News for and about the Internet2 community

["Lauren Rotman" <>]

FiberCo Facilitates Creation of Advanced Optical Network for Texas

Dark Fiber Used As Foundation for Next-Generation Regional Research and
Education Network of Texas

ANN ARBOR, MI - October 3, 2005 - FiberCo(TM), a fiber holding company
supporting U.S. research and higher education, today announced that the
Lonestar Education and Research Network (LEARN), has purchased the rights to
over 317 route miles of dark fiber from FiberCo, under an agreement with
Level 3 Communications (Nasdaq:LVLT). Utilizing FiberCo's national-scale
wholesale pricing structure and streamlined fiber acquisition process, LEARN
acquired the dark fiber at a significantly discounted rate and will use the
network facilities as part of a project to interconnect 14 cities and 33
universities in the state of Texas.

LEARN, once lit, will facilitate a new level of collaboration, advanced
communication, and research among Texas schools in ways not possible today
by providing advanced network performance and mega-bandwidth capabilities.
This optical network will also give LEARN member institutions direct
connectivity to a wide range of leading domestic and international research
networks, including Internet2's Abilene Network and National LambdaRail, of
which LEARN is a member.

"In building this next-generation, optical network for the State of Texas,
LEARN will be able to provide the most sophisticated learning, research, and
collaboration community for Texas research and education," said Jim
Williams, LEARN executive director. "The dark fiber services acquired
through FiberCo serve as the foundation for LEARN's efforts and will provide
Texas institutions and industry a new and exciting platform for innovation."

Established in 2003 by Internet2R, a consortium led by 206 universities
working with government and industry to develop and deploy advanced
networking technologies, FiberCo provides a means for acquiring, holding,
and assigning dark fiber assets on both the national and the regional scales
and on behalf of the higher education community. 

"FiberCo's goal is to assist the Internet2 membership in acquiring critical
optical networking assets to facilitate the development of advanced regional
fiber infrastructure. This fiber assignment represents a critical milestone
in LEARN's plans to deploy leading-edge optical capabilities throughout
Texas," said Steve Cotter, director of network services for Internet2 and
responsible for the FiberCo effort. "LEARN's efforts highlight the
leadership of Texas institutions in providing advanced Internet technology
to their constituents and serves as a model for other states around the
country." 

Under the agreement with Level 3 Communications, FiberCo has the ability to
provision inter-city and metropolitan dark fiber from Level 3's national
footprint.   

About LEARN
The Lonestar Education and Research Network (LEARN) is a cooperative effort
of  institutions and organizations of higher education in Texas to provide
high-speed connectivity among their institutions as well as to research
networks around the world in support of the research, teaching, health care,
and public service missions of its members. More on LEARN can be found
online at http://www.tx-learn.net/.

About FiberCo(TM)
FiberCo provides a means for acquiring, holding, and assigning fiber optic
network assets in support of the Internet2 community's goals of developing
and deploying advanced network applications and technologies. FiberCo
facilitates the ongoing development of regional optical networking
initiatives around the country to complement existing Internet2 network
infrastructure while providing a strategic fiber acquisition capability on
the national scale.  For more information, visit: www.fiberco.org.

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 23,000-mile broadband fiber optic network including Internet
Protocol (IP) services, broadband transport and infrastructure services,
colocation services, and patented softswitch managed modem and voice
services. Its Web address is www.Level3.com.
Level 3 services are offered by wholly owned subsidiaries of Level 3
Communications, Inc.

Contact:
Lauren Rotman
Internet2




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