Ciena Reports Unaudited Fiscal Fourth Quarter 2007 and Year-End Results

Linthicum, MD — 12/13/2007

Ciena® Corporation (NASDAQ: CIEN), the network specialist, today announced unaudited results for its fiscal fourth quarter and year ended October 31, 2007. Revenue for the fourth quarter totaled $216.2 million, representing a 5.5% sequential increase from fiscal third quarter revenue of $205.0 million, and an increase of 35.2% over the same period a year ago when the Company reported revenue of $160.0 million. For the fiscal year ended October 31, 2007, Ciena reported revenue of $779.8 million, representing an increase of 38.2% over revenue of $564.1 million for fiscal 2006.

On the basis of generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP), Ciena’s net income for the fiscal fourth quarter 2007 was $30.4 million, or $0.30 per diluted share. This compares to fiscal third quarter GAAP net income of $28.3 million, or $0.29 per diluted share, and with a reported GAAP net income of $13.1 million, or $0.14 per diluted share, for the same period a year ago. For the fiscal year ended October 31, 2007, Ciena’s reported GAAP net income was $82.8 million, or $0.87 per diluted share. This compares to a GAAP net income of $0.6 million, or $0.01 per diluted share, for fiscal year 2006.

“By all accounts, 2007 was a momentous year for Ciena. In addition to achieving 38% annual revenue growth and delivering strong financial performance, we established ourselves as a leader in the emerging converged Ethernet infrastructure space with strong market validation for our FlexSelect Architecture and vision,” said Gary Smith, Ciena president and CEO. “Our strong 2007 performance is the direct result of the individual efforts of every single Ciena employee, and in 2008 everyone at Ciena will continue to focus on driving revenue growth while working toward further operating performance improvement.”

At October 31, 2007, Ciena had a $1.7 billion total cash position, which includes $892.1 million in cash and cash equivalents and $856.1 million in short-term and long-term investments in marketable debt securities. The Company’s fiscal fourth quarter and fiscal 2007 GAAP net income reflect a $13.0 million loss related to investments in commercial paper issued by SIV Portfolio plc (formerly known as Cheyne Finance plc) and Rhinebridge LLC, two structured investment vehicles (SIVs) that entered into receivership and failed to make payment at maturity. At the time of purchase, each investment had a rating of A1+ by Standard and Poor’s and P-1 by Moody’s, their highest ratings respectively. After giving effect to this loss, Ciena’s investment portfolio at October 31, 2007 included an estimated fair value of $33.9 million related to these two SIVs.

Non-GAAP Presentation of Quarterly Results
In evaluating the operating performance of its business, Ciena’s management excludes certain charges and credits that are required by GAAP. These items, which are identified in the table that follows (in thousands, except per share data) and further described in Appendix A, share one or more of the following characteristics: they are unusual and Ciena does not expect them to recur in the ordinary course of its business; they do not involve the expenditure of cash; they are unrelated to the ongoing operation of the business in the ordinary course; or their magnitude and timing is largely outside of the Company’s control. Management believes that the non-GAAP measures below provide useful information and meaningful insight to the operating performance of the business.

                                                       Quarter         Quarter 
                                                        Ended           Ended 
                                                    Oct. 31, 2006   Oct. 31, 2007
                                                    -------------   ------------- 
Stock-based compensation-product                    $     204       $     543 
Stock-based compensation-services                         206             217 
Stock-based compensation-research and development         938             836  
Stock-based compensation-sales and marketing              706           1,920 
Stock-based compensation-general and administrative       963           1,824 
Amortization of intangible assets                       6,296           6,465 
Restructuring costs (recoveries)                         (366)            (39) 
Long-lived asset impairment                                 6            - 
Recovery of doubtful accounts, net                        (41)             (4) 
Gain on lease settlement                                  -            (4,871) 
                                                   --------------  --------------
Adjustments related to income from operations       $   8,912      $    6,891 
Loss, other than temporary, on marketable 
  debt investments                                        -            13,013 
                                                   ------------------------------
Adjustments related to net income                  $    8,912      $   19,904
                                                   ==============  ============== 
     
