Department of Homeland Security Awards Level 3 LAN Managed Services Contract for End-to-End Communications Services

BROOMFIELD, Colo., July 23, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Level 3 Communications, Inc. (NYSE: LVLT) today announced the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has selected the global telecommunications carrier to deliver a comprehensive suite of local area network (LAN) managed services for the agency within the National Capital Region (NCR) under the Washington Interagency Telecommunications System (WITS) 3 contract.

From installation of cabling and equipment to network design, engineering, monitoring and management, Level 3 will deliver an end-to-end solution for the DHS that will connect nearly 60 DHS sites, including the recently consolidated DHS headquarters at St. Elizabeths.

The multi-year, multi-million dollar contract represents a significant shift in how public agencies approach information technology (IT) infrastructure procurement and management, particularly as Network as a Service (NaaS) models gain greater traction to help the government take better advantage of the network scale, purchasing flexibility and operating efficiencies available within the private sector. Level 3 will be one of the first telecommunications providers to deliver a fully outsourced NaaS solution for a federal government agency, capitalizing on the company's extensive network reach and experience in deploying  voice, data and video solutions, as well as ongoing network management and security services for a broad range of government agencies and global enterprises.

Specifically, Level 3 will deliver a combination of managed voice, audio and video conferencing, transport, Ethernet and IP within the NCR. Level 3 employees will provide on-site professional services support at the DHS Network Operations Center to conduct 24/7 remote monitoring of the network both within the contiguous U.S. and internationally, including all network routers, switches, firewalls, intrusion detection/prevention systems (IDPS), wireless access points (WAP) and private branch exchange (PBX) management.

"Today, federal agencies are facing increasing pressure to keep pace with explosive demands for actionable data and remote access to information, while also managing significant budget constraints as a result of sequestration," said Edward Morche, senior vice president of East Region Enterprise and Government Markets for Level 3 Communications. "This new operating environment is compelling government IT leaders to think differently and seek outsourced solutions, where previously they may have dedicated internal resources to solving problems we address every day at Level 3. We are proud to take a leadership position in providing the level of service, flexibility and experience necessary to meet a broad range of needs for the DHS."

For more information about Level 3's advanced network and service offerings for the federal government, visit www.level3.com/government.

About Level 3 Communications
Level 3 Communications, Inc. (NYSE: LVLT) is a Fortune 500 company that provides local, national and global communications services to enterprise, government and carrier customers. Level 3's comprehensive portfolio of secure, managed solutions includes fiber and infrastructure solutions; IP-based voice and data communications; wide-area Ethernet services; video and content distribution; data center and cloud-based solutions. Level 3 serves customers in more than 500 markets in over 60 countries across a global services platform anchored by owned fiber networks on three continents and connected by extensive undersea facilities. For more information, please visit www.level3.com or get to know us on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.

© Level 3 Communications, LLC. All Rights Reserved. Level 3, Level 3 Communications, Level (3) and the Level 3 Logo are either registered service marks or service marks of Level 3 Communications, LLC and/or one of its Affiliates in the United States and/or other countries. Any other service names, product names, company names or logos included herein are the trademarks or service marks of their respective owners. Level 3 services are provided by subsidiaries of Level 3 Communications, Inc.

Forward-Looking Statement
Some statements made in this press release are forward-looking in nature and 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. Important factors that could prevent Level 3 from achieving its stated goals include, but are not limited to, the company's ability to: successfully integrate the Global Crossing acquisition or otherwise realize the anticipated benefits thereof; manage risks associated with continued uncertainty in the global economy; maintain and increase traffic on its network; develop and maintain effective business support systems; manage system and network failures or disruptions; avert the breach of its network and computer system security measures; develop new services that meet customer demands and generate acceptable margins; defend intellectual property and proprietary rights; manage the future expansion or adaptation of its network to remain competitive; manage continued or accelerated decreases in market pricing for communications services; obtain capacity for its network from other providers and interconnect its network with other networks on favorable terms; attract and retain qualified management and other personnel; successfully integrate future acquisitions; effectively manage political, legal, regulatory, foreign currency and other risks it is exposed to due to its substantial international operations; mitigate its exposure to contingent liabilities; and meet all of the terms and conditions of its 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.

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SOURCE Level 3 Communications, Inc.