New enterprise internet model combines on-demand bandwidth, digital control, and predictable costs

Lumen Technologies today launched Lumen® Intelligent Internet, the next evolution of its enterprise internet offering, giving customers a new digital internet experience that lets them buy connectivity in minutes and scale bandwidth up or down as AI, cloud, and business needs change.

AI and rapidly increasing data movement are putting new pressure on enterprise networks. IDC research found that 37% of enterprises saw bandwidth needs grow by more than 50% year over year, while 29% struggled to align their networks with AI workloads.*

Yet enterprise internet is still largely purchased as fixed capacity, forcing businesses to forecast bandwidth months in advance and provision for peaks that may never come. Lumen Intelligent Internet changes that by letting customers adjust capacity as their needs evolve.

"Businesses can easily scale compute and storage up or down as their needs change. Enterprise internet should work the same way," said Jim Fowler, Lumen chief technology and product officer. "AI is making demand harder to predict, not easier. Lumen Intelligent Internet gives businesses the ability to respond in real time instead of paying today for capacity they might need tomorrow. We’re redesigning internet service for enterprises with a new model that gives customers greater control over connectivity, capacity, and cost as their businesses change."

A more flexible model for enterprise internet

Lumen Intelligent Internet advances enterprise internet capabilities businesses expect from dedicated internet with a digital, programmable experience first delivered through Internet On-Demand.

Manage service digitally: Provision and adjust connectivity through Lumen Connect or APIs.
Match capacity to demand: Scale bandwidth as business needs change.
Predictable costs with built-in flexibility: Choose term-based pricing for a predictable monthly rate with the freedom to adjust capacity when needed.
Maintain secure enterprise-grade control: Keep control of network and IP services while DDoS Essentials helps protect against large-scale attacks and Lumen Defender blocks known threats.

Lumen Intelligent Internet also brings together several new enhancements designed to make enterprise connectivity easier to buy, activate, and manage, including pre-ordering with a new fabric port and term-based pricing that combines predictable costs with on-demand flexibility.

Early deployments have demonstrated the value of on-demand connectivity. iVision, SABIS, Skyway Studios, and the New York Yankees are all using Lumen Intelligent Internet to gain greater flexibility and control over their connectivity. For the New York Yankees—a company that has predictable and enormously divergent day-to-day needs for bandwidth—using Lumen Intelligent Internet allows them to spend accordingly on peak capacity for game days, then dramatically reduce bandwidth and costs when Yankee Stadium is closed to the public.

"Static connectivity models are increasingly at odds with the dynamic nature of AI and cloud workloads," said IDC Research VP Analyst, Ghassan Abdo. "As bandwidth needs become less predictable, enterprises need a more flexible approach that allows network capacity to respond to demand rather than requiring businesses to plan for every potential peak."

Built on Lumen’s global internet backbone

Lumen Intelligent Internet is available now to enterprise customers at more than 10 million U.S. business locations, with bandwidth scalable up to 100 Gbps. The service combines digital control with Lumen’s global network, including one of the world’s largest internet backbones.

For more information about Lumen Intelligent Internet, visit https://lumen.com/en-us/services/intelligent-internet.

* IDC, AI and Cloud Connectivity — Impact on Networking and Connectivity Investments, June 2026.

About Lumen Technologies

Lumen is unleashing the world's AI potential. As the trusted network for AI, we ignite business growth by connecting people, data, and applications — quickly, securely, and effortlessly. Lumen’s physical infrastructure, programmable network, and connected ecosystem give enterprises a simpler way to move data from virtually anywhere to anywhere in real-time to support their AI needs. Together, Lumen’s owned fiber backbone and cloud-native control plane provide a differentiated platform for connecting, securing, and operating modern enterprise environments at global scale. From metro connectivity and long-haul data transport to cloud networking, security services, digital platform capabilities, and connectivity orchestration, Lumen meets customers’ needs today and as they build for tomorrow. Lumen and Lumen Technologies are registered trademarks of Lumen Technologies, Inc. in the United States.

Forward Looking Statement

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. All statements contained in this press release that do not relate to matters of historical fact should be considered forward-looking statements, including statements regarding Lumen Intelligent Internet, its expected availability, functionality, scalability, customer adoption, benefits, future enhancements, and market demand, as well as Lumen's business, strategy, and operations as well as statements identified by words such as "estimates," "expects," "anticipates," "believes," "plans," "intends," "will," and similar expressions. These forward-looking statements are not promises nor guarantees of future results, are based on our current expectations only and are subject to various risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied, including those described in our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, as updated in our other filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission from time to time. Lumen undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements except as required by law.

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Danielle Spears

Danielle.Spears@Lumen.com

+1 321 256 3854