16 December 2002 -- Level 3 Communications has been selected by NORDUnet to provide Internet access service to research and education networks throughout Scandinavia. Level 3 is to provide NORDUnet with two 2.5Gbit IP ports from diverse locations in Stockholm.
With over one million end users in the Nordic countries, NORDUnet A/S is responsible for the development and operation of the Nordic research network backbone, NORDUnet. NORDUnet deploys modern networking equipment and is among the most advanced research network backbones in the world. NORDUnet A/S is a limited company owned by government institutions within higher education in Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden.
Under the agreement, NORDUnet will use (3)CrossRoads service, a wholesale Internet access platform that connects Level 3's customers and network with the networks that comprise the public Internet.
"We selected Level 3 because it fulfills the requirements for cost effectiveness, quality and reliability needed for our Commodity Internet services, targeted at research and education networks in the Nordics," said General Manager Peter Villemoes, NORDUnet A/S.
"We are delighted to have been chosen by an organisation such as NORDUnet," commented Brady Rafuse, president of Level 3 in Europe. "NORDUnet is one of a number of research and education customers using our network, which is a fitting testament to the superior technology and quality of our infrastructure. We look forward to working with them."
Level 3 recently expanded its network in to seven new European markets, including Stockholm, and has signed a number of new customers in each. Level 3 operates a 10-gigabit IP backbone that spans 56 North American markets and 16 European markets and is accessible from more than 500 traffic aggregation points.
Level 3 has achieved a superior cost structure and class of service capability by being the first network to leverage MPLS technology consistently throughout the core. Scalable interconnection capacity with every major IP backbone provider ensures uncongested connectivity to the global Internet.