CenturyLink announces expanded cloud offerings with Oracle FastConnect

Global enterprises can now connect to Oracle Cloud over CenturyLink's fiber-rich network

MONROE, La., July 16, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- CenturyLink, Inc. (NYSE: CTL), a leading communications service provider to global enterprise customers and a Silver level member of Oracle PartnerNetwork (OPN), today announced it will offer dedicated and private access to Oracle Cloud through Oracle Cloud Infrastructure FastConnect. With CenturyLink Cloud Connect Solutions and Oracle's FastConnect service, customers enjoy the performance and reliability of a direct, secure connection that does not traverse the public internet, delivering a consistent experience for users of demanding enterprise workloads.

Through collaboration with CenturyLink, Oracle customers benefit from reliable network access to their cloud data and applications from North America and Europe via both Wavelengths and MEF 2.0-certified Carrier Ethernet services. This means improved performance, enhanced control, flexibility and scalability in accessing their critical business data and functions.

"Our integration with Oracle FastConnect provides our customers a network experience that matches their cloud experience," said Chris McReynolds, vice president of core network services, CenturyLink. "In today's rapidly changing IT environment, our customers need a network that can adapt with their cloud workloads. Our Ethernet Services connectivity offers real-time network visibility and dynamic bandwidth, providing enterprises with control and scalability across their entire cloud ecosystem."

CenturyLink Cloud Connect Solutions provide businesses with a network as flexible and agile as the cloud, seamlessly linking cloud environments over private and secure connections. CenturyLink's global reach and extensive, high-performing connectivity options are designed to meet today's hybrid cloud and multi-cloud business requirements. Real-time enhanced visibility and dynamic bandwidth controls offer users an enhanced network experience. Cloud Connect features a global reach and extensive Wavelength, Ethernet Services and IP VPN connectivity options.

Oracle Cloud Infrastructure FastConnect enables enterprise cloud connectivity to Oracle Cloud from trusted enterprise data centers. Connecting directly to the Oracle Cloud through Oracle FastConnect enables a fast, private connection to an integrated cloud platform with a complete range of services across Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) and Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS).

Oracle Cloud offers complete SaaS application suites for ERP, HCM and CX, plus best-in-class database PaaS and IaaS from data centers throughout the Americas, Europe and Asia. Organizations are using Oracle Cloud globally to innovate faster, improve customer engagement, drive business-process efficiency and accelerate digital transformation.

Key Facts

• CenturyLink's Cloud Connect Solutions offer:

  • Dynamic Agility: Self-service via dynamic capacity on-demand, increased visibility with enhanced management and available dynamic connections offerings

  • Predictable and Reliable Performance: Enterprises can maintain control over the end-to-end performance of applications as they migrate them to public cloud

  • Simplified Security: When choosing private connectivity, the applications being migrated to the cloud and optimized are within a trusted perimeter

  • Global Connectivity: Enterprises can connect offices around the world to the local cloud and data center resources needed to run mission-critical applications.

Additional Resources

• Get more information on CenturyLink Cloud Connect solutions.

• See how CenturyLink delivers additional value with IT consulting and managed services expertise.

• Learn more about Oracle FastConnect.

About CenturyLink
CenturyLink (NYSE: CTL) is the second largest U.S. communications provider to global enterprise customers. With customers in more than 60 countries and an intense focus on the customer experience, CenturyLink strives to be the world's best networking company by solving customers' increased demand for reliable and secure connections. The company also serves as its customers' trusted partner, helping them manage increased network and IT complexity and providing managed network and cyber security solutions that help protect their business. 

About Oracle PartnerNetwork
Oracle PartnerNetwork (OPN) is Oracle's partner program that provides partners with a differentiated advantage to develop, sell and implement Oracle solutions. OPN offers resources to train and support specialized knowledge of Oracle's products and solutions and has evolved to recognize Oracle's growing product portfolio, partner base and business opportunity. Key to the latest enhancements to OPN is the ability for partners to be recognized and rewarded for their investment in Oracle Cloud. Partners engaging with Oracle will be able to differentiate their Oracle Cloud expertise and success with customers through the OPN Cloud program – an innovative program that complements existing OPN program levels with tiers of recognition and progressive benefits for partners working with Oracle Cloud. To find out more visit: http://www.oracle.com/partners.

Trademarks
Oracle and Java are registered trademarks of Oracle and/or its affiliates.

For further information: Frank Tutalo, 703.363.8698, Frank.tutalo@centurylink.com

InfoHedge to Become the Alternative Investment Hosting Division for Thrive

FOXBOROUGH, Mass., July 11, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Thrive, a leading provider of next generation managed services, proudly announces today that it has completed a transaction with InfoHedge Technologies, a leading financial services focused private cloud & managed services provider based in New York City.  InfoHedge will become a separate division within Thrive, focused on the alternative investment management & hedge fund community, with plans to expand its application hosting product set and geographic reach via Thrive's next generation managed services platform and access to capital via M/C Partners, Thrive's private equity financial sponsor.

