EXHIBIT 99.1



FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE



            NEXTLINK PURCHASES PAN EUROPEAN METRO AND INTERCITY FIBER
          NETWORKS AND TRANSATLANTIC CABLE FROM LEVEL 3 COMMUNICATIONS
                                FOR $306 MILLION



     McLean, VA. (May 23, 2000) -- NEXTLINK Communications, Inc. (NASDAQ:NXLK),
one of the world's fastest growing broadband communications companies, announced
today it has agreed in principle to purchase multiple European metro fiber optic
networks, an inter-city Pan European fiber optic network and transatlantic fiber
optic capacity for $306 million. The expansion of the network resulting from the
transaction will approximately double NEXTLINK's global market opportunity and
will give the company end-to-end network capabilities in the United States,
Canada and throughout much of Europe.

     The local components of the NEXTLINK European network will consist of
robust metro fiber facilities that include several empty fiber optic conduits in
London, Frankfurt, Amsterdam and Brussels, and fibers in Paris. Each empty
conduit is currently capable of holding at least 432 fibers using current fiber
optic technology. Once complete, NEXTLINK will own nearly 250 metro route miles
and more than 80,000 metro fiber miles in Europe. These local metro networks are
expected to be delivered to NEXTLINK in late 2000 and ready to offer commercial
service in the first half of 2001.

     A high capacity, IP-centric NEXTLINK inter-city network of 24
state-of-the-art fibers will connect NEXTLINK's metro European networks. These
fibers will be the most technologically advanced Corning G.655 LEAF fiber
capable of delivering 19.2 terabits of transmission capacity using today's
technologies and are expected to be capable of delivering vastly more capacity
in the future as new generations of transmission equipment become available.






     This inter-city fiber network that will total nearly 3,700 route miles and
more than 88,000 fiber miles will connect 21 major European cities and includes
redundant undersea routes between England and Belgium and "dry" Eurotunnel links
between England and France. Additionally, NEXTLINK will receive one empty
conduit throughout the European inter-city fiber network and options to receive
certain additional fibers installed in the inter-city network in the future. The
inter-city portion of the NEXTLINK European network is expected to be delivered
to NEXTLINK in late 2000 and be ready to offer commercial service in the first
half of 2001.

     The NEXTLINK European network will be complemented by transatlantic
capacity connecting NEXTLINK's European customers to North America. The initial
purchase capacity will be 2.5 Gbps of transatlantic transmission capacity that
will be expanded to 10 Gbps at the end of 2002. Today, according to the
International Telecommunications Union (ITU) and Telegeography, current
transatlantic Internet traffic totals under 14 Gbps.

     "This strategic transaction will double NEXTLINK's market opportunity by
positioning us to pursue the rapidly growing European broadband marketplace,"
said NEXTLINK Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Dan Akerson. "It is a natural
extension of NEXTLINK's North American, facilities based strategy bringing us
into Europe at a relatively low cost of entry. We have agreed to purchase these
networks from Level 3 Communications who is a trusted and respected partner of
NEXTLINK and has always excelled in constructing fiber networks throughout the
world."

     "Level 3 is committed to enabling the rapid evolution of a new global
Internet economy by building high-capacity connections between key markets in
Europe and the United States," said Gail Smith, president of Level 3
Communications Europe. "NEXTLINK is a company we respect highly and we are happy
to build on our existing relationship in the United States by providing the
infrastructure they need to roll-out their European network plans."

     Earlier this year, NEXTLINK took steps to establish an initial "beachhead"
in Europe by announcing a merger with Concentric Network Corporation
(NASDAQ:CNCX). Concentric's European division includes one of the largest
Internet Service Providers (ISP) in the United Kingdom, with peering
relationships with most of the Tier 1 European ISPs.






     Concentric currently operates two data centers in the United Kingdom, one
in Amsterdam and has plans to build a data center in Paris. Upon completion of
the NEXTLINK/Concentric merger, NEXTLINK plans to connect these data centers
through its planned European networks, enabling the company to operate as a
complete facilities based applications infrastructure provider (AIP) serving
other ISPs and application service providers (ASP) across Europe. Additionally,
Concentric currently leases a fiber network throughout the United Kingdom with
35 points of presence (POPs).

     NEXTLINK expects to take advantage of its European network by offering a
data product to European ISPs and Internet-centric customers with enhanced
access to the Internet. Today, many European ISPs purchase international private
lines to the United States and an Internet "port" connection to connect their
customers to the U.S. web sites. Through NEXTLINK's planned domestic and pan
European and transatlantic capacity and Tier 1 peering relationships via the
pending Concentric merger, NEXTLINK will be able to offer European ISPs an
Internet product that is expected to deliver a higher quality Internet
experience to end users. Internet traffic destined for European sites will stay
in Europe, while traffic going to the U.S. web sites will be delivered through
superior Tier 1 peering connections.

