Missouri service provider tapped LightRiver Technologies to deploy Ciena’s flexible packet-optical technology to meet growing customer demand for high-speed bandwidth

Facing an urgent need to meet customer demands for affordable and reliable voice and high-speed residential Internet services, BPS Telephone worked with Ciena® and LightRiver Technologies, a Ciena Diamond BizConnect channel partner, to upgrade its network using Ciena’s converged packet optical platforms. This deployment gives BPS the ability to support its existing TDM and SONET/ SDH traffic, while modernizing its network to offer new, high-speed Ethernet services.

Key Facts:

  • BPS      Telephone (BPS) is an incumbent local exchange carrier (ILEC) serving      three counties in Southeast Missouri. BPS has been serving the Missouri      community since 1996 and plays an important role in regional connectivity      and economic and social vitality. Modernization of the BPS network ensures that customers      throughout the state will continue to receive world-class telecom      services.
  • Ciena’s 6200 Packet-Optical Platform delivers BPS the flexibility to modernize its network at its own pace, increasing the capacity of existing services today and laying the groundwork for high-performance Ethernet services in the future. The small, scalable form-factor and attractive economics of the 6200 gives operators with multi-service bandwidth requirements a flexible solution to meet customer needs.
  • LightRiver, an integrator of next generation transport solutions for mission-critical networks provided a network design and turnkey implementation package, project management and technical resources.

Executive Comments:

  • “For almost 20 years, we have remained steadfast in our commitment to our customers by making major improvements in the quality and reliability of our service to keep up with the times. As demands for connectivity grow to support both our region’s economy and personal day-to-day life, we sought out a solution that would provide long-term network viability without disrupting current service for our customers. It became clear that the Ciena 6200 platform was just what we needed – it enables a flexible architecture that can scale and grow with our customer’s demands, while continuing our two-decade tradition of providing Missouri residents the services they need to remain competitive across this increasing digitalized world.”
    -     David Carson, Assistant General Manager, BPS
  • “We assist regional telecom providers, such as BPS Telephone, in effectively transitioning overburdened legacy networks into robust, cost-effective, network infrastructures that can handle the influx of today and tomorrow’s bandwidth demands. Through our strong partnership with LightRiver, we’re providing BPS a seamless, stress-free deployment using our leading packet-optical portfolio to support both existing and emerging services.”
    -     Jason Phipps, General Manager and Vice President, North American Field Operations, Ciena
  • “It is vital to LightRiver that we provide an atmosphere of applied innovation, while maintaining our commitment to carrier grade quality and processes as our clients, such as BPS, evolve their services and businesses in our ever changing world.  With our next generation network focus and the 6200 Packet-Optical Platform from Ciena, we were able to again deliver on every promise for BPS and their customers.”
    -     Michael Jonas, President, Global Sales & Marketing, LightRiver Technologies

Supporting Resources:

About LightRiver TechnologiesLightRiver Technologies designs, engineers and commissions next generation solutions for mission-critical clients that require the highest capacity, reliability and resiliency that today’s communications technology can deliver. A leader in integrating multi-vendor, Factory Built, Next Generation Transport Networks, LightRiver is expert in Packet Optical Transport, DWDM/ROADM, MPLS and Carrier Ethernet, and in successfully migrating legacy networks to the next generation.

About CienaCiena (NYSE: CIEN) is the network specialist. We collaborate with customers worldwide to unlock the strategic potential of their networks and fundamentally change the way they perform and compete. Ciena leverages its deep expertise in packet and optical networking and distributed software automation to deliver solutions in alignment with its OPn architecture for next-generation networks. We enable a high-scale, programmable infrastructure that can be controlled and adapted by network-level applications, and provide open interfaces to coordinate computing, storage and network resources in a unified, virtualized environment. For updates on Ciena news, follow us on Twitter @Ciena or on LinkedIn http://www.linkedin.com/company/ciena. Investors are encouraged to review the Investors section of our website at www.ciena.com/investors, where we routinely post press releases, SEC filings, recent news, financial results, and other announcements. From time to time we exclusively post material information to this website along with other disclosure channels that we use.

Note to Ciena Investors
Forward-looking statements. 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, which Ciena filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on September 9, 2014. 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. Ciena assumes no obligation to update the information included in this press release, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.