Led by managing partners, Alexander Kouperman, Eugene Kushnirskiy, Felix Ilionskiy, Michael Curry and Lev Vinogradov, InfoHedge has grown to become a leader in the financial services sector, recently winning the 2018 Alternative Investment Award for excellence.  By servicing nearly 400 hedge fund, REIT, asset management and family office customers for over a dozen years, InfoHedge has developed a reputation as an innovator of Cloud, Application Hosting and Managed Services on its proprietary InfoHedge Hosted PlatformTM.

"Thrive is excited to expand our rapidly growing Cloud Hosting business with additional penetration into the financial services vertical," said Rob Stephenson, Thrive's CEO.  "The opportunity for InfoHedge's customers to take advantage of Thrive's unbundled next generation managed services and our clients to have access to the InfoHedge Hosted PlatformTM is a powerful story for the marketplace and a strong motivator behind the deal."

"On behalf of my partners and employees, we're thrilled to announce that InfoHedge will become the Alternative Investment Hosting Platform for Thrive, joining one of the largest and most respected technology services firms in the Northeast," said Alexander Kouperman, InfoHedge's President.  "With the unprecedented growth we're currently experiencing, InfoHedge was focused upon finding the right partner to help us scale and continue providing superior service to our FinTech client community.  Thrive and their financial sponsor, M/C Partners, stepped up to the table and were a perfect fit for our strategic goals of expanding InfoHedge's Cloud, Managed Services and Application Hosting leadership position within the Alternative Investment space."

All five managing partners of InfoHedge will continue to run the division within Thrive under the direction of Marc Pantoni.  Mr. Pantoni was recently named Thrive's President after merging his New York-based managed services firm, Precision IT, with Thrive in 2017.  Precision IT also had a strong proficiency in financial services, with more than 70% of their clients in the Private Equity & Asset Management industries.

"The InfoHedge acquisition brings additional Cloud, Hosting and Application Management capabilities to the current Thrive platform, which we feel is strongly positioned for tremendous growth as part of our continued strategic mission," said Gillis Cashman, Thrive's Chairman and Managing Partner at M/C Partners.

Morgan Partners acted as the exclusive advisor for the transaction on behalf of InfoHedge. Choate, Hall & Stewart served as legal counsel to Thrive and M/C Partners. Burns & Levinson served as legal counsel to InfoHedge.

About Thrive

Thrive is a leading next generation managed services provider.  The Thrive technology solutions suite utilizes Cloud, Cyber Security, Networking, Disaster Recovery and other pioneering managed services to help compliance-driven businesses solve complex IT issues. Thrive was acquired by M/C Partners in 2016 as a Northeast United States growth platform to service the Financial Services, Healthcare, Biotech, Life Sciences, Banking and other mid-market verticals. In developing this new technology service ecosystem, Thrive is uniquely positioned to offer compliance-based solutions to its valued client base. For more information, visit www.thrivenetworks.com

About InfoHedge

InfoHedge Technologies is a premier infrastructure-as-a-service managed service provider to the financial services community. InfoHedge's flagship product, InfoHedge Hosted Platform ("IHP"), provides a turnkey, enterprise-grade, fully managed private cloud infrastructure on par with those of Tier 1 banks without the associated capital expenditures, design and maintenance. InfoHedge also hosts mission-critical business applications and provides related IT services and support. IHP is a single-custody solution (e.g., all software and data are housed on equipment owned and operated by InfoHedge) architected with best practices garnered from years of experience managing complex trading platforms for demanding clients. InfoHedge's customers include Hedge Funds, Prime Brokers, Broker Dealers, Asset Managers, Investment Advisors, Private Equity and Investment Banks with a combined client base on the buy side that exceeds $550B AUM. InfoHedge is headquartered in New York City, with additional employees in Boston, Chicago, Dallas, San Francisco, Connecticut, and Florida.

About M/C Partners

M/C Partners is a private equity firm focused exclusively on the communications, media, and information technology sectors. The firm has invested over $2.2 billion of capital into nearly 100 companies in those sectors. M/C-backed companies include Cavalier Telephone, Denovo, Ensono, Everstream, Fusepoint, ICG Communications, Involta, Legendary Pictures, Lightower, MetroPCS, NuVox, and Zayo Group. The firm has strong institutional backing from the nation's leading pension funds and endowments as well as a long track record of success. M/C Partners has offices in Boston and San Francisco. For more information, visit www.mcpartners.com.

For media inquiries, please contact:

Brian J. Hawthorne, VP of Marketing
197374@email4pr.com
617-952-0242

Volia is now in the heart of Melitopol

Volia opened the Center for Modern Technologies (CCT) on September 6, 2018 in the central square of Melitopol at Bohdan Khmelnytsky Ave., 36. The city center is a decent place to represent a company that provides most of the residents of the city and district with modern telecommunication services. By the way, it is now convenient for them to get to the CCT - after all, there is a transport interchange.

