CenturyLink

Corporate brand

An American telecommunications and network-services brand that became part of Lumen Technologies after the 2020 corporate rebrand.

Last updated October 25, 2026

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Overview

CenturyLink was an American telecommunications brand built through the consolidation of rural telephone companies, regional exchange carriers, and long-distance and enterprise-network businesses. Its roots reach back to Oak Ridge Telephone Company, established in Louisiana in 1930, and to the 1968 formation of Central Telephone and Electronics Corporation under Clarke M. Williams. The business expanded through acquisitions and name changes, becoming Century Telephone Enterprises, then CenturyTel, and finally CenturyLink in 2009 after the acquisition of Embarq. For consumer customers, CenturyLink became associated primarily with fixed-line communications: local and long-distance telephone service, broadband internet, fiber connectivity, and, in selected markets, television and related services. Its wireline footprint was concentrated in the United States, particularly in smaller cities, rural areas, and regions where it inherited incumbent telephone infrastructure. The brand’s service mix changed over time as traditional voice declined and broadband and fiber became more important. CenturyLink also developed a large business-services operation. Through its own network and the acquisition of Level 3 Communications, it offered enterprise connectivity, internet transit, wavelength and Ethernet services, colocation, managed networking, cybersecurity, unified communications, cloud connectivity, and other information-technology services. The 2017 Level 3 transaction materially increased the company’s international network reach and shifted its strategic emphasis toward business communications and global network services. In September 2020, CenturyLink, Inc. announced that it would change its corporate name to Lumen Technologies, Inc. The change was intended to distinguish the company’s strategic identity from the legacy CenturyLink consumer and local-telephone brand and to emphasize services delivered across its fiber, edge, cloud, and enterprise platforms. The rebrand did not immediately eliminate CenturyLink from the marketplace: Lumen continued to use CenturyLink for certain residential and small-business offerings, especially legacy broadband and telephone services, while marketing many enterprise products under Lumen or other product brands. CenturyLink is therefore best understood as a legacy telecommunications brand within Lumen rather than as a standalone listed company. Its history reflects the transition of the North American incumbent telephone sector from regulated local voice networks toward broadband, fiber, cloud connectivity, and managed digital infrastructure. The brand remains associated with consumer connectivity in portions of the United States, although Lumen’s corporate strategy and many newer enterprise offerings are presented under the Lumen name.

History

CenturyLink’s history is rooted in the development of independent telephone companies in the American South. Oak Ridge Telephone Company began operations in Louisiana in 1930. In 1968, Clarke M. Williams formed Central Telephone and Electronics Corporation, which acquired and operated telephone exchanges outside the major Bell System companies. The enterprise later became Century Telephone Enterprises and expanded through acquisitions of additional rural and regional telephone operations. The company adopted the CenturyTel name in 1998. During the 1990s and 2000s it broadened beyond local telephone service into wireless-related operations, broadband, long-distance communications, and other telecommunications activities. Its transformation accelerated when CenturyTel acquired Embarq in 2009. Embarq had been separated from Sprint and brought a significantly larger local telecommunications and broadband footprint. Following that transaction, the combined company adopted the CenturyLink name. CenturyLink continued to acquire regional assets and build a portfolio spanning consumer connectivity and business communications. Its consumer business centered on telephone and broadband networks, while its enterprise division provided managed networking, internet, data transport, cloud connectivity, hosting, and related services. The company’s network expansion reflected the wider industry movement away from voice-centric copper infrastructure and toward broadband, fiber, Ethernet, and IP-based services. In 2017, CenturyLink completed its acquisition of Level 3 Communications. Level 3 contributed extensive long-haul fiber, subsea and international connectivity, enterprise customers, internet backbone capabilities, and wholesale communications services. The combination made the company more internationally oriented and increased the relative importance of enterprise networking compared with its legacy local-exchange operations. The combined business retained CenturyLink as its corporate and consumer-facing identity for several years. The company announced in 2020 that it would change its corporate name to Lumen Technologies. Management presented Lumen as a new identity for a business focused on connecting people, data, applications, and cloud resources through fiber and digital infrastructure. CenturyLink continued as a service brand in portions of the residential and small-business market, particularly where customers used inherited local-network products. Enterprise and strategic communications activities increasingly used the Lumen name. The CenturyLink brand consequently represents both a historical telecommunications company and an ongoing legacy service identity. It is no longer the name of the publicly traded corporate parent, but it has not disappeared entirely from the U.S. communications market. Its development illustrates the consolidation of independent telephone companies, the rise of broadband, the integration of local and global network assets, and the continuing separation between legacy consumer brands and enterprise digital-infrastructure businesses.

