Level 3 Announces Refinancing of $1.2B Tranche B-II 2019 Term Loan

Level 3 Communications LVLT today announced that its subsidiary, Level 3 Financing, Inc., has successfully completed the marketing of the refinancing of its $1.2 billion senior secured Tranche B-II 2019 Term Loan and received commitments to increase the aggregate principal amount of its existing Tranche B 2020 Term Loan by $1.2 billion. The refinancing of the Tranche B-II 2019 Term Loan will be accomplished through the expansion of the existing Tranche B 2020 Term Loan by $1.2 billion to a new total of $1.795 billion. The $1.795 billion Tranche B 2020 Term Loan will continue to bear interest at LIBOR plus 3.00 percent, with a minimum LIBOR of 1.00 percent, and will mature on Jan. 15, 2020. The additional portion of the Tranche B 2020 Term Loan was priced to lenders at par, with the payment to the lenders of an upfront 25 basis point fee at closing. The prior Tranche B-II 2019 Term Loan had an interest rate of LIBOR plus 3.25 percent, with a minimum LIBOR of 1.50 percent and a maturity date of Oct. 4, 2019. The company anticipates saving approximately $9 million of cash interest expense on an annualized basis. As a result of the transaction, the company expects to incur a loss on the refinancing of $13 million and approximately $0.06 per share in the fourth quarter 2013. The closing of the refinancing transaction is expected to be completed on Oct. 4, 2013, subject to execution of definitive documentation and customary closing conditions. About Level 3 Communications Level 3 Communications, Inc. LVLT is a Fortune 500 company that 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 500 markets in 55 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 or get to know us on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn. © Level 3 Communications, LLC. All Rights Reserved. Level 3, Level 3 Communications, Level (3) and the Level 3 Logo are either registered service marks or service marks of Level 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 of Level 3 Communications, Inc. 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://investors.level3.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; maintain and increase traffic on its network; develop and maintain effective business support systems; manage system and network failures or disruptions; avert the breach of its network and computer system security measures; develop new services that meet customer demands and generate acceptable margins; defend intellectual property and proprietary rights; manage the future expansion or adaptation of its network to remain competitive; manage continued or accelerated decreases in market pricing for communications services; 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.