Arizona-based utility leader upgrades network to support grid modernization for the benefit of its nearly one million customers

Salt River Project (SRP), an Arizona public power utility and water supplier, will modernize its backbone network with Ciena® Corporation’s (NYSE: CIEN) converged packet optical platform to improve network resiliency, reduce costs, and increase capacity. This upgrade will enable SRP to support the surging demand for high-bandwidth services driven by supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA), grid automation and storage traffic.  In addition, SRP’s network will be able to support more dynamic applications, such as smart meters and substation automation, to enable real-time information monitoring and control, and provide increased electric-system reliability, improved power quality and faster service restoration capabilities.

Key Facts:

  • The      SRP power district is one of the nation's largest public power utilities,      providing electricity to more than 990,000 retail customers in a      2,900-square-mile service area that spans three Arizona counties, including      the greater Phoenix metropolitan area.
  • SRP is deploying Ciena’s 6500 Packet-Optical platform equipped with WaveLogic Coherent Optical Processors and integrated switching capabilities. Architected for network modernization, the 6500 converges Ethernet, TDM, and WDM capabilities into one platform. The 6500 helps to reduce costs for operators by decreasing operations and maintenance expenses and enabling network consolidation, while supporting legacy functions.
  • This network enhancement and adoption of Ciena’s OPⁿ®architecture gives SRP a more secure and resilient network that is automated, connected and intelligent.

Executive Comments:

  • “This upgrade enables us to      modernize our network with greater automation and reliability so that we      can accommodate our customer’s demands for high-bandwidth services and      applications.”
    -   Chris Campbell, Manager of Communications Engineering at SRP
  • “SRP is at the front-end of utilities building smarter, more scalable networks to enable a more efficient and reliable power grid. Ciena’s converged packet optical solution plays a key role in their network modernization efforts by enabling them to support key applications like smart meters and substation automation.”
    -    Jason Phipps, General Manager and Vice President North American Field Operations at Ciena

UTC Telecom 2014:

  • Ciena will showcase the broad range of capabilities of its converged packet optical and packet networking solutions designed to transform today’s utility networks at UTC Telecom 2014 in booth #909.

Supporting Resources:

About Salt River ProjectSRP is the nation’s third-largest public power utility and the largest provider of power and water to the greater Phoenix metropolitan area, serving more than 990,000 electric customers and delivering raw water to more than 2 million people living in central Arizona. To find out more please visit www.srpnet.com.

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 March 7, 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.