Income from Operations Reconciliation (GAAP/non-GAAP)     
GAAP income from operations                        $    3,881      $   27,120 
Adjustments related to income from operations           8,912           6,891 
                                                   --------------  --------------
Adjusted (non-GAAP) income from operations         $   12,793      $   34,011 
                                                   ==============  ==============
Net Income Reconciliation (GAAP/non-GAAP)     
GAAP net income                                    $   13,081      $   30,410 
Adjustments related to net income                       8,912          19,904
                                                   --------------  -------------- 
Adjusted (non-GAAP) net income                     $   21,993      $   50,314 
                                                   ==============  ==============
Weighted average basic common shares outstanding       84,657          86,241 
Weighted average dilutive potential common 
  shares outstanding                                   93,146         108,811 
     
Net Income per Share1     
GAAP diluted net income per share                 $      0.14      $     0.30 
Adjusted (non-GAAP) diluted net income per share  $      0.24      $     0.48 

1 Note that calculating diluted earnings per share for the fiscal fourth quarters 2006 and 2007 requires adding interest expense of approximately $0.2 million associated with the Company’s 0.25% convertible senior notes in 2006 and $2.0 million associated with the Company’s 0.25% and 0.875% convertible senior notes in 2007, to GAAP and adjusted net income in order to arrive at the numerator for the earnings per share calculation.

Adjusting Ciena’s unaudited fiscal fourth quarter 2007 GAAP net income of $30.4 million for the items noted above would increase the Company’s adjusted (non-GAAP) net income in the quarter to $50.3 million, or $0.48 per diluted share (non-GAAP). This compares with an adjusted (non-GAAP) net income of $22.0 million, or $0.24 per diluted share (non-GAAP), in the same year-ago period.

Fourth Quarter 2007 Performance Highlights
• Achieved sequential quarterly revenue growth of 5.5% and year-over-year revenue growth of 35.2%.
• Delivered overall gross margin of 50.5% and product gross margin of 55.0%.
• Delivered GAAP income from operations of 12.5% of revenue and adjusted income from operations of 15.7% of revenue.
• Ended the fiscal fourth quarter 2007 with cash, cash equivalents and short- and long-term investments of $1.7 billion.

Fourth Quarter 2007 Customer and Product Highlights
• VSNL, a leading communications solutions provider and member of the Tata Group, deployed Ciena's CoreDirector® Multiservice  Optical Switches to create the first nationwide intelligent optical mesh network in India.
• Ciena’s FlexSelect™ 40G Shelf was honored by the International Engineering Consortium (IEC) with an InfoVision Award for Network Core Innovation and Advances.
• AboveNet, Inc., a leader in fiber optic connectivity solutions, deployed Ciena's CN 4200™ FlexSelect Advanced Services Platform throughout its metro networks to power a variety of private networks transporting Ethernet, IP and other managed services.
• Ciena’s CN 4200 FlexSelect Advanced Services Platform was honored by R&D Magazine as one of the 100 most technologically significant products introduced to the marketplace in the past year.

New CFO Named
Ciena also announced today that it named James E. Moylan, Jr., 56, to succeed outgoing CFO, Joseph Chinnici. Most recently, Mr. Moylan was Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer at Swett & Crawford, a private equity-owned wholesale insurance broker. His diverse public company experience includes CFO roles at PRG – Shultz International and at SCI Systems, Inc. where he played a key role in the company’s merger with Sanmina. Mr. Moylan holds an M.B.A. from Harvard and a B.S. in Industrial Engineering from Georgia Tech Institute of Technology. Mr. Moylan will assume CFO responsibility at Ciena following the filing of the Company’s 2007 Form 10-K.

“I can’t thank Joe enough for his support and contribution to the business over the years. We wish him all the best in his future endeavors,” said Smith. “I am confident that Jim’s business acumen, global perspective and significant experience will be valuable assets to Ciena, and I look forward to working with him through the next phase of Ciena’s growth.”

Business Outlook
“As we look into fiscal 2008, we believe Ciena is poised to benefit not only from capacity-related growth but also from the transition to next-generation, converged Ethernet-based network infrastructures,” said Smith. “We believe that Ciena’s focus on targeted segments of growth markets will enable us to continue to grow faster than our overall market. We expect to deliver up to 5% sequential revenue growth in our fiscal first quarter and 20% annual revenue growth in fiscal 2008.”

