U.S. Department of Defense Finalizes Selection of Level 3 for 10-year, Multimillion Dollar Task Order

BROOMFIELD, Colo., May 7, 2012 /PRNewswire/ — Level 3 Communications, Inc. (NYSE:LVLT, news, filings) today announced that the Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) has issued initial task orders to Level 3 to provide dedicated fiber-cable operations and maintenance support, and IP-based infrastructure under a 10-year, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity task order contract with a maximum value of approximately $410.8 million. DISA announced its initial selection of Level 3 earlier this year.

Under the terms of the contract, Level 3 will provide DISA, a Combat Support Agency, with Managed Capacity and Transport Services (MCTS), fiber infrastructure and maintenance support, IP-based infrastructure, and professional support services to connect various Department of Defense(DoD) locations.

“Level 3’s dedicated, robust infrastructure will help DISA support the DoD’s growing demand for bandwidth, enable initiatives that will improve security, and increase efficiency by reducing disparate and legacy telecommunications networks,” said Edward Morche, senior vice president of Level 3’s Government Markets Group. “Beyond expanding its IP backbone network with Level 3, DISA will also have dedicated professional support from an organization that understands the mission critical nature of DISA’s requirements.”

DISA engineers and delivers command and control capabilities and enterprise infrastructure to support joint warfighters, National-level leaders, and other mission and coalition partners across the full spectrum of DoD operations.

Level 3’s expertise in operating scalable, proven and secure solutions has proven successful in assisting our military and government agencies as they have looked to streamline operations while maintaining the highest degree of security. Level 3’s Government Markets Groupis well-versed in the latest Federal compliance and security requirements to provide the solutions that agencies need to meet everyday IT and communications challenges.

For more information on Level 3’s advanced network and service offerings, visit www.level3.com.

About Level 3 Communications

Level 3 Communications, Inc.(NYSE: LVLT) 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 450 markets in 45 countries over 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

©Level 3 Communications, LLC. All Rights Reserved. Level 3, Level 3 Communications, Level (3), Think Ahead, the Level 3 Logo and the Level 3 Think Ahead logo are either registered service marks or service marks ofLevel 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 ofLevel 3 Communications, Inc.

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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; obtain additional financing, particularly in the event of disruptions in the financial markets; manage continued or accelerated decreases in market pricing for communications services; maintain and increase traffic on its network; develop and maintain effective business support systems; manage system and network failures or disruptions; develop new services that meet customer demands and generate acceptable margins; adapt to rapid technological changes that could adversely affect the company’s competitiveness; defend intellectual property and proprietary rights; 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.

SOURCELevel 3 Communications, Inc.