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COMPLETEL SELECTS CIENA'S MULTIWAVE METRO OPTICAL TRANSPORT SYSTEM FOR DEPLOYMENT IN PARIS

Ciena Corporation (NASDAQ: CIEN) today announced that European telecommunications carrier Completel has selected Ciena's MultiWave Metro™ dense wavelength division multiplexing (DWDM) optical transport system as a critical part of its network in Paris. Ciena's MultiWave Metro equipment will provide Completel with intra-city connections throughout the Paris metropolitan area. It is the first application of Ciena's MultiWave Metro system in Europe.

"Ciena proved itself to be the right metro DWDM partner for Completel by providing a system that is rich in functionality and by demonstrating tremendous flexibility in its support," said Rick Clevenger, chief technology officer and co-founder of Completel. "Ciena is the only equipment provider that could deliver a carrier-class product in the short timeframe Completel required."

Deployment of the Ciena system in Completel's network is scheduled to begin immediately.

"The application of our MultiWave Metro system in the Completel network represents a tremendous opportunity for Ciena in Europe as we continue to grow and deploy DWDM into varying business applications," said Guy S. Powell, Ciena's vice president for the EMEA region. "Metro's built-in optical layer survivability will help Completel provide its growing customer base with reliable services at multiple traffic speeds, further enhancing its competitiveness in the local marketplace."

Using DWDM technology pioneered by Ciena, the MultiWave Metro is an optical networking transport system designed for short-haul applications. Through configuration in point-to-point, mesh or ring topologies, MultiWave Metro enables Ciena customers to provide SONET/SDH, IP, ATM, Gigabit Ethernet, or private line high-bandwidth services.

"We expect to see rapid and consistent growth in metro DWDM deployments throughout Europe," said Stéphane Téral, an analyst covering European WDM markets for RHK. "Deregulation, along with dramatic growth in data traffic, is sending incumbent carriers and emerging competitors searching for the most cost-effective ways to increase short-haul capacity. Metro DWDM will help these carriers deliver new services using fiber that is already in the ground."

Completel, a rapidly growing competitive local exchange carrier, has applied for licenses to operate in the United Kingdom and Germany, and has been named one of France's top 50 creators of new jobs by L'Express magazine.

"As carriers such as Completel continue to offer new services and expand their network needs, the scalable, multi-service architecture of the MultiWave Metro allows for more easily managed network growth," said Gary Smith, Ciena's chief operating officer. "Providing capacity for future services is just one way that the Ciena LightWorks™ architecture is helping service providers simplify their networks and reduce operating costs."

The MultiWave Metro is a critical component of Ciena's LightWorks architecture, the foundation for a simpler, more cost-effective network. By providing intelligent, scalable products from the edge of the network to the core, Ciena is helping service providers break free of the complexities and expense of the legacy network infrastructure.