For many businesses, CenturyLink is still the name on the phone bill, even though the headlines now say Lumen. Between Lumen’s voice end of sale and AT&T’s purchase of Lumen’s consumer fiber business, it’s easy to see why so many customers are asking: is CenturyLink going out of business? It isn’t. This guide is written for business voice customers, and it answers the questions we hear most: Is CenturyLink still in business? Is CenturyLink now Lumen? Did AT&T buy CenturyLink? Is Lumen getting out of voice?
Is CenturyLink going out of business? No.
CenturyLink remains a brand and a set of legal entities, including CenturyLink Communications LLC and CenturyLink QC, under Lumen Technologies, the name CenturyLink adopted in 2020.
Did AT&T buy CenturyLink? No.
In February 2026, AT&T bought Lumen’s consumer fiber business, not the business services companies contract for. Is Lumen getting out of voice? Partly: as of August 1, 2026, Lumen stopped selling and renewing business voice, but existing service keeps running and stays supported, and no shutdown date has been announced.
Three things happened close together, and each one sounds more final than it is.
On top of that, carriers across the industry are retiring copper phone lines. A copper retirement notice in your area can easily read like CenturyLink closing up shop, when it’s really a change in the underlying technology. So is CenturyLink still in business? Yes, and the sections below explain why.
Yes. CenturyLink continues as a brand and as legal entities, including CenturyLink Communications LLC and CenturyLink QC, operating under Lumen. Those are the names you’ll still see on invoices and service agreements. Your CenturyLink service hasn’t been shut off, and customers with a CenturyLink agreement receive full support today.
Yes. CenturyLink is the brand; Lumen Technologies is the parent company. CenturyLink grew over roughly two decades by acquiring regional phone companies, and the CenturyLink legal entities from those deals carried forward rather than being retired. Here’s the whole chain:
|
Year |
What happened |
|
2011 |
CenturyLink merges with Qwest |
|
2017 |
CenturyLink acquires Level 3 Communications |
|
2020 |
CenturyLink renames itself Lumen Technologies |
|
February 2026 |
AT&T completes its purchase of Lumen’s consumer fiber business |
|
August 2026 |
Lumen voice end of sale takes effect for business voice |
So is CenturyLink now Lumen? For your contract, yes. That history is also why one business can see Lumen, CenturyLink Communications, Qwest Corporation, or Level 3 Communications on different paperwork. Our guides to Qwest Corporation and Level 3 Communications cover those branches.
No, but the confusion is understandable, and it’s a big part of why “did AT&T buy CenturyLink” has become one of the most searched questions about the company. On February 2, 2026, AT&T completed a $5.75 billion purchase of Lumen’s Mass Markets fiber business, the consumer side that included the Quantum Fiber brand and about a million home internet subscribers.
What AT&T bought was residential fiber. CenturyLink as a company, and the business services Lumen sells to companies, including voice, stayed with Lumen. If you’re a business customer with a CenturyLink contract, your agreement is still with a CenturyLink or Lumen entity, exactly as before.
For new sales, yes. As of August 1, 2026, Lumen stopped selling and renewing business voice services, including for accounts under CenturyLink Communications LLC, CenturyLink QC, and other CenturyLink entities. This is the CenturyLink voice end of sale, and it covers SIP trunking, Voice Complete, Microsoft Teams voice services, and Zoom voice services sold through Lumen.
For existing customers, not today. End of sale isn’t end of service. Your current agreement keeps running under its existing terms, support continues, and no shutdown date has been announced. Our Lumen voice end of sale guide covers the full detail.
When a headline worries you, go to the source:
If CenturyLink Communications LLC, CenturyLink QC, or simply CenturyLink is the name on your bill, the CenturyLink voice end of sale affects you, but nothing is urgent. Your service is running today and isn’t scheduled to stop. What changes is what happens at the end of your term: there’s no new voice contract to renew into, so service typically converts to month-to-month, which usually costs more.
The useful next step is finding your term end date and deciding, on your own schedule, what comes next. Common paths include another carrier’s SIP trunking (see our PRI to SIP migration guide), a cloud platform like Microsoft Teams Phone or Zoom Phone, or replacing any remaining analog lines (see our POTS line replacement guide).
CenturyLink renamed itself Lumen Technologies in 2020 and continues as a brand and set of legal entities under Lumen. In 2026, Lumen sold its consumer fiber business to AT&T, which is where the question “did AT&T buy CenturyLink” comes from, and stopped selling and renewing business voice under the CenturyLink and Lumen names.
No. Lumen continues to operate as a large telecommunications company. Selling its consumer fiber business was part of a shift to focus on business and enterprise customers.
Not for current customers. The CenturyLink voice end of sale stopped new voice sales and renewals, but existing CenturyLink and Lumen voice services continue to operate and receive support.
Whether the question on your mind is “Is CenturyLink going out of business?” or “Is Lumen getting out of voice?”, the practical next step is the same: know what you have and when it ends. We’ll help you confirm whether your contract sits under CenturyLink Communications LLC, CenturyLink QC, or another CenturyLink entity, when your term really ends, and what a transition would look like for your setup. No charge, no obligation, and no pressure toward a decision you don’t need to make yet.
Continuant is an independent technology services provider and is not affiliated with or endorsed by Lumen Technologies, CenturyLink, or AT&T.