Not only did the residence permit of TsST, which used to be located on 50th Anniversary of Victory Avenue, be changed. The new center is more spacious and comfortable. At the high workplace at the entrance guests are welcomed by the administrator. He, finding out what brought a person to the center, tells which consultant is better to contact.

The Center for Modern Technologies is the point of communication of the company with the residents of the city, where the Volia brand “comes to life” for people, because it is represented by our employees. The company wants to be closer to the residents - this is the main reason for the relocation of the center. Our consultants are not just connoisseurs of telecommunication services, they are ready to advise, reassure, persuade, so that a person leaves us with a good mood. For example, to help choose the most appropriate set of services for the subscriber. After all, all the company's services include a variety of basic and additional packages. For example, which Internet connection is fixed or mobile, which is suitable only for surfing the net or for comfortable viewing of movies in HD format? Do you need additional "chips" such as fixed IP, antivirus protection or the ability to work on the network at hyperspeed? Does the subscriber want to watch TV programs only on TV or on a computer and also on a mobile gadget? This is all possible for our customers. It is clear that the cost of services is different and the consultant helps the visitor to find the package that is optimal for him. Now they can communicate in the comfortable premises of the new Center for Advanced Technologies, where all the services can be tested ”, - says director of the Melitopol Branch Andrew Dzhur.

CCT Schedule: Monday-Friday, 9am - 6pm, Saturday, Sunday - weekends.

There are now 54 Volia Modern Technology Centers operating across Ukraine. Over the last three years, the company has invested 10 million UAH in their development.

United Kingdom : Liberty Global Rolls Out 10 Million Connect Boxes

Jul 05, 2018 (Euclid Infotech Ltd via COMTEX) -- Liberty Globals Connect Box, a leading modem and WiFi gateway that offers fast and reliable fixed and WiFi internet connectivity, is now in more than 10 million homes across Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean. The state-of-the-art router has now been rolled out to more than half of Liberty Globals broadband customers in Europe.

The box, developed and designed in-house by Liberty Global engineers at its tech campus in Amsterdam, uses the latest smart WiFi technology to ensure great connectivity throughout the home so customers can stream high-definition videos, play video games and enjoy facetime with their family, wherever they happen to be. Multiple devices can be connected at the same time and the box monitors the signal using smart WiFi software for continuous optimization.

The Connect Box is a core component of Liberty Globals new connectivity eco-system and customer value proposition, which includes WiFi boosters for extra coverage for customers with larger homes and the Connect App, designed to improve every aspect of the user experience. More smart WiFi features are due to be added to the upgraded Connect Box platform in the coming months.

Doron Hacmon, Chief Product Officer, Liberty Global comments: Surpassing 10 million homes is a huge achievement for the in-house team whove developed the Connect Box. It demonstrates the commitment of Liberty Global to its customers for continuous improvement. It also marks the first time that Liberty Global has rolled out a universal but locally-branded product across our markets and it has been a huge success amongst our customers. The level of customer satisfaction, measured in NPS, is significantly higher with the Connect Box.

Our customers are especially positive about features including its high-performance WiFi service, uninterrupted simultaneous connection across multiple devices and great design.

The 10 million total includes 1.2 million boxes rolled out by the VodafoneZiggo Joint Venture in the Netherlands and more than 900,000 Connect Boxes that have been rolled out in Latin America and the Caribbean by Liberty Latin America.

TDS launches internet service upgrades in Texas, Colorado cable markets

Network investments in communities will keep users happy with faster internet speeds.

TDS Telecom is now offering Ultra 300 and Ultra 600 internet service in the three Texas cable markets of Fort Stockton, Alpine and Seminole (includes Denver City and Seagraves) and in the Colorado market of Cortez. Ultra 300 is now being offered in Woodland Park, Colorado. The new internet services are cutting-edge fast.

The launch of 300Mbps and 600Mbps (megabits per second) will keep active internet users happy.

Ultra 300 is perfect for households who want fast, reliable connections. It’s great for multi-player video gaming, several users, devices, and for video chatting.

Ultra 600 is super-fast and provides reliable service for households with the most extreme internet demands driven by multiple users and multiple devices connected simultaneously.  TDS customers can download movies and television shows with a 4K quality TV, surf the internet, listen to music and play video games on multiple devices all at the same time.

“TDS has made significant investments in  our cable markets in Colorado, Texas, New Mexico and Utah and we will continue to make those investments to ensure we’re bringing customers the service and speed they need for today and tomorrow,” says Julie Maiers, vice president of Marketing and Product Development at TDS. “Users can game, stream, and upload concurrently, without slowdown.”

The average person in the United States has 13 network connected devices in their home, including phones, tablets, TVs, gaming consoles, household appliances and more. Live video is set to be the fastest growing segment of the internet. Thanks to higher-quality video and the growth in live broadcast of sports, bandwidth needs will continue to grow.

