CIENA MULTISERVICE SWITCHING SOLUTIONS TO ENHANCE EFFICIENCY OF VERIZON’S NATIONWIDE ENTERPRISE DATA SERVICES
CIENA Named Multiservice Edge Vendor In Support of Verizon’s ‘Enterprise Advance’ Initiative To Extend Advanced Data Services to Large Business and Government Customers Nationwide
Linthicum, MD — 03/03/2004Ciena® Corporation (NASDAQ: CIEN), a leading global provider of innovative network solutions, today announced that Verizon has selected Ciena’s DN 7100™ and DN 7200™ multiservice switches to support Verizon’s strategic Enterprise Advance network expansion initiative, which is designed to interconnect Verizon’s local networks and provide large business and government customers with advanced data services nationwide.
Verizon named Ciena to provide multiservice edge solutions and plans to deploy nationwide the DN 7 product family for Fast Packet services (including Frame Relay and ATM) and other multiservice applications. Ciena’s DN 7 platform will help Verizon converge access services onto a high-efficiency multiservice backbone across the country while also providing a seamless migration path for multi-protocol label switching (MPLS) solutions – both of which are key elements of Verizon’s Enterprise Advance strategy.
As part of its LightWorks™ Services portfolio strategy, Ciena is integrating data-focused network solutions such as the DN 7 multiservice switching family into its comprehensive set of network solutions. LightWorks Services is designed to help service providers use their existing infrastructure to capitalize on data and traditional service markets with efficiency and profitability – without having to build and manage overlay data networks.
“We believe our LightWorks Services strategy meshes very well with Verizon’s Enterprise Advance initiative. Verizon’s application of this multiservice solution demonstrates the practical, economic value of the LightWorks Services approach to network evolution, and confirms Ciena’s early success in the data networking space,” said Gary B. Smith, president and CEO of Ciena. “With its Enterprise Advance strategy, Verizon is attacking a key challenge faced by major service providers: efficiently evolving their networks to enable customer-driven advanced data service offerings. With the DN 7 solution, Verizon will be better able to use its powerful existing infrastructure while delivering new services to Fortune 1000 corporations, governments, and finance, education and healthcare enterprises.”
About Ciena’s DN 7 Family
Ciena’s DN 7 family of multiservice switches is the industry’s first product line that combines ATM, Frame Relay, Circuit Emulation Services (CES), Ethernet, and MPLS while delivering telephony-grade reliability. The DN 7 family increases today’s service capacity at low cost and allows carriers to cap their legacy investment without disrupting services or overhauling the network.
The DN 7’s market-leading VC (virtual circuit) and port densities will enable Verizon to more efficiently utilize its existing infrastructure, resulting in recurring cost savings as it continues to roll out expanded service offerings to its customers. Additionally, the DN 7 platform’s small footprint, low power consumption and completion of the Telcordia OSMINE process, significantly reduce overall network operations costs compared to legacy solutions.
Ciena specializes in network transition. We provide the flexible platforms, intelligent software and professional services to build converged networks for enhanced services and applications. With a growing global presence, Ciena leverages its heritage of practical innovation to deliver maximum performance and economic value in communications networks worldwide. For more information, visit www.ciena.com.
This press release contains certain forward-looking statements based on current expectations, forecasts and assumptions of Ciena (the Company) that involve risks and uncertainties. Forward-looking statements in this release, including but not limited to the features and benefits of Ciena’s products are based on information available to the Company as of the date hereof. The Company’s actual results could differ materially from those stated or implied in such forward-looking statements, due to risks and uncertainties associated with the Company’s business, which include the risk factors disclosed in the Company’s Report on Form 10-Q filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on February 19, 2004. Forward looking statements include statements regarding the Company’s expectations, beliefs, intentions or strategies regarding the future and can be identified by forward looking words such as "anticipate," "believe," "could," "estimate," "expect," "intend," "may," "should," "will," and "would" or similar words. The Company assumes no obligation to update the information included in this press release, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.
Nicole Anderson
Ciena Corporation
(877) 857 -7377
pr@ciena.com
Marie Downing
Ciena Corporation
(888) 243-6223
ir@ciena.com
