Level 3 Selected by RIU Hotels & Resorts to Provide CDN Services to Improve Website Speed, Security and Scalability

LONDON, July 21, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Level 3 Communications, Inc. (NASDAQ: LVLT) today announced that it has been selected to provide its High Performing Websites solutions for RIU Hotels & Resorts, which operates more than 100 hotels in 19 countries, to improve website speed, performance and content security for RIU and its website visitors.

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"We understand that our customers not only expect a fast, reliable website experience no matter where they are in the world, they want to know that any personal information they provide on our site is truly safe," said Jose Maria Puerta, RIU's chief technology officer. "With Level 3's High Performing Websites solutions, we're able to provide both the speed and security our customers demand, and provide it across a broader international scale – an important factor as we look to grow our business."

Level 3's High Performing Websites solutions provide Spain-based RIU with significantly improved website speed and page load times. These factors are increasingly important in meeting Web visitors' expectations and in improving conversion rates, particularly for e-commerce sites like RIU's. To support secure transactions and overcome potential performance challenges associated with SSL (a technology which helps with secure online transactions, but is particularly resource-intensive), RIU turned to Level 3 to not only ensure secure delivery of content, but to also accelerate the delivery of secure Web pages and components.

With Level 3, RIU is also benefitting from an expanded geographic reach for the company's site and better website scalability, which allow the company to more quickly and efficiently reach customers. An important factor in RIU's decision to work with Level 3 was the expanding reach of RIU's e-commerce site to customers in Latin America, which they are now able to do with Level 3's services.

"The combination of website efficiency, reliability and security can make or break a Web visitor's experience and, for a company whose bottom line is directly impacted by its website, the combination can make or break their future," said James Heard, president of European Markets for Level 3. "The Level 3 High Performing Websites solutions can help enterprise customers like RIU substantially improve the performance and reach of their website, which can ultimately help drive revenue and improve customer loyalty to a business."

The Level 3 High Performing Website solutions offer a comprehensive suite of services designed to enhance the online customer experience that can result in bottom-line business growth. For more information on Level 3's High Performing Websites solutions for enterprise, please visit http://www.level3.com/en/Solutions/business-need/High-Performing-Websites.aspx.

About RIU: The international RIU chain was founded in Mallorca by the Riu family in 1953 as a small holiday firm and is still owned by the family's third generation. The company specialises in holiday resorts and 50% of its establishments offer its acclaimed All Inclusive by RIU service. With the inauguration of its first city hotel in 2010, RIU is expanding its range of products with its own line of city hotels called RIU Plaza. Riu Hotels & Resorts now has more than 100 hotels in 19 countries which welcome over 3 million guests a year and provide jobs for a total of 23,400 employees. RIU is currently the world's 27th ranked chain, one of the Caribbean's most popular and the fourth largest in Spain. For further information: Press Department // Tel: +34 971 74 30 30 // [email protected]

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 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.

SOURCE Level 3 Communications, Inc.