2020
Corporate identity changes to Lumen Technologies
[3]CenturyLink to become Lumen Technologiesir.lumen.com
The publicly traded parent changed its name from CenturyLink, Inc. to Lumen Technologies, Inc.; CenturyLink remained for selected legacy services.
2017
Level 3 acquisition completed
[2]CenturyLink completes acquisition of Level 3 Communicationsir.lumen.com
CenturyLink completed its acquisition of Level 3 Communications, adding global enterprise network and backbone assets.
2009
Embarq acquisition and CenturyLink name
[5]Embarq acquisition and CenturyLink nameir.lumen.com
After acquiring Embarq, CenturyTel adopted the CenturyLink name and substantially increased its local telecommunications and broadband footprint.
1998
CenturyTel name adopted
[1]Lumen Technologies history and company overviewen.wikipedia.org
The company changed its corporate identity to CenturyTel as it expanded its regional telecommunications operations.
1968
Central Telephone and Electronics Corporation is formed
[1]Lumen Technologies history and company overviewen.wikipedia.org
Clarke M. Williams formed the corporate predecessor that developed through acquisitions of independent telephone companies.
1930
Oak Ridge Telephone Company begins operations
[1]Lumen Technologies history and company overviewen.wikipedia.org
The company’s historical lineage begins with Oak Ridge Telephone Company in Louisiana.

Products and positioning

A legacy U.S. incumbent telecommunications and broadband brand with an enterprise-network heritage, positioned within Lumen Technologies' broader fiber, communications, and digital-infrastructure portfolio.

Consumer broadband
CenturyLink Broadband
CenturyLink broadband connected residential and small-business customers through the company’s fixed-line access network. Depending on location, services used DSL, fiber, or other access technologies. The offering represented the brand’s principal consumer connection to the internet as traditional telephone usage declined.
Fiber broadband
CenturyLink Fiber Internet
Fiber internet was the higher-capacity part of CenturyLink’s consumer connectivity portfolio. It used fiber-to-the-premises infrastructure in selected markets and was positioned around faster internet access than legacy copper-based broadband. Availability and branding varied by geography as Lumen reorganized its consumer operations.
Business telecommunications
CenturyLink Business
CenturyLink Business served small and medium-sized organizations with connectivity, voice, internet access, networking, and related communications services. Following the Lumen rebrand, many newer enterprise products were marketed under Lumen, but CenturyLink remained associated with portions of the legacy business portfolio.
Cloud and managed services
CenturyLink Cloud
CenturyLink Cloud referred to cloud-computing and managed infrastructure services offered to business customers. The broader portfolio included hosting, cloud connectivity, managed networking, and data-center-related capabilities. After the Level 3 transaction and the Lumen rebrand, these services were increasingly organized and marketed under Lumen’s enterprise portfolio.

Controversies

2020
CenturyLink agrees to amended antitrust judgment
The U.S. Department of Justice announced that CenturyLink agreed to settle allegations that it violated a court-ordered judgment related to its acquisition of Level 3. Under the agreement, the non-solicitation period is extended, an independent monitoring trustee is appointed, and investigation costs are paid. CenturyLink did not deny the allegations. The settlement resolves the government's claims concerning compliance with the existing judgment tied to the Level 3 acquisition.
Source
2019
CenturyLink discloses customer information leak
CenturyLink disclosed that a third-party vendor had publicized customers' names, addresses, phone numbers and email addresses. The company stated that it did not believe financial information had been released. CenturyLink also said it was launching an investigation to address security concerns related to the incident.
Source
2019
CenturyLink settles Oregon consumer lawsuit
CenturyLink agreed to a $4 million settlement in Oregon over allegations involving deceptive advertising, billing practices, undisclosed fees and failure to apply promised discounts. The settlement also provides for refunds to affected consumers and requires changes to certain fees and disclosures.
Source

2020Lumen rebrand
United States · Global enterprise markets
CenturyLink’s corporate parent introduced Lumen Technologies as its new identity, presenting the company as a provider of fiber, cloud connectivity, edge, and digital-infrastructure services rather than primarily as a traditional telephone operator.
Outcome. The Lumen name became the principal corporate and enterprise identity, while CenturyLink continued for selected consumer and legacy services.
Source

