Level 3 Communications Inc. LVLT, based in Broomfield, Colo., is a leading provider of local, national and global communications services to enterprise, government and carrier customers across the globe.Level 3 Communications is expected to report strong results in the first-quarter 2016. With the global Ethernet market in focus, Level 3 Communications has been rapidly increasing its fibre presence in Latin America as well as the European, Middle Eastern and Asian (EMEA) countries. Apart from geographical network expansion, Level 3 Communications is also enhancing its bandwidth capability and flexibility to enable customer MNCs to adjust bandwidth according to their requirements.Level 3 Communications presently leads the U.S. Ethernet market, along with AT&T, as per research carried out by the Vertical Systems Group, a data analytical firm. However, as Cable MSOs like Comcast continue to expand their fibre and Ethernet reach in other metro cities and systematically implement DOCSIS 3.1, we believe Level 3’s market share may come under pressure soon.Currently, Level 3 Communications has a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). The company has an impressive track record having delivered positive earnings surprises in each of the last four quarters, with an average beat of 3.85%. We have highlighted some of the key stats from this just-revealed announcement below:Earnings: Level 3 Communications’ first-quarter EPS lagged our expectation. Our consensus earnings estimate called 45 cents per share and the company posted an EPS of 34 cents. Investors should note that these figures take out stock option expenses.Revenue: Level 3 Communications reported total revenue of $2,051 million which also lagged our estimate by $27 million.Key States to Note: Level 3 Communications expects to perform well in the rest of 2016. The company expects to generate free cash flow in the range of $1 billion to $1.1 billion for 2016. The company also expects adjusted EBITDA growth of 10% to 12% year-over-year in 2016.Check back for our full write up on this Level 3 Communications earnings report later! Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report >>Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report LEVEL 3 COMM (LVLT): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research