LONDON--BUSINESS WIRE--Level 3 Communications, Inc. NASDAQ: LVLT today announced it has added
ultra-low-latency network routes to Milan and Zurich to its European
financial services portfolio. The routes are available from London,
Frankfurt, Madrid, New York City and Chicago. The routes further deepen
Level 3’s commitment to the financial services industry and provide
financial exchanges and trading venues with access to all six major
European financial centres as well as key U.S. centres over Level 3’s
international network.
“In today’s financial services market, particularly in high-frequency
trading, the goal is to have the fastest connection to the most
important financial hubs, so choosing the right network partner for that
connectivity is critical”
With the low-latency routes, customers connecting to financial centres
in Milan and Zurich have the ability to access high-speed transport
rates with low transmission delays – essential functions for
high-frequency trading. In addition to the routes to Milan and Zurich,
Level 3’s low-latency network footprint offers connectivity to all of
the following financial business centres: Chicago, Washington, D.C., New
York City, London, Frankfurt, and Madrid.
“In today’s financial services market, particularly in high-frequency
trading, the goal is to have the fastest connection to the most
important financial hubs, so choosing the right network partner for that
connectivity is critical,” said James Heard, president of European
Markets. “Not only are we regularly upgrading our network to
consistently offer the fastest routes, we have the network reach to give
our customers access to more of the world’s financial centers from a
single provider.”
As high-frequency trading increases and significant amounts of capital
are exchanged in fractions of a second, the connectivity that enables
those trades becomes that much more important. In 2010, financial
markets research and strategic advisory firm TABB Group estimated
high-frequency traders accounted for approximately 56 percent of total
equity trading in the U.S. and 38 percent in Europe.
Level 3’s European financial services portfolio includes nine total
low-latency route options, and is specifically designed to meet the
needs of the most demanding financial services customers – including the
growing high-frequency trading market. Level 3’s extensive network
footprint provides access to four of the top five financial exchanges.
Because Level 3 controls and operates its own network, the company is
uniquely able to manage the delivery process from end-to-end and
optimize it each step of the way. Transactions on the routes are further
backed by network redundancy and stringent service level agreements
SLAs, guaranteeing performance on the Level 3 network. For more
information on Level 3’s financial services portfolio, please visit www.level3.com/index.cfm?pageID=135.
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. 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.
