What CenturyLink Technology Solutions does

CenturyLink Technology Solutions, now operating as Lumen Technologies (NYSE: LUMN), is a publicly traded U.S. telecommunications and networking provider founded in 1960 as a regional telephone company and rebranded to Lumen in 2020 to reposition around enterprise AI-ready networking and secure cloud services. The company operates one of the world's largest owned fiber footprints, delivering infrastructure (wavelengths up to 400 Gbps, dark fiber, colocation, enterprise broadband), connectivity (Dedicated Internet Access up to 100 Gbps, Ethernet, Internet On-Demand, Multi-Cloud Gateway), security (DDoS mitigation, SD-WAN, SASE), and communications (Cloud Voice, UC&C, Contact Center, Vyvx Broadcast) products to large distributed enterprises, mid-market businesses, federal and public-sector agencies, and wholesale carriers across the U.S., Australia, Hong Kong, India, Japan, and Singapore.

The platform architecture is centered on the Lumen Connectivity Fabric, an AI-ready programmable networking layer that integrates with hyperscale cloud providers (AWS, Google Cloud, Microsoft Azure), colocation operators (Equinix, Digital Realty), and technology vendors (Cisco, VMware) through the Connected Ecosystem and Lumen Validated Designs program. Black Lotus Labs operates as a differentiated threat-intelligence unit leveraging network-wide telemetry. The portfolio combines subscription-based long-term enterprise contracts with usage-based Network-as-a-Service billing, distributed through direct enterprise field sales, a channel partner program, strategic technology alliances, self-service portals, and wholesale.

Lumen serves customers across retail, financial services, media and entertainment, healthcare, pharmaceuticals, energy, manufacturing, gaming, technology, data center operators, and federal/state/local government, with documented enterprise outcomes including 40% telecom cost reduction (Hanmi Bank), 97% DDoS attack reduction (Micro Center), 10x capacity increase (Intelsat), and 50% cost reduction for a federal mission partner. Distribution is anchored by a 10,000+ employee organization headquartered in Monroe, LA, with major operations in Denver and the announced May 2026 acquisition of Alkira to extend the cloud connectivity control plane.

Name

CenturyLink Technology Solutions

Legal name

Lumen Technologies

Website

https://centurylinktechnology.com

Company type

Public

Founded year

1960

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

5,001–10,000 employees

Short description

Lumen Technologies (formerly CenturyLink) provides AI-ready networking, fiber infrastructure, cloud connectivity, cybersecurity, and unified communications to large enterprises, mid-market businesses, federal and public-sector agencies, and wholesale carriers across the U.S. and APAC.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Enterprise Network Services

NAICS

Telecommunications (517), Wired Telecommunications Carriers (517111)

SIC

Communications Services, Nec (4899)

akta.pro primary industry

Backbone & Long-Haul Transport (IP/MPLS, Optical/Wavelength) (HDABALAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Cloud Connectivity & Interconnect (Cloud On-Ramps, IX, Cross-Connects) (HDAIAFAF), Multi-Site Enterprise Connectivity Bundles (Hybrid WAN/MPLS+Internet) (HDAIAFAL), Cloud On-Ramps & Direct Connect Services (HDABALAA), Carrier Ethernet & Wavelength Wholesale (E-Line/E-LAN, OTN, lambda) (HDAIAEAB), Business/Enterprise Fixed Connectivity Providers (SME/Enterprise Broadband) (HDAIABAI)

Keywords

• Enterprise networking services
• Cloud connectivity solutions
• Managed security services
• Fiber optic infrastructure
• Unified communications services

