Next Level Issues Warning

Next Level Communications Inc. said its fourth-quarter loss will be wider than expected, with sales well below its earlier forecast. The phone equipment maker said its loss probably will be 22 cents a share, much larger than analysts’ average estimate of 12 cents. Next Level said declining sales to its biggest customer, Quest Communications International Inc., and lower sales in South Korea will result in revenue of about $31 million, rather than the $55 million it projected in October. Shares of the Rohnert Park, Calif.-based company closed off 13 cents at $10.81 on Nasdaq before the news was released; the stock plunged to as low as $6.19 in after-hours trading.