“Ultra 600 is great for streaming multiple HD movies in a flash,” says Maiers. “With more people using video conferencing, Skype and Facetime, Ultra 600 will provide improved video quality and is a real timesaver for TDS customers.”

Ultra 300 and Ultra 600 not only allows for faster speeds, but improved capacity for all internet customers.

TDS is delivering this new service via DOCSIS 3.0 technology over Hybrid Fiber Coax (HFC) and Radio Frequency over Glass (RFoG) plants. Customers can learn more about Ultra 300 and Ultra 600 at HelloTDS.com/600 or calling 1-855-771-3961.

Previously, TDS has announced 300Mbps and 600Mbps service in the six New Mexico communities of Alamogordo, Carlsbad, Eunice, Hobbs, Lovington and Ruidoso; the two Utah communities of St. George and Cedar City; its Mesquite, Nevada market and in the four Colorado markets of Arvada, Estes Park, Fort Carson and Fort Collins.

Business Customers
300Mbps and 600Mbps is also available for business customers. “When running a business, we know the importance of fast, affordable, and reliable technology,” says Maiers. “Business 600, with 30 Mbps upload, enables faster connections, which means improved workplace efficiency. Business 600 also supports higher-quality video for improved video-conferencing experiences.”

Businesses can learn more at hellotds.com/business or by calling 1-855-771-3961.

MEDIA CONTACT: Cheryl McCollum | Associate Manager – Public Relations | TDS | 608-664-2388 | cheryl.mccollum@tdstelecom.com

TDS Telecommunications LLC (TDS Telecom/TDS®), a wholly owned subsidiary of Telephone and Data Systems, Inc., is the seventh largest local exchange telephone company in the U.S. and a growing force in the cable industry. TDS provides 1.2 million connections to high-speed internet, phone, and TV entertainment services in nearly 900 rural, suburban, and metropolitan communities. For residential customers, TDS deploys 1Gig internet access, IPTV service, cable TV options, and traditional wireline services. The company offers businesses advanced solutions, including: VoIP (managedIP Hosted voice), high-speed internet, fiber optics, data networking, and hosted-managed services. Visit tdstelecom.com or tdsbusiness.com.

Headquartered in Madison, Wis., TDS Telecom operates OneNeck IT Solutions LLC and BendBroadband, which is part of TDS Broadband Service LLC. Combined, the company employs more than 3,300 people.

Telephone and Data Systems, Inc. [NYSE: TDS], a Fortune 1000® company, provides wireless; cable and wireline broadband, TV and voice; and hosted and managed services to approximately six million customers nationwide through its businesses U.S. Cellular, TDS Telecom, OneNeck IT Solutions, and TDS Broadband Service. Founded in 1969 and headquartered in Chicago, Telephone and Data Systems, Inc. employs more than 9,900 people. Visit tdsinc.com.

CenturyLink selected as an authorized internet service provider by national coalition of research and education networks

WASHINGTON, June 6, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- CenturyLink, Inc. (NYSE: CTL) announced today that it has been selected as an authorized commercial internet service provider by The Quilt, a national coalition of non-profit U.S. regional research and education networks representing 40 networks and more than 900 educational institutions across the country.

"I'm pleased to announce that we've again been selected as an approved ISP by a national coalition of research and education networks, which acknowledges our place as a leading provider of secure, best-in-class network solutions to large educational institutions and public consortiums," said David Young, CenturyLink senior vice president, strategic government, whose responsibilities include the research and education market.

In order to be named an approved provider on the two-year Quilt contract, CenturyLink participated in a competitive RFP process that focused on IP transit providers that are at the forefront of technology and offer the best value to Quilt members.

"I'm proud that CenturyLink has been an authorized Quilt provider since 2002," said Craig Cupach, CenturyLink director of research and education sales. "CenturyLink has a history of providing research and education networks with advanced technology solutions that meet Quilt members' increasing bandwidth needs, including providing 100 gigabit service."

"Through its commodity internet services RFP, The Quilt seeks out partners who provide a network capable of supporting the advanced requirements of our members with reliable, scalable and flexible solutions. We are pleased to include CenturyLink among these key providers that participate in our Quilt program," said Jen Leasure, president and CEO of The Quilt.   

By supplying cybersecurity, cloud, managed hosting and IT services over its carrier-class network, CenturyLink provides research and education institutions with the security and reliability they need.

Additional Resources
Learn more about The Quilt's rigorous RFP process: https://www.thequilt.net/quilt-news/quilt-releases-rfp-2018-commodity-internet-services/

About CenturyLink
CenturyLink (NYSE: CTL) is the second largest U.S. communications provider to global enterprise customers. With customers in more than 60 countries and an intense focus on the customer experience, CenturyLink strives to be the world's best networking company by solving customers' increased demand for reliable and secure connections. The company also serves as its customers' trusted partner, helping them manage increased network and IT complexity and providing managed network and cyber security solutions that help protect their business.

