Former mfs Communications Co. managers are getting back into the telecommunications business, launching a nationwide Internet protocol fiber-optic network. The new company, led by former mfs chief operating officer James Crowe, is called Level 3 Communications Inc. and is supported by $3 billion in financing. The network is expected to use laser transmitters and large-effective-area fiber (for more information on this type of fiber, see Lightwave, February 1998, page 64).