** Shares of telecommunications firm Lumen Technologies
rise 2.6% to $6.77 in premarket trading
** LUMN and Amazon Web Services (AWS) announced deal to strengthen data center connectivity and optimize network delivery of cloud technologies
** LUMN will use AWS technologies, including AI, machine learning $(ML)$, and security, to modernize its applications and systems
** Lumen will provide fiber connectivity to AWS data centers, helping enterprise customers build and deliver highly scalable AI applications across AWS regions and AWS local zones
** Up to last close, stock had more than tripled YTD
(Reporting by Harshita Mary Varghese in Bengaluru)
((HarshitaMary.Varghese@thomsonreuters.com))