About The Quilt
The Quilt provides advanced network services and applications to over 900 universities and thousands of other educational and community anchor institutions. Its goal is to promote consistent, reliable, inter-operable and efficient advanced networking services that extend to the broadest possible community; and to represent common interests in the development and delivery of advanced cyberinfrastructure that enables innovation through our education and research mission. Through The Quilt, non-profit regional research and education networks collaborate to develop, deploy and operate advanced cyberinfrastructure that enables innovation in research and education.

SOURCE CenturyLink, Inc.

For further information: Linda M. Johnson, CenturyLink, 202-429-3130, linda.m.johnson@centurylink.com

CENTURYLINK COMPLETES ITS PREVIOUSLY ANNOUNCED SALE OF FORMER LEVEL 3 METRO NETWORK ASSETS IN ALBUQUERQUE TO UNITE PRIVATE NETWORKS

MONROE, La., June 1, 2018 — CenturyLink, Inc. (NYSE: CTL) announced today that it has completed the sale of certain former Level 3 metro network assets in the Albuquerque, N.M., area to Unite Private Networks (UPN), a leading provider of high-capacity, fiber-based communication networks headquartered in Kansas City, Mo.

As previously announced, CenturyLink entered into an agreement with the Department of Justice to divest, among other assets, former Level 3 metro fiber network assets in the metro areas of Albuquerque, N.M.; Boise, Idaho; and Tucson, Ariz., in connection with CenturyLink’s acquisition of Level 3. The closing of the sale of the Level 3 Albuquerque area network assets to UPN fulfills that part of the commitment.

CenturyLink will continue to serve all former Level 3 customers in Albuquerque unless they choose to be served by UPN. Where needed to provide uninterrupted service to its customers in Albuquerque, CenturyLink will purchase network connectivity and services from UPN.

The sale to UPN does not include or affect the Albuquerque area networks and business assets CenturyLink operated prior to the Level 3 acquisition. CenturyLink retains those assets and will continue providing a full suite of leading edge telecommunications services to residential and business customers in Albuquerque.

The financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

Additional Resources
• Department of Justice approves CenturyLink’s proposed sale of former Level 3 metro network assets in Albuquerque area to Unite Private Networks: http://news.centurylink.com/Department-of-Justice-approves-CenturyLinks-proposed-sale-of-former-Level-3-metro-network-assets-in-Albuquerque-to-Unite-Private-Networks
• U.S. Department of Justice clears CenturyLink’s acquisition of Level 3: http://news.centurylink.com/U-S-Department-of-Justice-clears-CenturyLinks-acquisition-of-Level-3

About CenturyLink

CenturyLink (NYSE: CTL) is the second largest U.S. communications provider to global enterprise customers. With customers in more than 60 countries and an intense focus on
the customer experience, CenturyLink strives to be the world’s best networking company by solving customers’ increased demand for reliable and secure connections. The company also serves as its customers’ trusted partner, helping them manage increased network and IT complexity and providing managed network and cyber security solutions that help protect their business.

Forward Looking Statements

Except for the historical and factual information contained herein, the matters set forth in this release, including statements regarding the expected timing and benefits of the proposed transaction, and other statements identified by words such as “will,” “expects,” “plans,” “intends” and similar expressions, are forward-looking statements within the meaning of the “safe harbor” provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks, uncertainties and assumptions, many of which are beyond our control. Actual events and results may differ materially from those anticipated, estimated or projected if one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or if underlying assumptions prove incorrect. Factors that could affect actual results include but are not limited to: potential changes in market conditions, business plans, regulation, competition or technology. You should be aware that new factors may emerge from time to time and it is not possible for us to identify all such factors nor can we predict the impact of each such factor on the proposed transaction. You should not place undue reliance on these forward looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this document. Unless legally required, CenturyLink and Unite Private Networks undertake no obligation and each expressly disclaim any such obligation, to update publicly any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

Media Contact:
Linda M. Johnson
CenturyLink
202-429-3130
linda.m.johnson@centurylink.com

Brandi Tubb
Unite Private Networks
816-903-9400
brandi.tubb@upnfiber.com

Liberty Puerto Rico received the 2017 Speedtest Award as the fastest Internet network in Puerto Rico

SAN JUAN, PUERTO RICO - May 25, 2018 - Liberty Puerto Rico received the 2017 Speedtest Award as the fastest Internet network in Puerto Rico. Liberty won the title with a Speed ​​Score of 29.98, well above other Internet service providers on the Island. Liberty also achieved maximum speeds to download and upload data of 62.80 Mbps and 9.31 Mbps respectively. The award is based on an Ookla® analysis of 1,343,980 speed tests that consumers did during the last six months of 2017.

