Broadband VoIP and Video Communications Company Purchases
Level 3's Local Inbound and Voice Termination Services
SANTA CLARA, Calif., March 30 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Level 3
Communications, Inc. (Nasdaq: LVLT) today announced at the Spring 2004 VON
Conference & Expo that 8x8 (Nasdaq: EGHT), a broadband VoIP and video
communications service provider, has purchased wholesale VoIP services from
Level 3.
8x8 (http://www.8x8.com) purchased (3)VoIP(SM) Local Inbound and (3)Voice(R)
Termination services from Level 3. 8x8 serves residential and business
customers through a suite of offerings under the Packet8 and Packet8 Virtual
Office brands that include broadband telephone service for residential
customers, consumer videophones and virtual office PBX solutions for small
businesses.
"Packet8 is a worldwide communications service available today to anyone
with broadband Internet access," said Barry Andrews, president of 8x8. "The
quality and broad market coverage of Level 3's advanced VoIP solutions are
enabling us to quickly deliver feature-rich, cost-effective voice and video
services to our growing base of business and residential customers."
"We're pleased that 8x8 has selected Level 3 as its primary provider of
wholesale VoIP solutions," said Sureel Choksi, president of Softswitch
Services for Level 3. "Level 3 has a full set of wholesale VoIP offerings that
give 8x8 and other customers the control they need to develop and quickly
roll-out new products and services."
(3)VoIP Local Inbound service significantly reduces communications costs
for call center operators, conferencing providers, and other enhanced service
providers that require a reliable local-calling infrastructure. The service
complements both (3)VoIP Toll Free(SM), Level 3's new toll-free, nationwide
calling solution, and its worldwide (3)Voice Termination service.
"Level 3's wholesale VoIP solutions enable our customers to develop new
services at significantly lower cost and with traditional phone quality," said
Kevin Dundon, senior vice president of Wholesale Voice Services for Level 3.
"Customers can create their own products using multiple Level 3 wholesale VoIP
services as building blocks."
The (3)VoIP Local Inbound service rides Level 3's patented softswitch
platform, which has successfully processed more than 300 billion minutes in
voice and data calls since 1999. The service also utilizes Level 3's extensive
local networks, offering industry-leading geographic coverage.
The (3)VoIP Local Inbound service enables customers to:
* Establish local presence in 73 markets across the United States;
* Design and deliver new applications quickly and cost-effectively;
* Streamline call flows;
* Deploy and maintain application servers at a single location.
(3)Voice Termination service, originally launched in December 1999,
enables PTTs, inter-exchange carriers, enhanced service providers, cable
operators and other companies to terminate calls in the U.S. and abroad.
(3)Voice Termination was the world's first long-distance voice service that
offered customers voice quality indistinguishable from traditional telephone
networks, but with the efficiencies and inherent cost advantages of IP.
In December 2003, Level 3 significantly expanded its softswitch-based
(3)Voice Termination service by enabling customers to hand off traffic
directly to Level 3 using an IP interface, further lowering their fixed
network costs and capital expenses. Level 3's expanded voice capability allows
IP-to-IP interconnection with the Level 3 network at the high levels of
security required for voice traffic.
Level 3 is an industry pioneer in the development of VoIP technology and
services. Today the company offers a broad suite of wholesale, business and
residential IP-based voice solutions over a robust softswitch-based network
platform that carries more than 30 billion minutes of IP-based voice and data
calls every month.
For more information about Level 3's portfolio of VoIP services, please
stop by VON booth #615, or visit http://www.Level3.com.
About Level 3 Communications
Level 3 (Nasdaq: LVLT) is an international communications and information
services company. The company operates one of the largest Internet backbones
in the world, is one of the largest providers of wholesale dial-up service to
ISPs in North America and is the primary provider of Internet connectivity for
millions of broadband subscribers, through its cable and DSL partners. The
company offers a wide range of communications services over its 22,500 mile
broadband fiber optic network including Internet Protocol (IP) services,
broadband transport and infrastructure services, colocation services, and
patented Softswitch managed modem and voice services. Its Web address is
http://www.Level3.com.
The company offers information services through its subsidiaries, Software
Spectrum and (i)Structure. For additional information, visit their respective
Web sites at http://www.softwarespectrum.com and http://www.i-structure.com.
The Level 3 logo and (3)Voice are registered service marks and (3)VoIP and
(3)VoIP Toll Free are service marks of Level 3 Communications, Inc. in the
United States and/or other countries. 8x8, Packet8 and Packet8 Virtual Office
are trademarks of 8x8, Inc.
Forward Looking Statement
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: changes in the overall economy relating to,
among other things, the September 11 attacks and subsequent events,
substantial capital requirements; development of effective internal processes
and systems; the ability to attract and retain high quality employees;
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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http://www.level3.com
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CONTACT:
Media, Josh Howell, +1-720-888-2517, or Paul
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Level 3 Communications, Inc.
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