Headquarters

HQ city

Town And Country

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Infrastructure, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Infrastructure Services: Revenue from fiber infrastructure including wavelengths, dark fiber, colocation, and enterprise broadband services. Typically long-term contracts with enterprise customers.
2. Connectivity Services: Dedicated internet access, Ethernet, internet on-demand, and multi-cloud connectivity services providing enterprise-grade networking capabilities with connectivity up to 100 Gbps.
3. Security Services: DDoS protection, SD-WAN, and SASE security services provided as managed or co-managed solutions.
4. Communication Services: Cloud-based voice, unified communications, contact center, and broadcast solutions including Lumen Cloud Voice, UC&C, Voice Complete, and Vyvx Broadcast.
5. Network-as-a-Service: Pay-as-you-go networking services that scale to business needs with affordable pricing model.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

CenturyLink Technology Solutions, now operating as Lumen Technologies, provides AI-ready networking and secure cloud solutions for enterprises, government agencies, and wholesale customers over a global fiber network. Core offerings include infrastructure services (wavelengths up to 400 Gbps, colocation, dark fiber, enterprise broadband), connectivity services (dedicated internet access up to 100 Gbps, Ethernet, multi-cloud gateway), security services (DDoS protection, SD-WAN, SASE), and communication services (cloud voice, unified communications, contact center, broadcast).

Product overview

Lumen Technologies (formerly CenturyLink) offers a comprehensive portfolio of AI-ready networking and secure cloud solutions organized into four main categories: Infrastructure (Wavelengths, Colocation, Dark Fiber, Enterprise Broadband), Connectivity (Dedicated Internet Access, Internet On-Demand, Ethernet, Multi-Cloud Gateway), Security (DDoS Protection, SD-WAN, SASE), and Communication (Cloud Voice, UC&C, Specialty Lines, Voice Complete, Contact Center, Vyvx Broadcast). The platform is built around a Connected Ecosystem that integrates hyperscale cloud providers (AWS, Google Cloud, Microsoft), data center partners (Equinix, Digital Realty), and technology partners (Cisco, VMware) into a unified experience. Core connectivity products like Multi-Cloud Gateway provide AI-ready networking between clouds and premises, while security offerings combine SASE, SD-WAN, and DDoS protection. The Lumen Validated Designs program provides tested integration architectures with technology partners.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Black Lotus Labs®: Cybersecurity intelligence unit that identifies and disrupts network threats

Products and services

• Wavelengths High-speed wavelength service handling up to 400 Gbps on networks with minimal elements for maximum speed, scalability and performance for enterprise and wholesale customers.
• Colocation Reliable infrastructure service to support business applications and expand market presence through data center colocation.
• Dark Fiber High-capacity, scalable and secure fiber optic network dedicated to the customer's business and managed by the company.
• Enterprise Broadband Reliable, high-speed enterprise broadband solutions with extensive reach built to scale with business growth.
• Dedicated Internet Access (DIA) Secure, reliable and dedicated enterprise-grade internet access for midsize to large businesses with connectivity up to 100 Gbps.
• Internet On-Demand Rapidly deployable dedicated internet connectivity over multi-service ports for fast, reliable Network-as-a-Service with pay-as-you-go pricing.
• Ethernet Secure, high-speed Ethernet connections between locations, data centers and cloud providers for instant access to business resources.
• Multi-Cloud Gateway AI-ready networking gateway between clouds, data centers and premises delivered through one automated platform.
• DDoS Protection Automated self-service protection against complex, costly and persistent distributed denial-of-service cyber threats.
• SD-WAN Software-defined WAN enhancement solution offered as fully-managed or co-managed options with hybrid connectivity to minimize risk.
• SASE (Secure Access Service Edge) Unified network and security solution providing a centralized, cloud-based experience to simplify access and management for distributed enterprises.
• Lumen Cloud Voice Cloud-based voice and collaboration tools delivered on a secure, high-performance platform for maximizing customer experience.
• UC&C (Unified Communications & Collaboration) Unified voice, video and chat collaboration solutions enabling savings and productivity for enterprises.
• Specialty Lines Fully managed life and safety systems delivered on a cloud-based POTS replacement platform for enterprise customers.
• Voice Complete Cloud-ready SIP services and APIs maximizing voice performance and reliability while simplifying management without replacing TDM technology.
• Contact Center Omnichannel customer experience solution designed to be quick to deploy and easy to use for enterprise contact center operations.
• Vyvx Broadcast Solutions End-to-end managed broadcast services from acquisition to delivery for live events and on-demand video.