"Even with the challenges we face from hurricanes Irma and Maria, our company has always been at the forefront in terms of speed and stability of the Internet," said Naji Khoury, president and chief executive officer of Liberty Puerto Rico. “We have been investing in our infrastructure and updating it to be able to provide a greater range of speeds and more advanced products that will improve the digital experience of our customers. This distinction is proof that these efforts have paid off. ” 

The winners of the Speedtest Awards are determined using a score that incorporates a measure of the speeds to upload and download information from each provider to classify the performance of network speeds. Since most information transfers involve downloading data, 90 percent of the final speed score is attributed to the speed to go down and the remaining 10 percent to the speed to go up.

The Speed ​​Score uses modified trimedia to demonstrate the speeds for downloading and uploading information that are available on a provider's network. Ookla takes velocity of the tenth, fifty (used as the median) and ninety percentile, and combines them on an average using a ratio of 1: 2: 1, respectively. Ookla puts more emphasis on the median since this is the speed that most customers experience daily. 

“When it comes to the Internet offer, Liberty is the provider that offers the most innovative and most valuable products in Puerto Rico,” said Waldo Hooker, Vice President of Customer Experience at Liberty Puerto Rico. "Providing a fast and reliable Internet connection has always been crucial for us and we cannot be more proud to have this recognition of Ookla."

“We are very pleased to present Liberty Puerto Rico with the prize as the fastest Internet Network in Puerto Rico. This recognition is a testament to his exceptional performance in the third and fourth quarters, based on Ookla's rigorous analysis of consumer-initiated tests through Speedtest, ”said Jamie Steven , executive vice president of operations at Ookla . 

Speedtest users by Ookla do speed tests of fixed and mobile Internet service providers, and then the results are analyzed and reported by Ookla. Prizes are awarded only to suppliers with the highest score in the country. To see the results of Puerto Rico, visit http://www.speedtest.net/awards/pr/isp/2017 . 

Speedtest by Ookla is considered the global leader in Internet performance tests and metrics. The technology allows you to provide accurate and unbiased readings of Internet performance, which empowers consumers around the world to verify and fix their Internet speeds. Ookla is a global leader in applications, data and analysis to test speeds in the fixed and mobile Internet networks. Every day over 10 million tests are done across all Speedtest platforms, with almost 20 billion completed to date. This gives Ookla the most complete analysis on the performance and accessibility of the Internet in the world. 

About Liberty Puerto Rico:

Liberty Puerto Rico is a subsidiary of Liberty Latin America Ltd. and has approximately 723,000 service units subscribed as of March 31, 2018 in 76 municipalities in the east, center, north, south and west of Puerto Rico. For more information, visit www.libertypr.com .

About Liberty Latin America:

Liberty Latin America Ltd. (“Liberty Latin America”) is a leading telecommunications company with operations in over 20 countries throughout Latin America and the Caribbean under the VTR, Flow, Liberty, Más Móvil and BTC brands. The communications and entertainment services we offer to our residential and business clients in the region increasingly include combinations of digital video services, broadband Internet, telephony and mobile services. Our business products and services include connectivity for companies, data centers, hosting, and managed solutions, as well as information technology solutions with clients ranging from small and medium enterprises to international companies and government agencies. Further, 

Liberty Latin America has three separate classes of common shares that are traded on the NASDAQ Global Select Market under the symbols "LILA" (Class A) and "LILAK" (Class C), and on the OTC Link under the symbol "LILAB" (Class B). 

For more information, visit www.lla.com . 

IFC, GOLDMAN SACHS INITIATIVE INVESTS $1 BILLION IN WOMEN ENTREPRENEURS IN EMERGING MARKETS

New York, May 18, 2018—The Women Entrepreneurs Opportunity Facility (“WEOF”), a first-of-its-kind partnership between the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Women program and IFC, a member of the World Bank Group, has now invested more than $1 billion in women entrepreneurs in emerging markets, delivering much-needed capital to small businesses and far surpassing the facility’s original goal of $600 million.

Women own or run more than a third of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in emerging markets, key providers of jobs and essential services. Yet a disproportionate number can’t access the capital they need to grow. The financing gap for women entrepreneurs is estimated to be nearly $1.5 trillion.

WEOF provides lines of credit that allow financial institutions in developing countries to reach more women-owned businesses. The facility also helps these institutions better understand the commercial viability of loans to underserved women entrepreneurs—and the role small businesses can play in their own growth strategies.

Designed to address the barriers that prevent financial institutions from deploying capital and women entrepreneurs from accessing it, WEOF was launched in 2014 with a $43 million investment from the Goldman Sachs Foundation and $100 million from IFC. The facility just exceeded $1 billion in investments in 26 financial intermediaries in 26 countries, including some of the world’s poorest and conflict-affected states. It has also funded 10 advisory projects in nine countries with total project value of $4.3 million. WEOF has already reached 50,000 women entrepreneurs through the financial institutions it invested in, with a goal of reaching 100,000 over 10 years.

