BROADWING TO DEPLOY CIENA'S COREDIRECTOR ON ITS ALL-OPTICAL NETWORK
Linthicum, MD — 12/07/2000Ciena Corporation (CIEN) today announced that Broadwing Communications, a wholly owned subsidiary of Broadwing, Inc. (NYSE: BRW), has selected Ciena's MultiWave CoreDirector™ for deployment on its nationwide all-optical network. Broadwing has purchased CoreDirector as its platform for delivering next-generation communications services over an intelligent optical mesh network supported by automated, real-time optical provisioning, restoration, protection and switching. Initial CoreDirector systems currently are being deployed in Fort Worth, Atlanta, New York and Washington, D.C.
"Until now, service providers have been forced to rely on legacy SONET systems that add cost, complexity and limitations to service provider networks," said Rick Pontin, president and chief operating officer at Broadwing Communications. "We've been impressed with CoreDirector's ability to greatly simplify our network architecture while adding flexibility to maximize its potential and efficiency. CoreDirector presents Broadwing with multiple ways to lower costs, drive new revenues, create a smarter network and set ourselves apart with customized service offerings."
"Optical core switches give service providers the network flexibility to offer more customized, dynamic services than were available in the past," said Dana Cooperson, Director of Optical Networking, RHK, Inc. "With an intelligent optical core switch at the heart of Broadwing's network, everything from service provisioning to service level guarantees to bandwidth customization can be automated for enhanced network efficiency. These switches change the core network operations game because they promise to reduce network expenses and create new revenue streams by enabling valuable new services."
CoreDirector brings software-, silicon- and optics-based intelligence to service provider networks for ultra high-capacity optical switching, dynamic network protection and restoration, and real-time service provisioning over a next-generation mesh network architecture. CoreDirector also is a platform for creating and delivering the next-generation of optical services on demand, such as dynamically prioritized service level agreements and virtual dedicated wavelength services.
CoreDirector's density, scalability, range of optical interfaces, and software-definable switching granularity, eliminate the need for additional SONET/SDH add/drop multiplexers and legacy cross-connects in next-generation network architectures. As a result, carriers benefit from lower network equipment costs and realize the operational savings associated with managing a simpler, smarter network architecture.
The initial release of CoreDirector supports 256 OC-48/STM-16 or 64 OC-192/STM-64 interfaces in a single bay with the ability to scale to multi-bay configurations. CoreDirector currently supports OC-3/STM-1, OC-12/STM-4, OC-48/STM-16 and OC-192/STM-64 transmission, including wavelength switching, and is designed to support OC-768/STM-256 in the future. All CoreDirector optical interfaces may be software-configured for full wavelength switching or channelized STS-n granularity, down to STS-1.
Ciena Corporation's market-leading optical networking systems form the core for the new era of networks and services worldwide. Ciena's LightWorks™ architecture enables next-generation optical services and changes the fundamental economics of service-provider networks by simplifying the network and reducing the cost to operate it. Additional information about Ciena can be found at http://www.ciena.com.
Broadwing Communications is a wholly owned subsidiary of Broadwing Inc. (NYSE: BRW). Broadwing combines unparalleled customer service with the industry's most advanced and flexible 18,000 mile next-generation fiber optic network and award-winning IP backbone, to create data and Internet solutions that are innovative, reliable, and provide businesses a competitive advantage. Broadwing will be the first provider with a fully deployed optical network and sets the standard for customer accountability with the industry's only Installation Guarantee. Headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio and Austin, Texas with 6,000 employees in 56 sales and service offices across the country, Broadwing can be found on the Web at http://www.broadwing.com
This press release contains certain forward-looking statements based on current expectations, forecasts and assumptions of the Company that involve risks and uncertainties. Forward-looking statements in this release, including, but not limited to, the deployment of Ciena systems in the Broadwing network, the ability of CoreDirector to provide next-generation optical services on demand, the ability of CoreDirector to scale to multiple bays, and the cost savings, deployment timing and network management benefits of the Company'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 10K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on December 7, 2000. 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