Separately today, Ciena also announced that BT has selected the CN 3000™ Ethernet Access Series as one of its preferred Network Termination Equipment (NTE) platforms for its 21st Century Network (21CN). The agreement extends BT’s partnership with Ciena, which already supplies optical Ethernet transport and switching solutions for the 21CN transmission domain, by enabling BT to provide Ethernet access in the last mile to support the roll-out of new 21CN services and applications [see related announcement: “BT Selects Ciena’s CN 3000 Ethernet Access Series to Support its 21st Century Network”].

Live Web Broadcast of Fiscal Fourth Quarter and Year-End Results           
Ciena will host a discussion of its fiscal fourth quarter and year-end results with investors and financial analysts today, Thursday, December 13, 2007 at 8:30 a.m. (Eastern). The live broadcast of the discussion will be available via Ciena’s homepage at http://www.ciena.com/. An archived version of the discussion will be available shortly following the conclusion of the live broadcast on the Investor Relations page of Ciena’s website at: http://www.ciena.com/investors/investors.htm.



                              CIENA CORPORATION    
                     CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS    
                         (in thousands, except share data)    
                                 (unaudited)    
ASSETS
    
                                                           October 31, 
                                                   ---------------------------- 
Current assets:                                          2006        2007
                                                   --------------  --------------
  Cash and cash equivalents                        $    220,164    $    892,061 
  Short-term investments 628,393    822,185 
  Accounts receivable, net                              107,172         104,078 
  Inventories                                           106,085         102,618 
  Prepaid expenses and other                             36,372          47,817
                                                   --------------  --------------
    Total current assets                              1,098,186       1,968,759 
Long-term investments                                   351,407          33,946 
Equipment, furniture and fixtures, net                   29,427          46,671 
Goodwill                                                232,015         232,015 
Other intangible assets, net                             91,274          67,144 
Other long-term assets                                   37,404          67,738 
                                                   --------------  --------------
  Total assets                                    $   1,839,713    $  2,416,273 
                                                   ==============  ==============
    
LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY    
    
Current liabilities:    
  Accounts payable                               $       39,277    $     55,389 
  Accrued liabilities                                    79,282          90,922 
  Restructuring liabilities                               8,914           1,026 
  Unfavorable lease commitments                           8,512            - 
  Income taxes payable                                    5,981           7,768 
  Deferred revenue                                       19,637          33,025 
  Convertible notes payable                                -            542,262 
                                                   --------------  --------------
    Total current liabilities                           161,603         730,392 
Long-term deferred revenue                               21,039          30,615 
Long-term restructuring liabilities                      26,720           3,662 
Long-term unfavorable lease commitments                  32,785            - 
Other long-term obligations                               1,678           1,450 
Convertible notes payable                               842,262         800,000 
                                                   --------------  --------------
     Total liabilities                                1,086,087       1,566,119 
                                                   --------------  --------------
Commitments and contingencies    
Stockholders' equity:    
  Preferred stock – par value $0.01; 
    20,000,000 shares authorized; zero shares 
    issued and outstanding                                 -               - 
  Common stock – par value $0.01; 140,000,000 
    shares authorized; 84,891,656 and 86,752,069 
    shares issued and outstanding                           849             868 
  Additional paid-in capital                          5,505,853       5,519,741 
  Changes in unrealized gains on investments, net          (496)            350 
  Translation adjustment                                   (580)         (1,593)
  Accumulated deficit                                (4,752,000)     (4,669,212)
                                                   --------------  --------------
    Total stockholders' equity                          753,626         850,154 
                                                   --------------  --------------
  Total liabilities and stockholders' equity       $  1,839,713    $  2,416,273 
                                                   ==============  ==============




                                   CIENA CORPORATION          
                      CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS          
                           (in thousands, except per share data)          
                                      (unaudited)          
          
