Level 3 Expands Partner Program in U.S.; New Sales Channels for VoIP, Internet, Data and Colocation Services

Sales of VoIP, Internet, Data and Colocation Services to Businesses Enhanced by Marketing Support, New Online Ordering, Training and Sales Tools

HostReview.com
Monday, March 22, 2004; 12:00 AM

LAS VEGAS, Nev., March 22, 2004 – Level 3 Communications, Inc. (Nasdaq:LVLT) today announced that it has expanded its channel partner program. Now, small and medium-sized businesses can purchase Level 3’s hosted IP voice, Internet access, data and colocation services from telecommunications equipment resellers, value-added resellers, telecommunications solutions providers and carriers throughout the U.S.

“We believe that Level 3 has a unique set of VoIP, data and infrastructure services that will allow channel partners to profitably build and differentiate sustainable businesses,” said Glenn Russo, senior vice president of Channel Programs for Level 3. “Unlike many other programs, our channel partner strategy for enterprise sales gives resellers full ownership of the customer.”

The Level(3)EnabledSM Partner Program is designed to incorporate the best practices found in both traditional agent and reseller programs. In the Level 3 program, partners will control sales, marketing, order placement, customer installation, CPE sales, and first tier customer care and billing.

Level 3 will provide partners with training, billing, set up and provisioning, and second tier Network Operations Center (NOC) support. Partners will have access to a number of resources that facilitate and enhance their partnership with Level 3, including a new partner portal, demand generation and marketing tools, and aggressive sales incentives for their sales and technical staffs.

VonTek, www.vontek.com, a New York-based enhanced service provider, is among the new and growing number of resellers that have joined the Level(3)Enabled Partner Program.

“Joining the Level(3)Enabled Partner Program and selling the company’s (3)ToneSM Business service marks an important milestone for Vontek,” said Jim Burns, Vontek’s chief executive officer. “Together, Level 3’s Partner Program and (3)Tone Business service give us the tools and proven technology to serve small and medium-sized businesses that want the benefits of VoIP without sacrificing the reliability of traditional phone service. It was critical for us to own the customer relationship, and this program – unlike many others – is designed exactly with that in mind.”

Sycle.net, a hosted health care practice management company, recently purchased Vontek’s hosted IP voice solution enabled by Level 3.

“Vontek’s hosted IP voice service is the perfect complement to our existing hosted software solution,” said Ridge Sampson, president of Sycle.net. “The service has already allowed us to provide our customers with incredibly fast sales and support response times regardless of where our employees are physically located. We’re an Application Service Provider, allowing our clients to run their businesses from anywhere – now we can do the same thing.”

“Level 3 has been providing VoIP services since 1999 over what is now the largest and most reliable softswitch network in the world,” said Andrew Crouch, senior vice president of Enterprise Voice Services for Level 3. “In fact, we believe our softswitch network is fast approaching the scale of competing incumbent circuit-switched networks. And we’re doing it with a network that has far greater cost and operational efficiencies – differentiating strengths that provide unique advantages for both our channel partners and their end-user customers.”

“Co-location.com has built its business around reselling Level 3 colocation and Internet services,” said Robert Kiminecz, president of Co-location.com Inc. “Now, with our participation in the Level(3)Enabled Partner Program, we will benefit from the extra resources and support to assist our clients.”

Level(3)Enabled Partner Program – Sales and Marketing Resources
Level 3 recognizes the importance of sales and marketing resources that stimulate customer demand. Level 3 supports partner sales and marketing activities by providing the following resources:

Training
A key element of the Level(3)Enabled Partner Program is the training that Level 3 offers to its partners. Level 3 Partners receive training on Level 3's services immediately upon joining the program. A variety of delivery mechanisms are available, including:

Level(3)Enabled Partners can now coordinate the sales process through a new and intuitive Web-based “point-and-click” portal. The online availability of the portal allows Level 3 Partners to easily obtain pricing, for example, or enter and track orders, all at the convenience of partners’ schedules.

The online portal provides partners with a personalized Web application that allows partners to manage their relationship with Level 3 from one central location. This secure interface facilitates every aspect of the partner relationship, including quote requests, order entry, provisioning, reporting, billing feeds, access to a help desk, and access to sales and marketing collateral.

For more information on the Level(3)Enabled Partner Program , please visit www.Level3.com/Partner or stop by booth #517 at the Phone + Channel Partner Conference and Expo being hosted today through March 24 at the Mandalay Bay Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas.

Interested parties can also visit Level 3 next week at booth #615 at the Spring 2004 VON Conference & Expo in Santa Clara, Calif.

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 broadband fiber optic network including Internet Protocol (IP) services, broadband transport, colocation services, Genuity managed services, and patented Softswitch-based managed modem and voice services. Its Web address is 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 www.softwarespectrum.com and
www.i-structure.com.

The Level 3 logo is a registered service mark and Level(3)Enabled and Internet Advantage are service marks of Level 3 Communications, Inc. in the United States and/or other countries. (3)Tone is a service mark of Level 3 Enhanced Services, LLC in the United States and/or other countries.

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, the challenges of integration, 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.