Ciena’s 2008 Annual Meeting of Shareholders will be held on March 26 at 3:00 PM (Eastern) at the Baltimore Marriott Waterfront Hotel, 700 Aliceanna St., Baltimore, MD. The meeting will also be webcast live via a link on Ciena’s website at www.Ciena.com.

Pursuant to the new “Notice and Access” rules adopted by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), we have elected to provide access to our proxy materials over the Internet as an alternative to the traditional delivery of printed proxy materials. Accordingly, if you were a shareholder of Ciena common stock as of our January 28, 2008 record date, we sent you a Notice of Internet Availability of Proxy Materials. By following the instructions in the Notice, you may access our proxy materials on the website referred to in the Notice. The Notice also includes instructions on how to vote your shares and request printed copies of the proxy materials.

By implementing the SEC’s new Notice and Access rule, Ciena reduced the number of printed copies of its annual report and proxy materials this year by more than 80 percent, lowering the cost of both producing and delivering these materials while also reducing the associated environmental impact.

The Notice you received provides an Internet address and instructions regarding how to view our proxy materials for the 2008 Annual Meeting online. Ciena’s 2007 annual report and proxy statement can also be viewed on Ciena’s website at http://www.ciena.com/investors/investors_IR_Kit.htm.

Paper copies of Ciena’s proxy materials are available at no cost but will provided only if you request to receive paper copies. To request a paper copy of the proxy materials, follow the instructions on your Notice. The instructions in the Notice also allow you to request to receive proxy materials in printed form by mail or electronically by email on an ongoing basis. Choosing to receive your future proxy materials by email will save us the cost of printing and mailing documents to you and will reduce the impact of our annual meetings on the environment. If you choose to receive future proxy materials by email, you will receive an email next year with instructions containing a link to those materials and a link to the proxy voting site. Your election to receive proxy materials by email will remain in effect until you terminate it.

Whether you are a “shareholder of record” or hold your shares in “street name,” you may direct your vote without attending the Annual Meeting in person. If you were a shareholder as of the January 28, 2008 record date, you may vote your shares via the Internet by following the instructions in your Notice. To vote your shares via the Internet, you will need to have the access control number set forth on your Notice. If you request printed copies of the proxy materials by mail, you may also vote by signing and submitting your proxy card and returning by mail or you can vote by telephone. All proxies properly submitted in time to be counted at the Annual Meeting will be voted in accordance with your instructions. If you submit your proxy without voting instructions, your shares will be voted in accordance with the recommendations of the Board of Directors.

If your shares are registered directly in your name with our transfer agent, Computershare Trust Company, N.A., you are considered the “shareholder of record” with respect to those shares, and the Notice was sent directly to you by mail on February 8, 2008. If your shares are held in an account at a brokerage firm, bank, broker-dealer, or other similar organization, then you are the beneficial owner of shares held in “street name,” and the Notice was forwarded to you by that organization. As a beneficial owner, you have the right to direct that organization on how to vote the shares held in your account.

Even if you plan to attend the Annual Meeting, we encourage you to vote by Internet or (following your request of printed materials) by returning a proxy card or by telephone. This will ensure that your vote will be counted if you are unable to, or later decide not to, attend the Annual Meeting. If you are a shareholder of record, you may vote in person by marking and signing the ballot to be provided at the Annual Meeting. If you hold your shares in “street name,” you must obtain a proxy in your name from your bank, broker or other shareholder of record in order to vote by ballot at the Annual Meeting.

If your shares are held in more than one account, you will receive a Notice for each account. To ensure that all of your shares in each account are voted, you must vote in accordance with the Notice you receive for each account.

If you have additional questions, please contact Ciena Investor Relations at 888.243.6223 or via email at ir@ciena.com