New technology provides Colorado company with the highest optical network speed available

MONROE, La., Oct. 14, 2013 — (PRNewswire) —   CenturyLink, Inc. (NYSE: CTL) today announced that it has launched its first dedicated 100 Gigabit per second (Gbps) data networking circuit for a CenturyLink business customer through a direct connection to the company's recently upgraded 100 Gbps nationwide network. 

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DigitalGlobe, a leading provider of commercial high-resolution earth observation and advanced geospatial solutions, will use CenturyLink's 100 Gbps Optical Wavelength Service to launch a new product allowing its customers direct access to satellite mapping data. The 100 Gbps circuit allows DigitalGlobe to transfer massive amounts of data at lightning speed from its headquarters in Longmont, Colo., to its offsite data center, where its customers will be able to access the data remotely. 

"This is a significant day for the industry and for the state of Colorado. CenturyLink's deployment of commercial 100 Gbps service gives businesses bandwidth for the big data applications they need to excel," said Scott Russell, vice president and general manager for CenturyLink in Denver and Northern Colorado. "Our speed and capacity upgrades provide DigitalGlobe with an end-to-end optical network that improves efficiency and productivity. Simply put, 100 Gbps is the best the industry can offer."

As businesses respond to the bandwidth demand driven by cloud computing, mobile traffic, big data and video streaming, high-bandwidth technologies are becoming necessary for businesses to operate efficiently and competitively.

"As the global leader in high-resolution geospatial mapping, DigitalGlobe has unique connectivity demands that require advanced speed and capacity technology like 100 Gbps. Thanks to CenturyLink's innovation, DigitalGlobe is now utilizing the highest speed optical network connection available – plus the added assurance of CenturyLink's reliable, secure network," said Vladimir Aleksiev, vice president of enterprise information technology at DigitalGlobe.

CenturyLink's Optical Wavelength Service is a private, point-to-point data networking service delivered over a state-of-the-art dense wave division multiplexing (DWDM) network. It provides large enterprise customers with dedicated broadband transport network connectivity without capital outlay or the responsibility of owning and operating network infrastructure. Designed to offer redundancy, Optical Wavelength Service protects against unexpected failures and provides custom routing to meet unique diversity and disaster recovery requirements.

About CenturyLink
CenturyLink is the third largest telecommunications company in the United States and is recognized as a leader in the network services market by technology industry analyst firms. The company is a global leader in cloud infrastructure and hosted IT solutions for enterprise customers. CenturyLink provides data, voice and managed services in local, national and select international markets through its high-quality advanced fiber optic network and multiple data centers for businesses and consumers. The company also offers advanced entertainment services under the CenturyLink® Prism™ TV and DIRECTV brands. Headquartered in Monroe, La., CenturyLink is an S&P 500 company and is included among the Fortune 500 list of America's largest corporations. For more information, visit www.centurylink.com.

SOURCE CenturyLink, Inc.

Contact:

CenturyLink, Inc. Stephanie Meisse, 419-755-8433 Email Contact Web: http://www.centurytel.com