                                Quarter Ended October 31,    Year Ended October 31
                                ------------------------     ---------------------
                                     2006        2007           2006        2007
                                ----------    ----------     ----------   --------
Revenues:          
   Products                     $  141,469    $  193,652     $  502,427   $ 695,289 
   Services                         18,483        22,538         61,629      84,480
                                ----------    ----------     ----------   --------- 
Total revenue                      159,952       216,190        564,056     779,769
                                ----------    ----------     ----------   --------- 
Costs:          
   Products                         73,955        87,185        263,667     337,866 
   Services                         13,241        19,859         42,608      79,634 
                                ----------    ----------     ----------   --------- 
Total cost of goods sold            87,196       107,044        306,275     417,500
                                ----------    ----------     ----------   --------- 
   Gross profit                     72,756       109,146        257,781     362,269 
                                ----------    ----------     ----------   ---------
Operating Expenses:          
   Research and development         26,561       34,130         111,069     127,296 
   Selling and marketing            26,302       32,655         104,434     118,015 
   General and administrative       10,117       13,690          47,476      50,262 
   Amortization of intangible assets 6,296        6,465          25,181      25,350 
   Restructuring costs (recoveries)   (366)         (39)         15,671      (2,435)
   Long-lived asset impairments          6           -             -           - 
   Gain on lease settlement            -         (4,871)        (11,648)     (4,871)
   Recovery of doubtful accounts, net  (41)          (4)         (3,031)        (14)
                                 ----------    ----------     ----------   ---------
      Total operating expenses      68,875       82,026         289,152      313,603
                                 ----------    ----------     ----------   ---------
Income (loss) from operations        3,881       27,120         (31,371)      48,666
Interest and other income, net      15,741       25,277          50,245       76,483
Interest expense                    (6,149)      (7,769)        (24,165)    (26,996)
Loss, other than temporary, on 
  marketable debt investments         -         (13,013)           -        (13,013)
Gain on equity investments, net       -            -                215         592 
Gain on extinguishment of debt        -            -              7,052        - 
                                 ----------    ----------     ----------   ---------
Income before income taxes          13,473       31,615           1,976      85,732 
Provision for income taxes             392        1,205           1,381       2,944 
                                 ----------    ----------     ----------   ---------
Net income                      $   13,081    $  30,410        $    595   $  82,788 
                                 ==========    ==========    ==========   ==========
Basic net income per 
  common share                  $     0.15    $     0.35       $   0.01   $    0.97
                                 ==========    ==========   ==========    ==========
Diluted net income per 
  common share2     $      0.14    $     0.30       $   0.01   $    0.87
                                 ==========    ==========   ==========    ==========
Weighted average basic common 
  shares outstanding                84,657        86,241          83,840     85,525 
                                 ==========    ==========   ==========    ==========
Weighted average dilutive potential 
  common share outstanding          93,146       108,811          85,011     99,605
                                 ==========    ==========   ==========   ========== 
2 Note that calculating diluted earnings per share for the quarters ended October 31, 2006 and 2007 requires adding interest expense of $0.2 million associated with the Company’s 0.25% convertible senior notes in 2006 and $2.0 million associated with the Company’s 0.25% and 0.875% convertible senior notes in 2007, to GAAP net income in order to arrive at the numerator for the earnings per share calculation. For the fiscal year ended October 31, 2007, interest expense of $4.1 million associated with the Company’s 0.25% and 0.875% convertible senior notes must be added to GAAP net income in order to arrive at the numerator for the earnings per share calculation.

                                 CIENA CORPORATION    
                   CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS    
                                 (in thousands)    
                                   (unaudited)    
                                                       Year Ended October 31,
                                                     -------------   -------------
                                                           2006         2007
                                                     -------------   -------------
Cash flows from operating activities:    
  Net income                                           $    595      $ 82,788 
  Adjustments to reconcile net income to net 
  cash provided by used in operating activities:    
    Early extinguishment of debt                         (7,052)         - 
    Amortization of premium (discount) on marketable     
    securities                                             (823)      (14,191)
    Non-cash loss from equity investments 
    and marketable securities                               733        13,013 
    Depreciation and amortization of 
    leasehold improvements                               16,401        12,833 
    Stock compensation                                   14,042        19,572 
    Amortization of intangibles                          29,050        29,220 
    Provision for doubtful accounts                        -             - 
    Provision for inventory excess and obsolescence       9,012        12,180 
    Provision for warranty and other contractual 
    obligations                                          14,522        12,743 
    Other                                                 2,028         2,984 
    Changes in assets and liabilities:    
      Accounts receivable                               (34,386)        3,094 
      Inventories                                       (65,764)       (8,713)
      Prepaid expenses and other                          4,056       (20,568)
      Accounts payable and accruals                     (59,161)      (57,462)
      Income taxes payable                                  196         1,787 
      Deferred revenue and other obligations             (2,842)       22,964
                                                     -------------   -------------
      Net cash provided by (used in) 
      operating activities                              (79,393)      112,244
                                                     -------------   -------------
Cash flows from investing activities:    
  Purchases of equipment, furniture, 
  fixtures and intellectual property                    (17,760)      (35,167)
  Restricted cash                                         4,552       (13,277)
  Purchase of available for sale securities          (1,090,409)     (864,012)
  Proceeds from maturities of available 
  for sale securities                                   851,084       989,705 
  Minority equity investments, net                          948          (181)
                                                    -------------   ------------- 
    Net cash provided by (used in) 
    investing activities                               (251,585)       77,068
                                                    -------------   ------------- 
Cash flows from financing activities:    
  Proceeds from issuance of convertible 
  notes payable                                         300,000       500,000 
  Repurchase of 3.75% convertible 
  notes payable                                         (98,410)         - 
  Debt issuance costs                                    (7,990)      (11,750)
  Purchase of call spread option                        (28,457)      (42,500)
  Proceeds from issuance of common stock 
  and warrants                                           27,987        36,835
                                                    -------------   ------------- 
    Net cash provided by financing activities           193,130       482,585
                                                    -------------   ------------- 
    Net increase (decrease) in cash and cash 
     equivalents                                       (137,848)      671,897
                                                    -------------   ------------- 
Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of period        358,012       220,164 
Cash and cash equivalents at end of period          $   220,164    $  892,061 
                                                    ==============  ==============
    

