbers, local number portability, local and long distance calling, 911, operator assistance, directory listings, and directory assistance.

  • SIP Trunking:

SIP Trunking is a VoIP-based local phone service offered to medium and large enterprises as a replacement for traditional fully featured enterprise time division multiplexing (TDM) voice services. SIP Trunking allows customers with an IP PBX to manage calls to and from the PSTN without having to purchase traditional access lines dedicated to voice. SIP Trunking includes basic local phone service components, such as local phone numbers, 911, operator assistance, directory listings, local and long distance calling. In addition, customers select from a full set of feature packages that provide core call control features, such as call forwarding, call waiting and call transfer, as well as advanced features, such as unified messaging and one-number identity.


  • Local Inbound:

The company’s local inbound service terminates traditional telephone network originated calls to IP termination points. Customers, such as call centers, conferencing providers, voice over IP service providers and enterprises, can obtain telephone numbers from the company or port-in local telephone numbers that the customer already controls.


  • PRI:

The company offers traditional enterprise TDM local phone services that can be configured in multiple ways. Enterprise customers typically use PRI services with traditional PBX equipment. PRI services come with telephone numbers, operator services, directory assistance and directory listing, 911, as well as routing features, such as inbound redirect and remote call forwarding. Customers are able to utilize its PRI services to access long distance and toll free calling as well.


  • Enterprise Long Distance:

The company’s long distance service portfolio consists of local and long distance transport and termination services. Medium and large enterprises purchase its long distance services for their corporate calling or outbound contact center needs. All Level 3 long distance services are offered at the customer's option over circuit switch or softswitch technologies.


  • Enterprise Toll Free:

The company’s toll free service terminates toll free calls that are originated on the traditional telephone network. These toll free calls are carried over either a circuit switch or softswitch network and delivered to customers in IP or traditional TDM format. Within this portfolio are Advanced Toll Free services that provide contact center customers the ability to define and control call handling and advanced routing between the Level 3 network and multiple customer contact center locations. Customers may also combine advanced routing with network-based Intelligent voice response, or IVR, services that drive call routing and handling based on the caller's interaction with the IVR.


  • Collaboration Services:

The company offers a suite of audio, Web and video collaboration services, which include the following services:


  • Audio Conferencing:

Ready-Access, the company’s on-demand/reservation less audio conferencing service, provides toll free access in key business markets worldwide. The company also provides operator-assisted, full-service conference calls where participants can access its service by dialing in on either a toll or a toll-free number, or by being dialed out to by an operator. Enhanced service options include conference playback, taping/transcription service, translation services and on-line participant lists. Web Conferencing: The company’s Ready-Access Web Meeting is fully integrated with Ready-Access audio conferencing for on-demand collaboration, allowing customers to manage their calls on-line, change account options, share presentations with participants and record entire meetings, including visuals. eMeeting is a full-featured Web conferencing application that allows customers to collaborate and share documents, presentations, applications, data and feedback with polling and instant messaging features. Live Meeting service uses technology licensed from Microsoft to allow multiple attendees to participate in meetings using only their computer, a phone, and an Internet connection. The company has integrated Ready-Access as an audio conferencing component into Live Meeting.


  • Videoconferencing Service:

The company’s videoconferencing service provides video over IP and integrated services digital network platforms, using multi-point bridging to connect multiple sites. Enhanced options available with its videoconferencing services include scheduling, recording and hybrid meetings that combine its audio and video services.


  • Wholesale Voice Services:

The company’s Wholesale Voice Services include voice termination and toll free service.


  • Voice Termination:

The company’s wholesale long distance offer include domestic and international voice termination services targeted to IXCs, wireless providers, local phone companies, cable companies, resellers and voice over IP providers.


  • Toll Free:

As with Enterprise Toll Free, Level 3's wholesale Toll Free service terminates toll free calls that are originated on the traditional telephone network. Customers for these services include call centers, conferencing providers, and voice over IP providers.


  • Other Communications Services:

The company’s Other Communications Services include managed modem (and related reciprocal compensation services) and SBC Contract Services. The company’s managed modem service is an outsourced, turn-key infrastructure solution used by Internet service providers for the management of dial up access to the public Internet.

The company’s SBC Contract Services relate to wholesale voice services provided under the SBC Master Services Agreement, which are gradually declining over time, and the agreement was obtained in the 2005 acquisition of WilTel Communications Group, LLC. The company is in the process of discontinuing its managed modem services and has notified all managed modem customers of this decision. The company provides specialized communications services for companies that distribute video or other digitized content across the Internet.