“This partnership and creation of the WEOF was a natural extension of our 10,000 Women initiative, and directly informed by the feedback of our alumni who indicated a need to increase access to credit,” said Lloyd C. Blankfein, Chairman and CEO of The Goldman Sachs Group. “We want to disrupt the traditions of the local banking system by providing financial incentives for these banks to put more energy into evaluating female owned businesses.”

“Women entrepreneurs are a powerful force for prosperity. Empowering them in developing countries unleashes economic growth and creates jobs in places where both are desperately needed,” said IFC CEO Philippe Le Houérou. “This partnership is helping tens of thousands of women-owned enterprises to thrive – and is making the case that investing in women is good business.”

One of WEOF’s significant achievements was mobilizing other investors to invest in women entrepreneurs with the goal of demonstrating their commercial viability as an asset class. In 2015, the US Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC), the U.S. government’s development finance institution, joined the WEOF partnership with a commitment of up to US$100 million in co-investments. 

WEOF builds on the IFC Banking on Women and Goldman Sachs 10,000 Women initiatives. 10,000 Women was launched in 2008 to foster economic growth by providing women entrepreneurs with business education and access to capital. IFC’s Banking on Women was established in 2010 to provide financing and expertise to emerging market financial institutions to expand financial services and opportunities for women customers and business owners.

About IFC
IFC—a sister organization of the World Bank and member of the World Bank Group—is the largest global development institution focused on the private sector in emerging markets. We work with more than 2,000 businesses worldwide, using our capital, expertise, and influence to create markets and opportunities in the toughest areas of the world. In FY17, we delivered a record $19.3 billion in long-term financing for developing countries, leveraging the power of the private sector to help end poverty and boost shared prosperity. For more information, visit www.ifc.org

About Goldman Sachs 10,000 Women
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Liberty Global to Sell Operations in Germany, Hungary, Romania and the Czech Republic to Vodafone

• Enterprise value of €19.0 billion ($22.7 billion) on a U.S. GAAP basis1 (€18.4 billion on an EU-IFRS basis)

• Represents 28% of Liberty Global’s 2017 consolidated OCF2

• Values all four businesses combined at 11.5x3 2017 adjusted Segment OCF and implies a 12.0x multiple for Germany

• Cash proceeds expected to be €10.6 billion4 ($12.7 billion), plus Liberty to retain all cash generated from the four businesses through closing

• Customers in each market to benefit from stronger converged competitor focused on fixed and mobile investment and innovation

Denver, Colorado – May 9, 2018: Liberty Global plc (“Liberty Global”) (NASDAQ: LBTYA, LBTYB and LBTYK) today announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to sell its operations in Germany, Hungary, Romania and the Czech Republic to Vodafone Group plc (“Vodafone”) for a total enterprise value of approximately €19.0 billion ($22.7 billion) on a U.S. GAAP basis, as compared to €18.4 billion ($22 billion) on an EU-IFRS basis.

These four businesses represented approximately 28% of Liberty Global’s consolidated 2017 operating cash flow (“OCF”), which does not include its 50% share of OCF from the VodafoneZiggo joint venture in the Netherlands.

The sale price represents a total enterprise value for all four businesses combined of 11.5 times 2017 adjusted Segment OCF, or approximately 24.0 times 2017 operating free cash flow (“OFCF”)5 , with an implied adjusted Segment OCF multiple for Liberty Global’s German operation of 12.0 times.

The transaction will be notifiable to the European Commission for regulatory approval, which is expected to occur mid-2019.

After completion of the transaction, Liberty Global will continue to be Europe’s leading cable television and broadband provider, with consolidated operations in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Belgium, Switzerland, Poland and Slovakia. Together, these country operations reach 24 million homes, account for 26 million video, broadband and fixed-line telephony subscribers and 6 million mobile services. In addition, Liberty Global owns 50% of VodafoneZiggo, a joint venture in the Netherlands with 4 million customers subscribing to 10 million fixedline and 5 million mobile services.

Mike Fries, Chief Executive Officer of Liberty Global, commented: “We have a rich history at Liberty Global of successfully developing and reshaping our business to drive innovation, advance customer services and create significant value for shareholders. This is one of those moments. The transaction appropriately values our core cable operations at a double digit OCF multiple and will deliver €10.6 billion ($12.7 billion) of estimated cash proceeds to Liberty Global. Plus, we will retain all cash generated from the four businesses through closing. In Germany alone, which we value at 12 times 2017 adjusted Segment OCF, we will have generated over six times6 our original investment, supported by exceptional operating performance over the last seven years during which we grew revenue 60% and OCF 82%7.

“This is also an important and exciting transaction for our customers and employees. In each of these markets, the combination of Liberty Global and Vodafone’s businesses will transform the competitive landscape and bring a new level of convergence to customers. Now more than ever, Europe needs strong competition from scaled national challengers willing and able to invest in next-generation wireless, video and broadband services.