Quantifiable outcome

• Intelsat achieved 10x increased network capacity
• +11 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments16 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

Yes

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration7 records

Feature10 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Amazon Web ServicescoreTechnology or IntegrationStrategic technology partnership providing cloud connectivity and integration services. AWS is part of the Lumen Connected Ecosystem enabling enterprises to connect across high-bandwidth clouds with simplified architecture designed for AI workloads.
• Google CloudcoreTechnology or IntegrationStrategic cloud partnership enabling multi-cloud gateway connectivity to Google Cloud. Part of Lumen Connected Ecosystem for enterprise cloud adoption.
• MicrosoftcoreTechnology or IntegrationStrategic partnership for Azure cloud connectivity and integration services. Included in the Lumen Connected Ecosystem for enterprise customers.
• CiscocoreTechnology or IntegrationTechnology partnership for networking equipment, SD-WAN solutions, and enterprise networking integrations. Lumen SD-WAN offered as fully-managed or co-managed solution.
• VMwarecoreTechnology or IntegrationTechnology partnership for virtualization and cloud infrastructure solutions. Part of strategic technology partners ecosystem.
• Digital RealtycoreTechnology or IntegrationData center infrastructure partnership enabling colocation and interconnection services. Part of Connected Ecosystem for enterprise data center connectivity.
• EquinixcoreTechnology or IntegrationData center infrastructure partnership for colocation and interconnection services. Included in Lumen Connected Ecosystem for global data center access.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Verizon Business: Verizon Business is a direct peer providing enterprise networking, DIA, wavelengths, SD-WAN, security, and voice to large enterprises and public sector, with comparable fiber footprint and product breadth.
• Tata Communications: Tata Communications is a direct peer providing global enterprise networking, wavelengths, DIA, SD-WAN, and cloud connectivity, often competing against Lumen for multinational enterprise contracts.
• Colt Technology Services: Colt provides enterprise fiber, wavelengths, SD-WAN, and cloud connectivity across Europe, Asia, and North America, with a comparable focus on enterprise bandwidth and on-demand NaaS offerings.
• AT&T: AT&T is a direct peer offering enterprise fiber, DIA, SD-WAN, SASE, voice, and managed services to large enterprise and government customers. It competes head-to-head with Lumen across nearly every product line.
• Zayo Group: Zayo is a direct peer operating a fiber network providing wavelengths, dark fiber, Ethernet, and DIA to enterprise and wholesale customers, with comparable go-to-market in the carrier and hyperscaler ecosystem.
• Comcast Business: Comcast Business competes directly with Lumen in enterprise broadband, DIA, Ethernet, and managed connectivity for mid-market and enterprise customers across the U.S.

Emerging players

• Aryaka Networks: Aryaka is an emerging SD-WAN and SASE player with managed networking services, competing with Lumen's SD-WAN/SASE offerings for mid-market and global enterprise customers.
• Megaport: Megaport is an emerging NaaS pure-play providing software-defined interconnects to hyperscalers and data centers. It competes with Lumen's Multi-Cloud Gateway and Internet On-Demand on agility and pricing for cloud-first enterprises.

Broad incumbents

• Lumen Technologies (public listing reference): Listed here only to flag that the dataset's parent (LUMN on NYSE) is the publicly traded incumbent anchor itself; useful reference for benchmarking Lumen's scale and product breadth against peers.
• NTT Communications (NTT Data): NTT operates a global enterprise networking and cloud services portfolio comparable to Lumen, including wavelength, Ethernet, and managed services, with stronger international reach and broader IT services scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat7 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/CenturyLinkTech
• YouTubeyoutube.com/lumentechnologies
• Facebookfacebook.com/CenturyLinkTech
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/centurylinktech

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A4 records

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about CenturyLink Technology Solutions