     Once the NEXTLINK European networks are complete, it will also accelerate
NEXTLINK's ability to offer virtual private network (VPN) solutions in Europe.
NEXTLINK's local network facilities will also allow the company to become an
early European data local exchange carrier (DLEC). Already, Concentric has been
selected by British Telecom and has begun early tests for digital subscriber
line (DSL) service in the United Kingdom.

     "In addition to the obvious long-term strategic importance of this
transaction to NEXTLINK, we also see near-term marketing opportunities that will
utilize the European network as it comes on-line," continued Akerson. "We now
have significant international experience at the executive level at NEXTLINK,
and that expertise, combined with unrivaled broadband network assets throughout
North America and Europe, will allow NEXTLINK to effectively serve small, medium
and Fortune 1000 customers at a local and global level."

     Once the NEXTLINK / Concentric merger closes, the company will have more
than 400 employees in Europe which is expected to grow to roughly 600 employees
by the end of 2001. NEXTLINK's European headquarters will be located in London.






     Upon completion of the transaction with Level 3, which is subject to the
parties negotiating and entering into definitive agreements, NEXTLINK will
become one of the most broadband facilities-rich companies in the world. In
addition to the European network facilities that will be acquired in the
transaction announced today, NEXTLINK currently operates over 410,000 metro
fiber miles in the United States and has began taking delivery of a 384,000+
fiber mile, inter-city fiber network connecting more than 65 cities in North
America. NEXTLINK also owns one empty conduit throughout its North American
inter-city network and rights to additional fibers. The company has a strong
position in delivering last or "golden" mile facilities connecting its U.S.
metro networks to the customer's premises. These capabilities include metro
fiber, broadband wireless and facilities-based digital subscriber line (DSL)
connections.

     NEXTLINK Communications, Inc., a McLean, VA-based company, provides high
quality, broadband communications services to businesses over fiber optic and
broadband wireless facilities across the United States. NEXTLINK currently
provides service in 49 markets. Through an unrivaled collection of facilities,
NEXTLINK will provide integrated, end-to-end telecommunications solutions to its
customers. For more information, visit http://www.nextlink.com.

     On January 10, 2000, NEXTLINK and Concentric Network Corporation announced
an agreement to combine the companies. The transaction is expected to close in
the second quarter of this year. Concentric provides complete Internet business
solutions for small- and medium-sized enterprises, including DSL access, Web
hosting and e-commerce. Concentric also offers data center services, virtual
private networks, dedicated access, and application infrastructure services for
delivering applications over the Internet or a virtual private network.

     Level 3 Communications is a communications and information services company
offering a wide selection of IP-based services primarily to Web-centric
companies. The Level 3 Network includes metropolitan networks in 77 U.S. and
international markets connected by an approximately 16,000 mile U.S. intercity
(long-distance) network, an approximately 4,750 mile European intercity network
and both transpacific and transatlantic undersea cables. In July 1998,
INTERNEXT, LLC, beneficially owned by NEXTLINK, signed an agreement calling for






INTERNEXT to acquire the right to use 24 fibers and certain associated
facilities installed along the entire route of the Level 3 intercity fiber optic
network in the U.S.

                                      # # #

The statements contained in this release that are not historical facts are
"forward-looking statements" (as such term is defined in the Private Securities
Litigation Reform Act of 1995). These statements include those describing
NEXTLINK's plans to offer new services using the planned European network and
the expected timing of the completion and availability of that network, as well
as those describing expectations concerning the timing and scope of the planned
deployment of broadband wireless and other products and services domestically
and internationally, and the timing and potential impact of the Concentric
transaction. Management wishes to caution the reader that these forward-looking
statements are only predictions and are subject to risks and uncertainties and
actual results may differ materially from those indicated in the forward-looking
statements as a result of a number of factors. These factors include, but are
not limited to, the ability of NEXTLINK and Level 3 to negotiate and reach
definitive agreements relating to the purchase of the European network on
satisfactory terms, NEXTLINK's ability to design and construct fiber optic
networks, install cable and facilities, including switching electronics, to
develop, install and provision LMDS equipment and interconnect that equipment
with NEXTLINK's fiber networks and connect the networks, including LMDS
equipment, to customers and on satisfactory terms and conditions, and risks
related to NEXTLINK's national network strategy.

     Contacts: NEXTLINK Communications, Inc.

               Todd Wolfenbarger / media and industry analysts
               703-547-2011 or 703-675-3496 (portable)
               Noelle Beams / financial analysts
               703-547-2002