Distribution Strategy

The company’s customers generally include the following types of customers: enterprises; content; government and wholesale.

The company’s enterprise customers include mid to large size enterprises that purchase communications services on a regional or local basis; large multinational customers; large enterprises that purchase communications services in a manner similar to carriers; portals and large search enterprises; regional service providers; systems integrators; and software service providers.

The company’s Content customers comprise subgroups of customers, including digital Entertainment, such as providers of online gaming; social networking providers; technology companies that enable digital advertising and digital ad agencies; and companies that provide video over the Internet; media and entertainment, such as media conglomerates; programmers; studios and production companies; and broadcast station ownership groups; and sports teams (professional and college); and stadiums and venues.


The company’s Government customers include U.S. Federal government departments and agencies, non-U.S. government departments and agencies, U.S. states and municipalities as well as research and educational consortia.

The company’s Wholesale customers include domestic and international carriers; voice service providers, which include calling card companies, conferencing providers, and contact centers that use VoIP technology to manage costs and enable advanced applications; wireless providers; and broadband cable television operators.


For business customers and other customers that make communications purchasing decisions on a local or regional basis, the company targets them with its direct sales force.


Communications Network

The company primarily provides services over its own facilities. As of December 31, 2012, its network encompasses approximately 105,000 intercity route miles in North America, Europe and Latin America; metropolitan fiber networks in approximately 170 markets containing approximately 34,600 route miles; approximately 8 million square feet of Gateway and transmission facilities in North America, Europe and Latin America; approximately 350 colocation and data center facilities globally; approximately 35,000 route miles of subsea optical fiber cable systems; and approximately 55 countries in service worldwide.


Terrestrial Intercity Networks:

The company’s intercity network covers approximately 70,000 route miles in North America, 26,000 route miles in Europe, and 9,000 route miles in Latin America as of December 31, 2012.


Local Market Infrastructure:

As of December 31, 2012, the company had approximately 26,000, 3,100 and 5,500 route miles of metropolitan fiber networks in North America, Europe and Latin America, respectively, and had operational, facilities based, local metropolitan networks in 119, 36 and 14 markets in North America, Europe and Latin America, respectively. The company operates approximately eight million square feet of space for its Gateway and transmission facilities.

As of December 31, 2012, the company had approximately 200 colocation facilities in North America, approximately 100 colocation facilities in Europe, and 14 colocation facilities in Latin America. The company also operates 18 data center facilities in Latin America, Europe and North America that are designed to support hosting services together with its broadband services and advanced value added solutions.


      • Transoceanic Networks:

The company owns various subsea fiber-optic cable systems, including Atlantic Crossing -1, Atlantic Crossing-2, Mid-Atlantic Crossing, South American Crossing, Pan American Crossing and an approximately 300 route mile system connecting the U.K. and Ireland. The company also owns capacity in the TAT-14 transatlantic cable system.

In addition, the company purchased 700 Gigabits of transatlantic capacity from Apollo Submarine Cable System Ltd. The company operates as an owner of the Japan-US, and China-US cable systems, an indefeasible right of use holder on the Southern Cross cable system extending from Australia to California, as well as an owner of the Americas II cable extending from Florida to Brazil, and an indefeasible right of use holder on the Arcos system in the Caribbean.


In addition, the company owns capacity on the Reliance-Globacom transatlantic system Flag Atlantic-1 and capacity on the Hibernia transatlantic cable system.


Patent Portfolio

As of December 31, 2012, the company had approximately 900 patents and patent applications in the United States and worldwide.


Significant Events


  • On September 9, 2013, Level 3 Communications Inc. announced that it has signed an agreement with Lacoste's affiliate, Devanlay Ventures do Brasil Ltda. According to Level 3, through the agreement, the Company's virtual hosting, data storage and backup services will support Lacoste' s organizational operations throughout Brazil.


  • November 2013, Level 3 Communications, Inc. announced it has expanded and upgraded its network infrastructure in Latin America to meet growing demand for integrated IP solutions, particularly in Argentina, Brazil, Colombia and Venezuela.


    • Regulation

The company has obtained Federal Communications Commission (FCC) approval to land its transoceanic cables in the United States. It has also obtained FCC authorization to provide international services on a facilities and resale basis, as well as via various wireless licenses. Businessweek


Products

Countries using products

Reports


Tech & Business Partners

People Responsible

Board Members [1]

Jeffrey Storey, Chief Executive Officer, President and Director


Walter Scott Jr., CEO, Level 3 Communications, Inc.

Mr. Walter Scott, Jr., served as the Chief Executive Officer of Level 3 Communications Inc., a subsidiary of Commonwealth Telephone Enterprises Inc. for more than five years prior to August 1997.

