Volia Call Center in Khmelnitsky: two years of successful service development

The catalyst for innovative processes of work with the company's subscribers was the Volia call center in Khmelnitsky.

Two years ago, VOLIA opened its own flagship call center in the regional center in order to ensure high standards of service and to resolve issues as quickly as possible. Best practices in the global service market were introduced here. The company has invested more than $ 1 million into the new call center and also introduced software from an industry leader.

The company was able to ensure stable operation of the first line of communication with subscribers, which is independent of third parties. The Khmelnytsky call-center is developing rapidly, which has allowed to improve the speed of processing of subscriber appeals and to improve their quality. Now all incoming calls are handled independently, and the average waiting time in the queue is reduced to 30 seconds - for telecom - a good result. Two years of work have shown that the calls received by our own call center are processed faster and better than the outsourcing center.

Currently, the Khmelnytsky Call Center handles over 135,000 incoming calls per month. By the end of the year it is planned to reach 150 000. At the same time, the quality of service is increasing: more and more questions are solved in one call.

On the basis of the Khmelnytsky Call-Center VOLIA also organized an innovative project of developing active sales channels of its services - telemarketing. For this purpose, new training programs were introduced, new conversation cards, simulators, tests were developed - all tools that help to become a sales guru. Now there is a service for attracting new subscribers.

New tasks and increased services have become a challenge for the staff of the center, which is constantly updated with young ambitious employees. For them the company opens new opportunities and development zones. Khmelnitsky Center staff has many successful cases, dozens of plans completed, and even several victories.

In particular, Zabolotnaya Nina, the head of the Khmelnytsky Call Center, became the winner of the national award for achievements in the DzWinner contact center industry.

Cargomatic Closes $35 Million Series B Financing Round Led by Warburg Pincus

Investment will fuel expansion efforts both in the U.S. and internationally

Long Beach, Calif – Cargomatic, Inc. (“Cargomatic”), a leading technology platform that connects shippers and carriers, today announced the closing of a $35 million Series B financing round. The financing is led by funds affiliated with Warburg Pincus, a leading global private equity firm focused on growth investing, along with Canaan, Genesee & Wyoming, Xplorer Capital and Muse Family Enterprises. The investment will support Cargomatic’s forthcoming geographic expansion efforts and plans to hire key employees to support its next phase of growth.

Founded in 2013 and based in Long Beach, California, Cargomatic is a highly automated, touchless technology-enabled transportation provider focusing on the fragmented short-haul and drayage trucking markets. Through its mobile application, Cargomatic connects shippers, receivers and carriers and eliminates the volume of calls, emails and faxes traditionally needed to book a transaction. Cargomatic enables customers to track information in real-time, quickly access or list untapped trucking capacity within the market, improve service levels – including pick up time and delivery rates – and effectively manage outsourced vendors within one platform.

“Local trucking is a $70 billion industry in the U.S., and small-fleet trucking companies handle 80 percent of deliveries in metropolitan markets. Cargomatic is revolutionizing the current trucking transportation logistics space by addressing its largest pain points through a unique combination of deep mobile and enterprise technology and the robust logistics support necessary for managing the intricacies of shorthaul trucking,” said Richard Gerstein, CEO of Cargomatic. “We are pleased to have the support of Warburg Pincus, whose extensive experience in logistics and technology-based logistics businesses will be pivotal as we embark on Cargomatic’s next chapter, and work to bring our solutions to more customers around the world.”

“Now more than ever, the use of technology is critical for the logistics industry to increase efficiency, reduce costs and create more coordinated, streamlined operations,” said Alex Berzofsky and Vishnu Menon, Managing Directors, Warburg Pincus. “Cargomatic’s unique and effective technology platform is a key differentiator, as it standardizes driver onboarding and is quickly deployable into new markets.

Parag Gupta, Vice President, Warburg Pincus, added, “We see meaningful opportunity to continue delivering value for customers and expanding the platform to new cities. Rich and the experienced Cargomatic leaders are have a strong focus on culture and team rooted in integrity, and we look forward to partnering with them in this new phase of the business.”

Cargomatic currently operates in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, Florida, Seattle, Dallas, Houston and New York, and has thousands of trading partners using its platform, including shippers, manufacturers, retailers and third-party logistics providers.

