BROOMFIELD, Colo., Dec. 12, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Level 3 Communications, Inc. (NYSE: LVLT) today announced it has been awarded the International Standard on Assurance Engagements (ISAE) 3402 Type II Certification for its Premier Elite data centers in Buenos Aires, Argentina; Sao Paulo, Brazil; Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; and Santiago, Chile. The ISAE 3402 is a global assurance standard for reporting on financial processes and controls at service organizations.

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This new standard, established by the International Auditing and Assurance Standards Board (IAASB) on June 15, 2011, assesses a data center's operational efficiencies and the processes performed on behalf of customers, particularly those processes that are relevant to financial reporting. The resulting report provides Level 3 data center customers and their auditors with a view of Level 3's financial processes and controls.

"The ISAE provides our customers and their shareholders with a report based on an international standard reporting system that provides transparency and simplification, and efficiently delivers all the information required for their internal auditing needs," said Gabriel del Campo, Level 3's senior vice president of Data Centers for Latin America. "The certification of these Level 3 data centers was a direct consequence of customer demand."

Level 3's Buenos Aires data center also is ISO 9001 certified, a worldwide quality management certification that allows our customers to meet industry standards and regulations.

For more information about Level 3's data center services, please visit: http://www.level3.com/en/products-and-services/managed-value-add/data-center-services/data-center-management-hosting-services/

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. Level 3 services are provided by subsidiaries of Level 3 Communications, Inc.  For more information, visit www.level3.com.

Website Access to Company Information
Level 3 maintains a corporate website at www.level3.com, and you can find additional information about the company through the Investors pages on that website at http://lvlt.client.shareholder.com/.  Level 3 uses its website as a channel of distribution of important information about the company. Level 3 routinely posts financial and other important information regarding the company and its business, financial condition and operations on the Investor Relations web pages.

Visitors to the Investors Relations web pages can view and print copies of Level 3's SEC filings, including periodic and current reports on Forms 10-K, 10-Q, 8-K, as soon as reasonably practicable after those filings are made with the SEC.

Copies of the charters for each of the Audit, Compensation and Nominating and Governance committees of Level 3's Board of Directors, its Corporate Governance Guidelines, Code of Ethics, press releases and analysts and investor conference presentations are all available through the Investor Relations web pages.

Please note that the information contained on any of Level 3's web sites is not incorporated by reference in, or considered to be a part of, any document unless expressly incorporated by reference in that document.

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.

SOURCE Level 3 Communications, Inc.