Level 3 Reports Deal with Canon Do Brasil for IP Voice/Collaboration Services

Level 3 Communications, Inc.

today announced it has signed an agreement with Canon do Brasil, a regional subsidiary of Canon, Inc., a Japanese company dedicated to developing graphic and document management technologies. Under the terms of the agreement, Level 3 is providing Canon with a range of IP (Internet protocol) voice and collaboration services in support of the company's headquarters and call centers in Brazil. Operating in Brazil for almost 40 years with a staff of more than 450 employees, Canon do Brasil is using Level 3´s IP voice and collaboration services to more efficiently manage the voice communication processes of its seven regional call centers. Level 3 services support a wide range of phone options for Canon's regional staff, including IP phones for employees whose roles require advanced functionality, "softphones" for those that need greater flexibility and analog phones for legacy support. Level 3's services also enhance Canon's ability to support these options and its entire regional customer service infrastructure, improving the efficiency and reliability of Canon's voice systems. Level 3's services support approximately 70 call center positions for Canon's contact center operators.   "Level 3's global telecommunications services deliver the capacity and high performance for Canon to improve operational efficiency, which in turn enables us to better serve our customers," explains Adilson Soares Gomes, Canon IT manager in Brazil. "Canon makes a point of adopting new technologies to improve our customer experience, and the implementation of Level 3's services supports our goal of promoting products focused on Canon photography and graphic arts. By using an IP telephony model, we can generate more complete information when serving our customers and optimizing internal needs." Level 3's solution includes a combination of communication technologies such as IP PBX (private branch exchange), SIP (session initiation protocol) trunking and TDM (time division multiplexing), supporting a range of functionality from voice traffic management to collaboration solutions.  "Level 3's advanced communications network and services are capable of supporting the applications that today's enterprises need to improve their organizational efficiency," said Marcos Malfatti, senior vice president of Sales for Level 3 in Brazil. "These service improvements enable Canon to enhance the management of its regional communications centers. We are pleased to support Canon as it expands its market presence and uses our services to improve contact with its customers." For more information on Level 3's advanced network and service offerings, visit www.level3.com.