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CIENA'S MULTIWAVE SENTRY™ 4000 TO BE DEPLOYED BY JAPAN TELECOM

Ciena Corporation (NASDAQ: CIEN) announced today that Japan Telecom has selected Ciena's MultiWave Sentry™ 4000 dense wavelength division multiplexing (DWDM) system for deployment in its national fiber optic network. Shipments to Japan Telecom have already begun.

In 1997, Japan Telecom selected Ciena's 16-channel MultiWave Sentry for its first installation of DWDM. This new contract marks the first time a 40-channel capable DWDM system will be deployed in Asia. Installation is expected to begin during the fourth quarter of 1998.

"By building the infrastructure for 40-channels, we will be able to quickly provide capacity as the demand for telecommunications and data services increases," said Nobuhisa Osada, director technology and engineering at Japan Telecom.

"The explosive growth in data services has made it increasingly important for emerging and competitive carriers like Japan Telecom to build in future network scalability today," said Gary Smith, Ciena's vice president of global sales. "Ciena's MultiWave Sentry 4000 enables service providers to add capacity where and when their networks require it - efficiently and economically."

Nissho Electronics Corporation (NELCO) will continue to supply, install and service Ciena's products in conjunction with the Ciena Communications Inc. Japan branch, which was formed in the fall or 1997.