Appendix A
The adjustments management makes in analyzing Ciena’s fiscal fourth quarter 2007 and 2006 GAAP results are as follows:
• Stock-based compensation costs – a non-cash expense incurred in accordance with SFAS 123(R).
• Amortization of intangible assets – a non-cash expense arising from acquisitions of intangible assets, principally developed technology, which Ciena is required to amortize over its expected useful life.
• Restructuring costs (recoveries) – infrequent charges or recoveries incurred as the result of aligning the Company’s resources with perceived market opportunity, including new market segments within the overall market.
• Long-lived asset impairment – non-recurring charges, incurred as a result of excess equipment classified as held for sale which the Company feels are not reflective of its ongoing operating costs.
• Recovery of doubtful accounts, net – an infrequent gain unrelated to normal operations resulting from the recovery of an amount due that was previously assessed a doubtful payment due to customer financial condition.
• Gain on lease settlement – an infrequent gain unrelated to normal operations resulting from the termination of lease obligations for an unused facility.
• Loss, other than temporary, on marketable debt investments – an infrequent loss related to Ciena’s investments in commercial paper issued by two structured investment vehicles (SIVs) exposed to market risks stemming from mortgage-related assets that they hold. After giving effect to  estimated realized losses of $13.0 million, Ciena’s investment portfolio at October 31, 2007 included commercial paper with an estimated fair value of $33.9 million related to these two SIVs.


About Ciena

Ciena specializes in network transition. We provide the flexible platforms, intelligent software and professional services to build converged networks for enhanced services and applications. With a growing global presence, Ciena leverages its heritage of practical innovation to deliver maximum performance and economic value in communications networks worldwide. For more information, visit www.ciena.com.
Note to Investors

This press release contains certain forward-looking statements based on current expectations, forecasts and assumptions that involve risks and uncertainties. These statements are based on information available to the Company as of the date hereof; and Ciena’s actual results could differ materially from those stated or implied, due to risks and uncertainties associated with its business, which include the risk factors disclosed in its Report on Form 10-Q filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on August 31, 2007. Forward-looking statements include statements regarding Ciena’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. Forward-looking statements in this release include: in 2008 everyone at Ciena will continue to focus on driving revenue growth while working toward further operating performance improvement; as we look into fiscal 2008, we believe Ciena is poised to benefit not only from capacity-related growth but also from the transition to next-generation, converged Ethernet-based network infrastructures; we believe that Ciena’s focus on targeted segments of growth markets will enable us to continue to grow faster than our overall market; and, we expect to deliver up to 5% sequential revenue growth in our fiscal first quarter and 20% annual revenue growth in fiscal 2008.. Ciena assumes no obligation to update the information included in this press release, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

Press Contacts:
Nicole Anderson
Ciena Corporation
(877) 857 -7377
pr@ciena.com
Investor Contacts:
Marie Downing
Ciena Corporation
(888) 243-6223
ir@ciena.com