Managed IP VPN Service Replaces Disparate Systems and Supports New Services
LONDON — Global Crossing (NASDAQ: GLBC), a leading global IP solutions provider, today announced that Oxford Aviation Academy (OAA), a global supplier of aviation training and resourcing services, is consolidating its wide area network (WAN) with Global Crossing’s Managed IP Virtual Private Network (IP VPN) offering. The new multiprotocol label switching (MPLS)-based service replaces 11 global site-to-site VPNs and provides the foundation upon which new services such as unified communications, a single global active directory, email and collaboration systems can be built.
OAA provides innovative training for airline pilots, cabin crews and maintenance personnel. The company’s significant growth both organically and through merger and acquisition led to a re-assessment of its network requirements and a new five-year growth strategy that will see OAA replace its multi-vendor hub-to-hub VPN lines across Northern Europe with a higher quality, scalable IP-based managed service, with Global Crossing as the sole provider.
“We went through a thorough tender process with the leading providers and Global Crossing was not only the most cost effective solution, but also a good strategic fit for us,” said Stephan Potter, head of Group IT at Oxford Aviation Academy. “It is not only a more agile, challenger brand that can deliver superior response and customer service, but the solution really is best of breed by design. Some of the other suppliers looked unwieldy by comparison.”
Ted Higase, EMEA managing director, Global Crossing, said, “Consolidating the WAN at OAA is an important element of the organisation’s strategy to future-proof its network and deliver a more business-aligned technology and communications infrastructure. The company took a good look at how all of its business processes could be enhanced, and improving internal communications was vital to supporting OAA’s business growth.”
The managed IP VPN goes live in the early autumn and is expected to liberate internal IT resources away from day-to-day system maintenance to focus on more business-aligned projects. The four main hub sites, Dublin, Gatwick, Oxford and Stockholm, have a 10 Megabyte (MB) Ethernet pipe on a 100MB bearer and the remaining sites have a 4MB Ethernet pipe on a 10MB bearer.
About Oxford Aviation Academy (OAA)
OAA is one of the world’s leading independent providers of innovative airline pilot, cabin crew, maintenance training and aviation resourcing services. It is truly unique in its ability to offer a fully integrated global flight crew supply chain.
With locations in Beijing, Copenhagen, Dublin, Hong Kong, London (Gatwick), London (Heathrow), Manchester, Melbourne, Oslo, Oxford, Phoenix, Shannon, Stockholm and Tokyo, OAA is able to provide integrated “Total Training Solutions” tailored to meet the needs of any airline worldwide.
OAA operates 105 training aircraft, 64 simulators and 10 training centres, delivering an innovative and comprehensive portfolio of aviation training courses. OAA’s 3 ab initio airline pilot training schools are amongst the World’s most respected and have trained over 26,000 professional pilots during the past 50 years. Furthermore, OAA’s 7 type training centres combine to offer internationally approved training on a range of types including Airbus, Boeing, Bombardier and Embraer.
Parc Aviation, OAA’s resourcing division, is the global market leader in providing aviation personnel on lease to airlines, MRO’s, aircraft manufacturers and aircraft leasing organisations; currently providing 1000 personnel on assignments to over 50 organisations in 30 different countries.
OAA is owned by STAR Capital Partners and the GE Corporation.
ABOUT GLOBAL CROSSING
Global Crossing (NASDAQ: GLBC) is a leading global IP, Ethernet, data center and video solutions provider with the world’s first integrated global IP-based network. The company offers a full range of data, voice, collaboration, broadcast and media services delivered with superior customer service.
Global Crossing provides services to enterprises (including approximately 40 percent of the Fortune 500); government departments and agencies; and 700 carriers, mobile operators and ISPs. It delivers converged IP services to more than 700 cities in more than 70 countries, and has 17 world-class data centers in major business centers around the globe.
Please visit www.globalcrossing.com for more information about Global Crossing.
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Website Access to Company Information
Global Crossing maintains a corporate website at www.globalcrossing.com, and you can find additional information about the company through the Investors pages on that website at http://investors.globalcrossing.com. Global Crossing utilizes its website as a channel of distribution of important information about the company. Global Crossing routinely posts financial and other important information regarding the company and its business, financial condition and operations on the Investors web pages.
Visitors to the Investors web pages can view and print copies of Global Crossing’s SEC filings, including periodic and current reports on Forms 10-K, 10-Q, 8-K, and in respect of GCUK’s Forms 20-F and 6-K, as soon as reasonably practicable after those filings are made with the SEC. Copies of the charters for each of the standing committees of Global Crossing’s Board of Directors, its Corporate Governance Guidelines, Ethics Policy, press releases and analysts presentations are all available through the Investors web pages.
Please note that the information contained on any of Global Crossing’s websites is not incorporated by reference in, or considered to be a part of, any document unless expressly incorporated by reference therein.
IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR INVESTORS AND STOCKHOLDERS
This communication shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy any securities or a solicitation of any vote or approval. The proposed transaction will be submitted to the stockholders of Level 3, Inc. (“Level 3”) and the stockholders of Global Crossing Limited (“Global Crossing”) for their consideration. Level 3 and Global Crossing will file a registration statement on Form S-4, a joint proxy statement/prospectus and other relevant documents concerning the proposed transaction with the SEC. Level 3 and Global Crossing will each provide the final joint proxy statement/prospectus to its respective stockholders. Investors and security holders are urged to read the registration statement and the joint proxy statement/prospectus and any other relevant documents filed with the SEC when they become available, as well as any amendments or supplements to those documents, because they will contain important information about Level 3, Global Crossing and the proposed transaction. Investors and security holders will be able to obtain a free copy of the registration statement and joint proxy statement/prospectus, as well as other filings containing information about Level 3 and Global Crossing free of charge at the SEC’s Web Site at http://www.sec.gov. In addition, the joint proxy statement/prospectus, the SEC filings that will be incorporated by reference in the joint proxy statement/prospectus and the other documents filed with the SEC by Level 3 may be obtained free of charge by directing such request to: Investor Relations, Level 3, Inc., 1025 Eldorado Boulevard, Broomfield, Colorado 80021 or from Level 3’s Investor Relations page on its corporate website at http://www.Level 3.com and the joint proxy statement/prospectus, the SEC filings that will be incorporated by reference in the joint proxy statement/prospectus and the other documents filed with the SEC by Global Crossing be obtained free of charge by directing such request to: Global Crossing by telephone at (800) 836-0342 or by submitting a request by e-mail to glbc@globalcrossing.com or a written request to the Secretary, Wessex House, 45 Reid Street, Hamilton HM12 Bermuda or from Global Crossing’s Investor Relations page on its corporate website at http://www.globalcrossing.com.
Level 3, Global Crossing and their respective directors, executive officers, and certain other members of management and employees may be deemed to be participants in the solicitation of proxies in favor of the proposed transactions from the stockholders of Level 3 and from the stockholders of Global Crossing, respectively. Information about the directors and executive officers of Level 3 is set forth in the proxy statement on Schedule 14A for Level 3’s 2011 Annual Meeting of Stockholders, which was filed with the SEC on April 4, 2011 and information about the directors and executive officers of Global Crossing is set forth in the proxy statement for Global Crossing’s 2011 Annual General Meeting of Shareholders, which was filed with the SEC on April 29, 2011. Additional information regarding participants in the proxy solicitation may be obtained by reading the joint proxy statement/prospectus regarding the proposed transaction when it becomes available.
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This press release contains statements about expected future events and financial results that are forward looking and subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause the actual results to differ materially, including: the failure to occur of any condition to the closing of the acquisition of Global Crossing by Level 3 and uncertainties as to the timing of the closing; the failure to achieve or any delay in achieving expected synergies and other financial benefits from the acquisition; changes in Global Crossing’s risk profile resulting from the acquisition; limitations on Global Crossing’s financial and operational flexibility that arise under the covenants in the amalgamation agreement that could restrict it from taking advantage of opportunities to strategically enhance its business or improve its capital structure; delays or reductions in purchases from Global Crossing by customers because of their perceived uncertainty about its ability to meet their needs after closing of the acquisition; disruptions in Global Crossing’s business due to current and prospective employees experiencing uncertainty about their future roles with the company and the diversion of their time and attention from ongoing business operations; Global Crossing’s history of substantial operating losses and the fact that, in the near term, funds from operations will not satisfy cash requirements; the availability of future borrowings in an amount sufficient to pay Global Crossing’s indebtedness and to fund its other liquidity needs; legal and contractual restrictions on the inter-company transfer of funds by Global Crossing’s subsidiaries; Global Crossing’s ability to continue to connect its network to incumbent carriers’ networks or maintain Internet peering arrangements on favorable terms; the consequences of any inadvertent violation of Global Crossing’s Network Security Agreement with the U.S. Government; increased competition and pricing pressures resulting from technology advances and regulatory changes; competitive disadvantages relative to competitors with superior resources; political, legal and other risks due to Global Crossing’s substantial international operations; risks associated with movements in foreign currency exchange rates; risks related to restrictions on the conversion of the Venezuelan bolivar into U.S. dollars and to the resultant buildup of a material excess bolivar cash balance, which is carried on Global Crossing’s books at the official exchange rate, attributing to the bolivar a value that is significantly greater than the value that would prevail on an open market; potential weaknesses in internal controls of acquired businesses, and difficulties in integrating internal controls of those businesses with Global Crossing’s own internal controls; exposure to contingent liabilities; and other risks referenced from time to time in Global Crossing’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Global Crossing undertakes no duty to update information contained in this press release or in other public disclosures at any time.
CONTACT GLOBAL CROSSING:
Press Contacts
Michael Schneider
UK and Europe
+44 1270 534204
Michael.Schneider@globalcrossing.com
Analysts/Investors Contact
Mark Gottlieb
+ 1 800 836 0342
GEN/PR1
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