Lumen Technologies Inc Stock Price, News & Analysis

Lumen Technologies (NYSE: LUMN) has appointed Mark Hacker as Executive Vice President and Chief Legal Officer, effective immediately. Hacker joins from Motorola Solutions, where he served as General Counsel and Chief Administrative Officer, bringing over 20 years of experience in legal, regulatory, and government affairs roles.

During his time at Motorola Solutions, Hacker was instrumental in the company's transformation into an AI, software, and services leader, leading intellectual property litigation and building government affairs presence. At Lumen, he will lead the Legal and Public Policy organizations, overseeing legal strategy, corporate governance, regulatory compliance, government affairs, and ethics.

The appointment aligns with Lumen's strategy to establish itself as the trusted network for AI and build a leadership team capable of driving transformation.

[ "Appointment of an experienced executive with over 20 years in legal and strategic leadership roles", "Hacker's proven track record in driving transformation and shareholder value at Motorola Solutions", "Strong background in AI and technology sector legal frameworks, aligning with Lumen's AI network strategy" ]

Lumen Technologies and IBM have announced a strategic collaboration to develop enterprise-grade AI solutions at the edge, integrating IBM's watsonx AI portfolio with Lumen's Edge Cloud infrastructure. The partnership aims to enable real-time AI inferencing closer to data generation points, offering <5ms latency and direct cloud connectivity.

IBM Consulting will serve as the preferred systems integrator, helping clients scale deployments and reduce costs. The collaboration targets multiple industries including financial services, healthcare, manufacturing, and retail, focusing on enabling faster insights and lower operational costs. A practical example includes helping a major retailer enhance customer service through AI-driven digital assistants and visual inspection tools.

Lumen Technologies (LUMN) reported Q1 2025 results with notable challenges. The company posted a net loss of $201 million compared to net income of $57 million in Q1 2024. Total revenue declined to $3.182 billion, down from $3.290 billion year-over-year. Adjusted EBITDA excluding special items was $929 million, decreasing from $977 million in Q1 2024. Free Cash Flow excluding special items reached $354 million, down from $518 million. Despite challenges, the company highlighted progress in key priorities including operational excellence and AI backbone development. Notable achievements include a partnership with Google for direct fiber access to Google Cloud and growth in North American Business Grow revenue. The company maintained its 2025 outlook, projecting Adjusted EBITDA of $3.2-3.4 billion and Free Cash Flow of $700-900 million.

Lumen Technologies (NYSE: LUMN) has partnered with Churchill Downs Racetrack to implement Network-as-a-Service (NaaS) capabilities for the 151st Kentucky Derby. This technological upgrade will support the massive digital demands during Derby Week, where network usage surges from 2-3 Gbps to nearly 200 Gbps daily.

The implementation will serve over 385,000 annual visitors, providing high-capacity, secure connections for media coverage, vendor support, and guest Wi-Fi. The NaaS platform replaces traditional hardwired circuits with a dynamic, on-demand solution that can be scaled instantly to match event demands.

The network infrastructure supports critical operations across 83 race days annually, including veterinary services, security systems, and mutuel platforms. Additionally, Lumen's network extends to the backside community, providing essential connectivity for equestrians and their families, including schooling and communication services.

Lumen Technologies (NYSE: LUMN) has launched Lumen Defender Plus, a network security solution powered by Black Lotus Labs that automatically blocks cyber threats at the network edge. The solution leverages the same threat intelligence used to protect Lumen's global infrastructure, tracking over 2.3 million threats daily.

During a pilot program, IT consulting firm Apex DataCom reported significant results, including a 70-80% reduction in security alerts and successful blocking of nation-state brute force attacks. The system blocked hundreds of thousands of threats over a seven-day period on their 10-gigabit circuits.

Integrated with Lumen Internet On-Demand service, the solution features a customizable web portal offering real-time monitoring, custom blocking capabilities, detailed reporting, and instant alerts. Lumen plans to expand the service to Dedicated Internet Access environments in the future.

Lumen Technologies (NYSE: LUMN) has scheduled the release of its first-quarter 2025 financial results for May 1, 2025, after market close. The company will host an earnings conference call at 5 p.m. ET, which will be accessible via live broadcast on their Investor Relations webpage. The earnings release, investor presentation, and related materials will be made available on the same platform.

Lumen Technologies (NYSE: LUMN) has announced a strategic partnership with Google Cloud to develop next-generation network infrastructure optimized for AI workloads. The collaboration encompasses three major initiatives:

1. Integration of Google's Cloud WAN with Lumen's connectivity services to modernize Network-as-a-Service offerings
2. Implementation of direct 400 Gbps fiber connections from Google Cloud regions to customer locations, extending to over 50,000 Lumen locations
3. Connection of Lumen's encrypted network to Google Distributed Cloud air-gapped deployments for enhanced security

The partnership aims to provide enterprises with faster data movement, improved security, and greater flexibility to support advanced AI workloads and distributed cloud environments.

Lumen Technologies (NYSE: LUMN) has successfully completed a refinancing transaction at Level 3 Financing, Inc., replacing existing term loans with a new $2.4 billion term loan maturing in 2032. The new loan is priced at Term SOFR + 4.25%.

Key benefits of the refinancing include:

• A 30-month maturity extension on a blended basis
• Interest rate reduction of 231 basis points
• Annual interest savings exceeding $55 million

The transaction also includes modifications to credit agreement covenants, providing additional flexibility to Level 3. The refinancing aims to strengthen Lumen's financial position and free up capital for long-term growth, particularly in positioning the company as the trusted network for AI.

Lumen Technologies (NYSE: LUMN) and Ciena have achieved a groundbreaking milestone by successfully conducting a 1.2 terabit wavelength service trial across 3,050 kilometers (1,800+ miles) on Lumen's Ultra-Low-Loss fiber network. This represents the world's longest 1.2 terabit non-regenerated signal.

The live network trial between Denver and Dallas utilized Ciena's WaveLogic 6 Extreme technology and demonstrated successful testing of wavelength, Ethernet, and IP services. The trial also showcased interoperability between Ciena's Waveserver platform and Juniper PTX10002-36QDD Packet Transport Router at 800 Gbps.

Microsoft highlighted the significance of this achievement for supporting growing AI workloads and cloud applications. Lumen's 400G-enabled network currently spans over 78,000 route miles, with continued investment in next-generation fiber infrastructure. The company maintains its position as the #1 provider in Waves according to VSG's Year-End 2024 Leaderboard.