CABLE & WIRELESS SELECTS CIENA FOR CORE ACCESS BANDWIDTH GROOMING APPLICATIONS
CIENA's CoreDirector to be Utilized Across Global IP Network
Linthicum, MD & LONDON, UK — 10/23/2001Ciena Corp. (NASDAQ: CIEN) today announced that Cable & Wireless (NYSE: CWP), the global telecommunications group, has selected Ciena's MultiWave CoreDirector™ intelligent optical switching system for access bandwidth grooming applications.
"We believe that Ciena's CoreDirector currently best meets our needs for versatile access bandwidth grooming and bandwidth service management capabilities," said Phil Green, senior vice president, Network Technology Group, at Cable & Wireless. "In addition, Ciena's CoreDirector will help us reduce our operational costs."
Cable & Wireless will utilize CoreDirector to efficiently consolidate, groom and manage a wide variety of bandwidth access levels from STM1 to OC48 across its global IP network. Cable & Wireless will also use Ciena's network management systems for automated route provisioning and dynamic circuit restoration that is essential to meet customer needs in the global bandwidth market today.
"We are focused on enabling customers to deliver customized services at a fraction of the price of legacy systems," said Gary Smith, president and chief executive officer at Ciena. "We also believe that products such as CoreDirector can help Cable & Wireless serve its customers with more value-added services."
About CoreDirector
Ciena's CoreDirector optical switch provides automated provisioning, switching, protection and restoration for next-generation networks and is designed to dramatically lower the cost of providing advanced communications services. With its built-in networking intelligence, CoreDirector uses software-based technologies to enable carriers to quickly create and deliver differentiable, dynamic new optical services at any time, any size and any priority.
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.
Cable & Wireless is a major worldwide telecommunications business with revenue of over £8 billion (US$11 billion) in the year to March 31, 2001 and customers in 70 countries. Cable & Wireless' focus for future growth is on IP (Internet protocol), data services, and solutions for business customers. It is developing advanced IP networks and value-added services in the US, Europe and the Asia-Pacific region in support of this strategy. With the capability of its global IP infrastructure and its strength in key markets, Cable & Wireless holds a unique position in terms of global coverage and services to business customers. For more information about Cable & Wireless, go to http://www.cw.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 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. 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 August 16, 2001. 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 Chad Couser
Cable & Wireless
(703) 760-3845
chad.couser@cw.com
Marie Downing
Ciena Corporation
(888) 243-6223
ir@ciena.com Chris Tyler
Cable & Wireless
44 (0)207 315 4460
chris.tyler@cw.com