About Cargomatic

Headquartered in Long Beach, Calif., Cargomatic is a technology-based transportation company and marketplace focused on first and last mile transportation. For more information, visit www.cargomatic.com

About Warburg Pincus

Warburg Pincus LLC is a leading global private equity firm focused on growth investing. The firm has more than $45 billion in private equity assets under management. The firm’s active portfolio of more than 165 companies is highly diversified by stage, sector and geography. Warburg Pincus is an experienced partner to management teams seeking to build durable companies with sustainable value. The firm has been an active investor in logistics businesses with current and former investments including BlueGrace Logistics, MercuryGate, Coyote Logistics, New Breed Logistics, Ecom Express, Rivigo, and ZTO Express. Founded in 1966, Warburg Pincus has raised 17 private equity funds which have invested more than $68 billion in over 825 companies in more than 40 countries. The firm is headquartered in New York with offices in Amsterdam, Beijing, Hong Kong, Houston, London, Luxembourg, Mumbai, Mauritius, San Francisco, São Paulo, Shanghai and Singapore. For more information, please visit www.warburgpincus.com.

Media Contact

Mary Armstrong

Warburg Pincus

+1 212 878-9207

Telemach continues to invest in the GIGA network

As the leading provider of digital services in Southeastern Europe, United Group continues to be at the forefront of the digital transformation of the region with the construction of the next generation GIGA network.

Today, through our existing infrastructure, we can already provide Internet users with up to 1 Gbps Internet connection speeds while continuing to upgrade our hybrid optical coax network. With the further development of Docsis 3.1 technology, Telemach will be able to provide Internet access at up to 10 Gbps on the same network in the future.

Telemach is ready to offer an additional 1 Gbps packet in certain parts of the network from October 18th. Further investments will ensure that by the end of 2019, Telemach will have the largest new generation network with the largest number of households in Slovenia with access to GIGA speed.

From the outset, United Group investments have been focused on building a network of the future. As a result, it now manages the largest new generation network in the region, ready to support all future needs of its users.

Enterprise Investors to invest in Unilink

Warsaw, 18 July 2018 – Polish Enterprise Fund VIII, a private equity fund managed by Enterprise Investors, has signed an agreement to acquire a 38% stake in Unilink, the number one insurance multiagency in Poland.

• The value of the transaction was undisclosed;

• The deal will consist of a capital increase and a partial buyout;

• The transaction is conditional upon obtaining antimonopoly approval.

Unilink started distribution of insurance products in 2010, entering a market already occupied by sizeable competitors. Today, just eight years later, it is the leading integrator in the multiagent channel in Poland. As domestic market leader and consolidator in the largest distribution channel of the retail insurance market, it benefits from the ongoing consolidation and professionalization of Poland’s insurance distribution. The company is targeting to write insurance contracts worth close to EUR 230 million this year. It works with 10,500 insurance agents, helping them sell insurance products of all the major insurance companies operating nationwide. Unilink also operates via the dealership channel.

“Unilink surpasses all its peers in terms of growth, size, operational performance, organizational development and strategic vision. The company has always been very user-oriented and focused on creating value both for its independent sales agents and for the final customers. It offers its fast-growing network of cooperating agents a strong, sophisticated platform to help them sell the products best suited to the final customers’ needs”, said Enterprise Investors managing partner Dariusz Prończuk, who is responsible for this transaction. The company’s dynamic growth was possible thanks to its very skilled and entrepreneurial management team, which has a proven track record of achieving strong organic growth, identifying, securing and executing acquisitions and introducing innovation”, he added.

Commenting on the transaction, Unilink’s CEO Igor Rusinowski said: “Unilink’s ambition is to become the largest insurance distribution company in Central and Eastern Europe. To achieve this we need a very strong financial partner with appropriate experience who will support our further growth. As the market leader in Poland, we decided to team up with Enterprise Investors, the leading and most experienced private equity firm in the CEE region. We truly believe this partnership will enhance our development thanks to EI’s solid experience in growing businesses in the financial services and distribution sectors and their track record in completing international acquisitions. No less significant is the overall credibility such a partner brings. This move gives our agents clear-cut assurance that we will continue to invest in our service model, IT systems and people. Moreover, it demonstrates to agents and insurance companies that our financial and organizational capabilities are the best in class”.

Enterprise Investors was advised in this transaction by EY Corporate Finance and Gide. The sellers were advised by TDI Corporate Finance and SSW Pragmatic Solutions.

Enterprise Investors is one of the largest private equity firms in Central, Southern and Eastern Europe. Active since 1990, the firm has raised nine funds with total capital exceeding EUR 2.5 billion. These funds have invested EUR 1.8 billion in 142 companies across a range of sectors and exited 127 companies with total gross proceeds of EUR 3.7 billion. Unilink is EI’s 20th investment in the financial services sector in the CEE region.

For further information please contact:

Dariusz Prończuk, Managing Partner
Anna Czywczyńska, Communications & Public Affairs Director
tel.: +48 22 458 8500
www.ei.com.pl

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