Constructing 500,000 Square Foot Gateway Facility in Needham, Massachusetts to Meet Growing Demand
Facility Expected to be Operational in Third Quarter of 2001
BROOMFIELD, Colo., September 5, 2000 – Level 3 Communications, Inc. (Nasdaq:LVLT) today announced it is beginning construction of an additional Internet and Communications facility in the Boston Metropolitan area.
The new 500,000 square foot Gateway facility will be connected by the Level 3 network to the company's existing Boston metro Gateway. "Our expansion taking place in New England and other areas around the country is a direct result of the continuing growth of the Internet economy," said Kevin J. O'Hara, president and chief operating officer for Level 3. "Our Gateways enable Internet service providers and other Level 3 customers to meet the growing demand for Internet and communications services in these important markets."
The new 500,000 square foot Gateway facility is in Needham, Massachusetts. Level 3 Gateways are advanced technical centers on its network. These facilities serve as portals to the Level 3 network and provide a failsafe environment for colocation space where Web-centric companies can physically locate their equipment and connect directly to the network.
Gateways can also house Level 3's own transmission and switching equipment and offer customers interconnection with the public Internet and other local and long distance networks.
Level 3 already has a 40,000 square foot Gateway in Cambridge, Massachusetts, which opened in January of 1999. This facility will be connected to the new facility by Level 3's own Internet protocol (IP) based network. The new Gateway, located in the New England Business Center, is being constructed in two phases, the first which will include three floors and be approximately 314,000 square feet when built out, and is expected to be operational in the third quarter of 2001.
"There is such an incredible demand that is increasingly growing for this type of facility in New England," said Brian Corcoran, program manager of Gateway Deployment for Level 3. "It's difficult to find the right type of space and utility infrastructure for a facility of this magnitude. The support and expertise that we have received to date from the Town of Needham has been nothing short of outstanding."
Level 3 currently has secured approximately 4.4 million square feet of Gateway and technical space worldwide, and expects to ultimately have 6.5 million square feet of space secured. Level 3 also has a 550,000 square foot Gateway facility in New York City, which is currently operational.
Level 3's IP-based network features advanced technology that provides high-quality, low-cost services to help enable Internet-related businesses to add value and, in turn, deliver their services to end-users, including residential customers. Level 3 enables Web-centric companies to grow quickly by providing infrastructure and network services to meet increasing demand for e-commerce, streaming audio and video, and many other Web-based services.
About Level 3 Communications
Level 3 Communications, Inc. (NASDAQ: LVLT), an international communications company, operates one of the largest Internet backbones in the world, connecting 180 markets in 18 countries. The company serves a broad range of wholesale, enterprise and content customers with a comprehensive suite of services including: Internet Protocol (IP) services, broadband transport and infrastructure services, colocation services, voice and voice over IP services, content delivery and media distribution services. These services provide the building blocks to enable Level 3’s customers to meet their growing demands for advanced communications solutions. The company’s Web address is www.Level3.com.
"Level 3 Communications,” "Level 3," the red 3D brackets and the Level 3 Communications logo are registered service marks of Level 3 Communications, LLC in the United States and/or other countries. Level 3 services are provided by wholly owned subsidiaries of Level 3 Communications, Inc. Any other service, product or company names recited herein may be trademarks or service marks of their respective owners.
Forward-Looking Statement
Some of the statements that we make 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 our control, which could cause actual events to differ materially from those expressed or implied by the statements. The most important factors that could prevent us from achieving our stated goals include, but are not limited to our ability to: successfully integrate acquisitions; increase the volume of traffic on our network; defend our intellectual property and proprietary rights; develop new products and services that meet customer demands and generate acceptable margins; successfully complete commercial testing of new technology and information systems to support new products and services; attract and retain qualified management and other personnel; and meet all of the terms and conditions of our 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.