Brand decisions

2020
Corporate rebrand to Lumen TechnologiesStrategy
Background
Management determined that the CenturyLink identity no longer fully represented the company’s fiber, enterprise-network, cloud, and digital-infrastructure strategy.
Action taken
The corporate parent changed its legal name to Lumen Technologies while retaining CenturyLink for certain legacy consumer and small-business services.
Aftermath
Lumen became the main corporate and enterprise brand, and CenturyLink continued as a narrower legacy service brand in selected U.S. markets.
Source
2017
Acquisition of Level 3 CommunicationsM&A
Background
CenturyLink pursued Level 3 to expand its fiber, long-haul, international, wholesale, and enterprise communications capabilities.
Action taken
CenturyLink completed the acquisition and integrated Level 3 into its communications and business-services operations.
Aftermath
The combined company had a more global enterprise-network profile and a broader platform for managed communications and cloud connectivity.
Source
2009
Acquisition of EmbarqM&A
Background
CenturyTel sought greater scale and a larger telecommunications footprint through the purchase of Embarq, a company with substantial local-exchange and broadband operations.
Action taken
CenturyTel completed the Embarq acquisition and subsequently adopted the CenturyLink name.
Aftermath
The transaction transformed the company’s scale and established CenturyLink as its principal corporate identity.
Source

Recent events

2020.09.14
Reported2020.09.14
CenturyLink rebrands as Lumen Technologies[9]CenturyLink更名为Lumen Technologieslightreading.com
CenturyLink announced that it had rebranded as Lumen Technologies. The company said its financial strategy and reporting would not change as a result of the announcement.
2020.08.30
Reported2020.08.30
CenturyLink internet service outage[10]CenturyLink互联网服务中断newschannel5.com
CenturyLink subscribers across the U.S. reported internet problems on August 30, 2020. CenturyLink said at 11 a.m. that all affected services had been restored; the cause was unclear.
2020.08.25
Reported2020.08.25
CenturyLink and Bark Technologies announce online-safety partnership[11]CenturyLink与Bark Technologies宣布网络安全合作prnewswire.com
CenturyLink and Bark Technologies announced a partnership to promote Bark's online-safety solutions. Visitors to the CenturyLink website were offered a 30-day free trial followed by a lifetime 20% discount on Bark safety packages.
2020.08.18
Reported2020.08.18
CenturyLink agrees to amended antitrust judgment[8]CenturyLink agrees to amended antitrust judgmentlightreading.com
The U.S. Department of Justice announced that CenturyLink agreed to settle allegations that it violated a court-ordered judgment related to its acquisition of Level 3. The agreement includes extending the non-solicitation period, appointing an independent monitoring trustee, and paying investigation costs; CenturyLink did not deny the allegations.
2020.06.10
Reported2020.06.10
Level 3 Financing agrees to sell $1.2 billion of senior notes[12]Level 3 Financing同意出售12亿美元优先票据prnewswire.com
CenturyLink announced that its indirect wholly owned subsidiary, Level 3 Financing, had agreed to sell $1.2 billion in unsecured senior notes; the offering was expected to be completed on June 15, 2020, subject to customary closing conditions.
2020.02.25
Reported2020.02.25
CenturyLink launches Rapid Threat Defense[13]CenturyLink推出快速威胁防御服务prnasia.com
CenturyLink launched Rapid Threat Defense, a service designed to identify and block malicious network traffic and automate threat detection and response.
2020.02.24
Reported2020.02.24
CenturyLink joins Microsoft Azure networking MSP program[14]CenturyLink加入Microsoft Azure网络MSP计划finanznachrichten.de
CenturyLink joined the Networking Managed Service Provider program for Microsoft Azure, enabling it to offer network and consulting services around Azure services.
2020.01.22
Reported2020.01.22
CenturyLink wins $75 million DODEA task order[15]CenturyLink赢得价值7,500万美元的DODEA任务订单fedscoop.com
The Department of Defense Education Activity issued CenturyLink a $75 million task order under the Enterprise Infrastructure Solutions program. CenturyLink will provide virtual private networking, internet, voice and video services to the school system.
2019.12.31
CenturyLink settles Oregon consumer lawsuit[7]CenturyLink settles Oregon consumer lawsuit1190kex.iheart.com
CenturyLink agreed to a $4 million settlement in Oregon over allegations involving deceptive advertising, billing practices, undisclosed fees and failure to apply promised discounts. The settlement also provides for refunds to affected consumers and requires changes to certain fees and disclosures.
2019.12.17
Reported2019.12.17
CenturyLink, VMware and AWS partner on hybrid-cloud solutions[16]CenturyLink、VMware与AWS合作提供混合云解决方案siliconangle.com
CenturyLink, VMware and AWS work together with customers to manage applications and deliver hybrid-cloud solutions.

Sources22 sources

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