Mr. Scott served as Chief Executive Officer of MidAmerican Energy Holdings Company ("MEHC") from January 8, 1992 to April 19, 1993.

From 1979 to March 1998, he served as the President of Peter Kiewit Sons' Inc., and as its Chief Executive Officer. He served as an Executive Officer at Peter Kiewit Sons Co. Ltd.

Since April 1998, he has been Chairman of Omaha, Nebraska-Telecommunications and Internet Services.

He has been the Chairman of Level 3 Communications Inc., since September 1979. Mr. Scott has been Chairman of Commonwealth Telephone Enterprises Inc. since September 3, 2003.

Mr. Scott has been Chairman Emeritus of Peter Kiewit Son's, Inc. since August 1997. He serves as Chairman Emeritus of Kiewit Engineering Co. and served as its Director. He has been Chairman Emeritus of Kiewit Corporation since 1993 and served as its Director.

He served as the Chairman of MidAmerican Energy Holdings Company from January 8, 1992 to April 19, 1993. He served as Chairman of Peter Kiewit Sons', Inc., from 1979 to March 1998.

He has been an Independent Director of Berkshire Hathaway Inc. since 1988.

Mr. Scott has been a Director of Burlington Resources Inc. since July 1988.

He has been Director of George Industries, Inc. since 1981.

He has been a Director at Level 3 Communications Inc. since April 1964. He has been an Independent Director of Commonwealth Telephone Enterprises Inc. since 1993.

Mr. Scott has been an Independent Director of Valmont Industries, Inc., since April 1981.

He serves as a Director at ConAgra Inc. and Kiewit Materials Company.

He has been a Director of MidAmerican Energy Holdings Company since June 1991.

He served as a Director of WorldCom from December 1996 to July 1997.

He served as a Director of RCN Corp., a subsidiary of Commonwealth Telephone Enterprises Inc. since 1997.

He served as a Director of FirsTier Financial Inc.


John Reed, Level 3 Communications, Inc.



James Ellis Jr., USN (Ret.), The Burlington Capital Group LLC

Michael Mahoney, Fairpoint Communications, Inc.

Steven Clontz, Singapore Technologies Telemedia Pte. Ltd.

Charles Miller III, Level 3 Communications, Inc.

Richard Jaros, Level 3 Communications, Inc.

Albert Yates, Guaranty Bancorp

Archie Clemins Ph.D., Highway 12 Ventures

Lim Huat Seah, DBS Group Holdings Limited

Kevin Chilton USAF Ret., Anadarko Petroleum Corporation

T. Glenn, FedEx Corporation

Peter van Oppen, Trilogy Equity Partners


Executives

Jeffrey K. Storey, Chief Executive Officer, President and Director


Sunit S. Patel, Chief Financial Officer and Executive Vice President


Héctor R. Alonso, Regional President of Latin America Operations


Andrew E. Crouch, Regional President of North America & APAC Operations


James Barton Heard, Regional President of EMEA Operations


Cathleen Chambliss, Senior Vice President


Neel Dev, Senior Vice President of Finance


Neil J. Eckstein, Senior Vice President and Assistant General Counsel


Anthony S. Fogel, Chief Human Resources Officer of Level 3 Communications, LLC.


Eric J. Mortensen, Principal Accounting Officer, Senior Vice President and Controller


Uwe Markus Nickl, Head of Product Delivery, Offer Management & Marketing for Europe


Nicolas Pujet, Senior Vice President and Corporate Strategy


John M. Ryan, Chief Legal Officer, Executive Vice President and Assistant Secretary


Thomas C. Stortz, Chief Administrative Officer, Executive Vice President and Secretary


John F. Waters Jr., President of Operations and Chief Technology Officer of Level 3 Communications LLC


Management Team


Investors


Major Shareholders

Other Info

Media Relations Voice: 720-888-2750 Email media.relations@level3.com


Latin America Headquarters Coronel Francisco Uzal, 4260 Olivos (1636) Buenos Aires, Argentina Voice: +54.11.5170.0000

Investor Relations Mark Stoutenberg Investor Relations Voice: 720-888-2518 Secondary Voice: 877-LVLTCOM Email investor.relations@level3.com


European Headquarters Level 3 Communications 7th Floor, 10 Fleet Place London EC4M 7RB United Kingdom Voice: +44 845 000 1000 Fax: +44(0)20 7954 2385


Analyst Relations Randy Slack Director, Analyst Relations Voice: +1-212-487-0152 Email randall.slack@level3.com


IP & Servers

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