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GARY SMITH NAMED VICE PRESIDENT OF INTERNATIONAL SALES

Ciena Corporation [NASDAQ: CIEN] has announced that Gary Smith has joined the company as vice president, international sales. In that role, Smith will oversee Ciena's entire international sales and marketing operations, which currently include offices in Europe and Asia.

Prior to joining Ciena, Smith served as vice president - worldwide sales and marketing at INTELSAT. In all, he has 18 years' experience working in global telecom markets, having lived on three continents.

"Gary Smith brings a wealth of global telecommunications experience and we are delighted that he will be directing our international efforts," said Lawrence Huang, senior vice president, sales and marketing. Smith will report directly to Huang.

Michael Fagen has been selected to serve in the newly created post of vice president-new market development at Ciena. He had formerly directed international activities and was responsible for garnering important contracts for Ciena in Europe and the Far East.

"Ciena has been an international company from its beginnings," said Patrick Nettles, president and CEO. "Gary's experience in dealing with global carriers and his background in data communications, which is driving much of the demand for bandwidth, will work to his advantage as he tackles his new responsibilities at Ciena," he added.

"International carriers are looking for the competitive advantage that Ciena's products can provide for them," Smith said. "There are numerous opportunities the company can pursue-the key will be to identify the best ones."