Network upgrade validates commitment to innovation and infrastructure investment

Gulf Bridge International (GBI), a service provider that operates an integrated network connecting the world to the Middle East, signed an agreement with Ciena® (NYSE: CIEN) to deploy its Converged Packet-Optical Networking solutions, that will support the region’s increasing demand for connectivity.

Speaking on the occasion of the deal, Abdulla Al Rwaili Executive Vice-Chairman and Managing Director of GBI said, “We have recognized that the ever-increasing bandwidth usage in the region has created a demand for customized services and greater network upgrades. The investments in greater network intelligence will help us deliver on the current and future needs of our customers and partners.”

Ed McCormack,  Vice President and General Manager of Submarine Systems at Ciena, comments, “With Ciena’s solutions underpinning GBI’s submarine and terrestrial cables, GBI will have a fully optimized end-to-end network. This massive capacity enhancement also means that GBI is well positioned to accommodate growth and help its customers facilitate the demand for high-bandwidth applications, such as those needed for video and cloud services.”

Deploying Ciena’s solutions will enforce GBI’s advanced portfolio of enterprise and wholesale Ethernet services and will enable network flexibility and scalability. The deployment of upgrades of 100G and 200G wavelengths on GBI’s submarine segments, is believed to be the first deployment of such technology in the region which will enable unprecedented capacity and will increase GBI’s network capacity twenty-fold. This capacity enhancement will enable GBI to offer differentiated, premium business and wholesale services across the region, connecting the world to the Middle East.

Ciena’s 6500 Packet-Optical platform, equipped with the new WaveLogic 3 Extreme chipset, combined with GeoMesh submarine solutions and  E-Suite integrated packet switching, will add more intelligence to the GBI network, as well as improved ease of operations, maintenance and future capacity expansions, including an option to perform future upgrades. More importantly, GBI’s latest infrastructure investment validates the organization’s results-oriented vision and mission to meet the demands of customers and partners and to deliver on the company’s promises to deploy state-of-the-art technology and high-bandwidth services.

About GBIGBI is a service provider that owns and operates a carrier neutral network connecting the world to the Middle East. The GBI network connects the Middle East to Singapore towards the East and Egypt on the West, using two alternative terrestrial routes to protect traffic, crossing the Mediterranean to Italy into major European cities. Ensuring diversity by establishing its North Route, this new link from the Gulf to Europe via Iraq and Turkey added an ultra-low latency link from the GCC straight to the heart of Europe.

GBI is a carriers' carrier for telecom operators, ISPs and governments throughout the Middle East, Europe and Asia offering capacity and a portfolio of wholesale and enterprise services on a protected Network.

GBI is a catalyst for growth and was awarded the Best Submarine Cable Operator 2014 and Best Network Infrastructure 2014.

For more information, please visit www.gbiinc.com
@GBI_Network
www.facebook.com/GBI.Profile
www.linkedin.com/company/gulf-bridge-international

For more information, please visit www.gbiinc.com
@GBI_Network
www.facebook.com/GBI.Profile
www.linkedin.com/company/gulf-bridge-international

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 OPnarchitecture 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 InvestorsForward-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 June 10, 2015. 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.