CenturyLink Wholesale Operations Earns Four 'Best-In-Class' Awards

Customers Again Give Company Top Ratings in Multiple Categories


MONROE, La., Oct. 13  /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- CenturyLink Wholesale Operations, a division of CenturyLink (CenturyTel, Inc.; NYSE: CTL) has earned four "Best-in-Class" awards, based on the 2009 Metro Wholesale Carrier Report Card study by ATLANTIC-ACM, a leading telecommunications research consultancy and benchmarking firm.

Presenting the awards yesterday at the CompTel PLUS Convention & Expo in Orlando, ATLANTIC-ACM recognized CenturyLink Wholesale Operations for excellence based on customer feedback in four key areas: customer service, sales representatives, provisioning and billing.

It was the third consecutive year the company had won for provisioning and the second consecutive year in the categories of customer service and sales representatives.

CenturyLink, created as a result of the July 1, 2009 merger between CenturyTel, Inc. and Embarq Corporation, is the fourth largest wireline communications company in the United States.

"Both CenturyTel and EMBARQ legacy companies have done very well in the Metro Wholesale Report Card study in past years. It is indicative of the strength of their efforts to maintain focus on customer service that, in the midst of a merger, they maintain high ratings from their customers," said Fedor Smith, president - ATLANTIC ACM.

Bill Cheek, president of CenturyLink Wholesale Operations, accepted the awards, which resulted from ATLANTIC-ACM's Metro Carrier Report Card. The Report Card evaluates carriers in key performance areas based on approximately 1,400 customer ratings.

"It is especially gratifying to win awards when they are based on ratings from customers," Cheek said. "Criteria for these awards included responsiveness, expertise, integrity and accuracy. These traits epitomize our team, as we are dedicated to serving the needs of our customers. We look forward to continuing this strong performance."

About ATLANTIC-ACM

Boston-based ATLANTIC-ACM is a leading provider of strategic research and consulting services, serving the telecommunications and information industries. In addition to producing the industry's principal benchmarking, sizing and opportunity studies, the company assists clients in evaluating telecommunications opportunities for successful investment, market entry, and long-term planning. For more information, visit ATLANTIC-ACM's website at http://www.atlantic-acm.com/.

About CenturyLink

CenturyLink is a leading provider of high-quality voice, broadband and video services over its advanced communications networks to consumers and businesses in 33 states. CenturyLink, headquartered in Monroe, La., is an S&P 500 company and expects to be listed in the Fortune 500 list of America's largest corporations. For more information on CenturyLink, visit http://www.centurylink.com/. 

DATASOURCE: CenturyLink



CONTACT:  Debra Peterson, [phone], ,

for CenturyLink



Web Site:  http://www.centurylink.com/

http://www.centurytel.com/

http://www.atlantic-acm.com/ 

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