“Germany, for example, is dominated by one provider that controls over half the broadband market8 . As a result, innovation and investment lag other countries in Europe, impacting customer service, next-generation product deployment and broadband speeds. Even together, Liberty Global and Vodafone, whose cable networks don’t compete or overlap, will be half the size of the incumbent operator. It’s time to alter market dynamics by unleashing greater investment and competition.”

Given the time between signing and closing, the use of proceeds from the sale will be determined in due course and are expected to provide significant additional flexibility to optimize growth and shareholder returns. Of note, Vodafone will be acquiring the German business inclusive of its debt. As currently structured, upon closing, a change of control will be triggered with respect to Unitymedia’s debt, and lenders and bondholders will have an option to put their debt to Vodafone.

Liberty Global has agreed to provide certain transitional services for a period of up to four years. These services principally comprise network and information technology-related functions. The annual charges will depend on the actual level of services required by Vodafone.

Beginning with our Q2 2018 reporting, we expect to treat the assets being sold to Vodafone, as well as our Austrian business that is being sold to Deutsche Telekom, as discontinued operations for accounting purposes.

LionTree and Goldman Sachs are acting as financial advisers to Liberty Global on the transaction.

Forward-Looking Statements and Disclaimer

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including statements regarding our strategic outlook, the anticipated timing of regulatory approvals and closing of the transaction, the expected benefits of the transaction, the expected use of net proceeds, expectations with respect to our continuing operations and other information and statements that are not historical fact. These forward-looking statements involve certain risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by these statements. These risks and uncertainties include the ability to obtain regulatory approvals for the transaction, as well as achieve other customary closing conditions, the ability of Vodafone to successfully integrate the combined businesses impacted by the transaction and achieve the anticipated benefits thereof, as well as other factors detailed from time to time 3 in Liberty Global’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission including our most recently filed Form 10-K and Form 10-Q. These forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this release. Liberty Global expressly disclaims any obligation or undertaking to disseminate any updates or revisions to any forward-looking statement contained herein to reflect any change in Liberty Global’s expectations with regard thereto or any change in events, conditions or circumstances on which any such statement is based.

About Liberty Global

Liberty Global is the world’s largest international TV and broadband company, with operations in 11 European countries under the consumer brands Virgin Media, Unitymedia, Telenet and UPC. We invest in the infrastructure and digital platforms that empower our customers to make the most of the video, internet and communications revolution. Our substantial scale and commitment to innovation enable us to develop market-leading products delivered through next-generation networks that connect 22 million customers subscribing to 46 million TV, broadband internet and telephony services. We also serve over 7 million mobile subscribers and offer WiFi service through 12 million access points across our footprint.

In addition, Liberty Global owns 50% of VodafoneZiggo, a joint venture in the Netherlands with 4 million customers subscribing to 10 million fixed-line and 5 million mobile services, as well as significant investments in ITV, All3Media, ITI Neovision, Casa Systems, LionsGate, the Formula E racing series and several regional sports networks.

For more information, please visit www.libertyglobal.com or contact:

Investor Relations: Matt Coates +44 20 8483 6333 John Rea +1 303 220 4238 Stefan Halters +1 303 784 4528

Corporate Communications: Bill Myers +1 303 437 5880 Matt Beake +44 20 8483 6428

Appendix

Adjusted Segment EBITDA is the primary measure used by Unitymedia’s management to evaluate Unitymedia’s performance. Adjusted Segment EBITDA is also a key factor that is used by Unitymedia’s internal decision makers to evaluate the effectiveness of Unitymedia’s management for purposes of annual and other incentive compensation plans. Unitymedia defines EBITDA as earnings before net finance expense, income taxes and depreciation and amortization. As Unitymedia uses the term, Adjusted Segment EBITDA is defined as EBITDA before share-based compensation, provisions and provision releases related to significant litigation, impairment, restructuring and other operating items and related-party fees and allocations. Other operating items include (i) gains and losses on the disposition of long-lived assets, (ii) third-party costs directly associated with successful and unsuccessful acquisitions and dispositions, including legal, advisory and due diligence fees, as applicable, and (iii) other acquisition-related items, such as gains and losses on the settlement of contingent consideration. Unitymedia’s internal decision makers believe Adjusted Segment EBITDA is a meaningful measure because it represents a transparent view of Unitymedia’s recurring operating performance that is unaffected by Unitymedia’s capital structure and allows management to readily view operating trends and identify strategies to improve operating performance. Unitymedia believes the Adjusted Segment EBITDA measure is useful to investors because it is one of the bases for comparing its performance with the performance of other companies in the 4 same or similar industries, although its measure may not be directly comparable to similar measures used by other companies. Adjusted Segment EBITDA should be viewed as a measure of operating performance that is a supplement to, and not a substitute for EBIT, net earnings (loss), cash flow from operating activities and other EU-IFRS or IASB-IFRS measures of income or cash flows.

A reconciliation of Germany’s net loss to Adjusted Segment EBITDA under EU-IFRS is as follows: