Historical provider.
Current availability of the listed service is not confirmed. Acquired by CenturyLink in 2017-11-01.

Website

Overview

Level 3 Communications was a Broomfield-based network and CDN operator. Its CDN handled web assets, large downloads and streaming alongside separate connectivity and broadcast services.

This profile covers the historical Level 3 service. CenturyLink acquired the company in 2017 and adopted the Lumen corporate name in 2020. Lumen subsequently sold selected CDN customer contracts to Akamai .

Network

Level 3 combined IP infrastructure, gateway facilities and cache clusters to direct users toward content according to location and network conditions.

Historical fiber routes, gateways and broadcast facilities are not a current CDN cache-city inventory. No current delivery map is inferred from the successor network.

Past features

Historical delivery services

  • HTTP caching and downloads for media, software and other large files.
  • Live and on-demand streaming.
  • Storage and traffic management for failover or dual-provider arrangements.

Vyvx broadcast transport and wider connectivity services were separate offerings. Current successor features cannot be assumed from this historical portfolio.

Service status

Lumen and Akamai announced a transition for selected CDN customer contracts in October 2023. Former customers should verify their contracted successor and current configuration records. Akamai acquired selected contracts, not every Level 3 or Lumen product, employee, or network asset.

History timeline

  • 2017-11-01 — CenturyLink completed its acquisition of Level 3 Communications — The company and network were integrated into CenturyLink, which later adopted the Lumen name.
  • 2023-10-10 — Lumen sold selected CDN customer contracts to Akamai — The companies announced a 90-day transition after which Lumen planned to wind down content-delivery services.
  • 2024-03-31 — Remaining selected CDN contracts transferred — Lumen later reported this contract-transfer milestone. It is not an observed shutdown date for every historical service.

Budgeting for a replacement

Get current delivery rates from the provider serving the account or the chosen replacement. Use a current quote to price delivery.

Use the current contract and successor quote when estimating a migrated workload, including delivery, requests, minimums and any separate media or security charges.

Historical integrations

Historical installations used the contracted Level 3 delivery and traffic-management tools. Confirm the successor portal, API, hostnames and credentials before reusing an old configuration; these are not automatically interchangeable.

What to know

Use old Level 3 configuration and invoices to recover traffic volumes, cache rules and media requirements. Confirm the current service operator before planning a replacement.

Planning a replacement

Use current providers for a new CDN subscription. For a former Level 3 account, identify its service and destination before migrating; use the replacement provider’s current features and quote.

History

Company and brand

The predecessor corporation was incorporated in 1941. Following the construction-business split in 1998, it adopted the Level 3 Communications name; these are company milestones.

CenturyLink completed the company acquisition on November 1, 2017. The surviving Level 3 Parent entity became an indirect subsidiary. CenturyLink adopted Lumen as its corporate name in September 2020.

CDN customer transition

In October 2023, Lumen completed the sale of selected CDN contracts to Akamai and announced a 90-day transition followed by a planned CDN wind-down. The transaction excluded Lumen personnel and technology. Later Lumen reporting records the remaining selected-contract transfers by March 31, 2024. Existing customers should confirm the destination and support arrangement for their account.

Sources