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CIENA APPOINTS JOHN R. DILLON TO BOARD

Telecommunications Veteran Joins Optical Networking Forerunner

Ciena Corporation (NASDAQ: CIEN), today announced that John R. Dillon, the former Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer at Cox Enterprises, Inc., and a seasoned media and telecommunications executive, has joined the Company's Board of Directors.

Mr. Dillon joined Cox Communications, a leading broadcaster and provider of video, voice and data products, including cable television, telephone service, direct-to-home satellite television and high-speed Internet access, as Vice President and Chief Financial Officer in 1981. At Cox, he was responsible for all corporate financial activities, as well as planning and development. He was instrumental in taking Cox Communications private in 1985 and merging it with Cox Newspapers to form Cox Enterprises, which became one of the country's largest television, radio, newspaper, and cable television companies with more than 65,000 employees. In 1985, Mr. Dillon was named Senior Vice President and elected to the Board of Cox Enterprises.

Dillon played a leading role in the expansion of Cox's media and telecommunications businesses, initiating the acquisition and substantial expansion of Teleport Communications Group (TCG), the largest competitive local telecommunications firm in the U.S. which was acquired by AT&T for approximately $12 billion plus assumed debt. He also initiated numerous wireless telephony ventures and was Cox's founding board member of Sprint PCS, a national PCS venture.

Dillon retired from Cox Enterprises in 1996 although he continued to serve on the Boards of both TCG and Cox Communications for an additional two years.

Prior to joining Cox, Mr. Dillon's previous experience included a variety of positions at Scientific Atlanta, including General Manager of the Cable Division and Treasurer.

"John's experience with communications giant Cox Enterprises will be a valuable resource as we look to leverage Ciena's position as a leader in the rapidly growing intelligent optical networking market," said Patrick Nettles, president and chief executive officer of Ciena.

Mr. Dillon, 58, received his B.S. in Electrical Engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology in 1963 and his M.B.A. from Harvard Business School in 1968. Dillon was a founding director of the Georgia Center for Advanced Telecommunications Technology and currently serves on the Georgia Tech National Advisory Board.