Published: 10/14/2026 | Last updated:10/14/2026

On August 1, 2026, Lumen Technologies stopped selling new business voice contracts. If your organization relies on Lumen for voice, including service you may still know as Level 3, CenturyLink, or tw telecom, you probably have questions about what this means and what to do next. Below are clear answers , along with FirstLight’s perspective on choosing a long-term voice partner.

Lumen made a decision that’s right for its business. Now is a good time to make the decision that’s right for yours.

What did Lumen change about its voice services?

As of August 1, 2026, Lumen Technologies no longer sells new business voice contracts. The change covers SIP trunking, Voice Complete, PRI, POTS lines, toll-free service, and hosted voice for Microsoft Teams and Zoom. It also applies to voice services billed under Lumen’s legacy brands, including CenturyLink, Level 3, Qwest, US West, and Embarq. In Pennsylvania and several other states, many former Embarq service areas are now operated by Brightspeed, a separate company that is not part of Lumen’s change. The decision reflects Lumen’s choice to focus on other strategic priorities, which is a legitimate business decision.

Is my Lumen voice service being shut off?

No. Lumen is honoring existing voice contracts through their term and has not announced an end-of-life date for existing services. If you have Lumen voice today, your service continues. There’s no reason to make a rushed decision.

What happens when my Lumen voice contract comes up for renewal?

Because Lumen is no longer writing new voice contracts, your renewal date is the natural point to decide where your voice services go next. Lumen has indicated that expiring voice contracts will move to month-to-month terms rather than renewing into new agreements. Many businesses will use the time before renewal to evaluate their options carefully.

When should my business start evaluating voice providers?

It’s wise to start well ahead of your renewal date. Moving business voice involves more than switching carriers. It can include porting phone numbers, updating E911 records, integrating with your phone system or contact center, migrating your hosted phone system to a new platform and coordinating changes across multiple locations. Starting early lets you evaluate providers on your own timeline instead of under deadline pressure.

What are the options for businesses looking for a Lumen voice alternative?

Businesses moving off Lumen voice generally consider three types of providers: regional fiber providers that own their local networks, national carriers, and cloud-based unified communications (UCaaS) platforms. Each has trade-offs. National carriers offer broad geographic reach. UCaaS platforms focus on software features and typically run over any internet connection. Regional providers like FirstLight combine their own fiber network with local support and a full voice portfolio, from SIP trunks and PRI to Microsoft Teams calling. The right choice depends on your locations, your phone system, and how critical voice is to your operations.

What questions should I ask any voice provider, including FirstLight?

Many providers will reach out with quick offers in the coming months. A fast move isn’t always the right one. Whether you’re talking to FirstLight or anyone else, these questions will help you find a voice partner built for the long term:

• Is voice a core, long-term part of this provider’s strategy? You want a partner that will keep investing in voice for years, not one that views it as a side product.
• Does the provider own and operate the network the service runs on? Network ownership affects reliability, call quality, and how quickly problems get resolved.
• What is the provider’s track record in voice, and how is it investing going forward? Past experience matters, but so does a clear commitment to the future.
• Who answers the phone when there’s a problem, and do they know your environment? Support from people who understand your setup can make a major difference during an outage.
• Can the provider handle the full migration? That includes number porting, E911, contact center integration, and coordination across all of your sites.

Why does FirstLight continue to invest in voice?

At FirstLight, we believe voice remains essential to how organizations operate. Hospitals rely on it to connect patients with care. Universities depend on it for campus safety. Government agencies use it to serve the public, and financial institutions need it to serve clients without interruption. Messaging and video have grown, but when something important happens, people still pick up the phone.

That’s why voice has been a core FirstLight offering for more than 20 years, and why we’ve made significant investments in our voice platform and infrastructure over the past several years. Voice has been a core FirstLight offering since before 2000, with one of the companies that are now part of FirstLight having provided telephone service for more than 100 years. Today, FirstLight serves more than 15,000 customers across six Northeast states on 20,000 route miles of fiber. We’ve expanded our investment in the NetSapiens platform, which supports more than 8 million users worldwide. And we’ve built in redundant architecture and direct integration with our fiber network to deliver service engineered for 99.999% uptime. We’re not stepping back from voice. We’re building on it.

What voice services does FirstLight offer?

FirstLight offers a full voice portfolio, including:

• SIP trunks
• PRI
• Business lines
• Cloud Unified Communications (UC)
• Microsoft Teams calling
• Contact center solutions

This range means organizations can keep what works today and modernize at their own pace, all with one provider.

Which FirstLight services replace common Lumen voice products?

If your organization uses one of the Lumen voice services that are no longer sold, here is how it maps to FirstLight’s portfolio:

Does FirstLight run voice on its own network?

Yes. FirstLight delivers voice over its own fiber network across the Northeast and mid-Atlantic, including New York, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont, and Maine. For locations outside our fiber footprint, FirstLight voice services can also be delivered over the top, using your existing internet connection.

What about alarm, elevator, and fax lines?

Many businesses have alarm panels, elevator phones, fax machines, and other systems connected to traditional copper phone lines. These lines often can’t move to a standard VoIP service and should be planned for separately during any migration.

Who is FirstLight voice designed for?

FirstLight specializes in organizations where voice downtime isn’t an option. That includes healthcare, higher education, government, financial services, multi-site businesses, or any organization that needs consistent, reliable voice for their locations, teams and contact centers.

What kind of support does FirstLight provide?

FirstLight customers work with local, regional support teams who know their setups. When you call for help, you reach people familiar with your environment, not a distant queue starting from scratch.

I’m already a FirstLight voice customer. Does any of this affect me?

No. FirstLight is committed to voice and continues to invest in it. Your service, your support team, and our roadmap remain focused on delivering the reliable voice your organization depends on.

How can I get started?

If your organization uses Lumen voice today and is exploring alternatives, or if you’re simply reviewing your voice strategy, FirstLight offers a no-pressure voice assessment. We’ll review your current environment, discuss your timeline, and help you understand your options, with no obligation.