West Coast provider of fiber optic and data center infrastructure deploys Ciena’s converged packet-optical and packet networking platforms to power new next-generation network

Filling a void for next-generation network services to support bandwidth-intensive demands among Southern California’s media and entertainment (M&E) industry, as well as the increasing network agility required by wireless carriers and enterprises, Wilcon, a provider of fiber optic network infrastructure, teamed with LightRiver Technologies, to design, deploy and support Ciena’s converged packet-optical and packet networking platforms on its fiber-optic network. With its new 100G network, Wilcon will offer scalable Ethernet and wavelength services that industry professionals and production houses from San Diego to Los Angeles can use to make the most of the upcoming transition to 4K UHD, speed digital content creation and distribution in pre- and post-production, enable wireless carriers to support the needs of LTE transport and provide agile services to corporate organizations throughout the region.

Key Facts:

  • Founded in 1998, Wilcon's fiber optic network infrastructure connects major data centers, colocation facilities, enterprise locations and wireless communications sites across Southern California. The network is made up of 3,000 miles of fiber and 1,000 on-net locations, and Wilcon continues to expand by adding locations and growing the reach of its infrastructure.
  • Leveraging Ciena’s OPⁿ® network architecture with both converged packet optical and packet networking solutions, Wilcon is enhancing its network to meet the needs of other carriers and service providers, as well as M&E companies to improve file- and stream-based workflow collaboration, reduce operating expenditures, solve increasing bandwidth demands and speed time to market.
  • LightRiver, an integrator of next generation transport solutions for mission-critical networks and a Ciena Diamond BizConnect partner for the past five years, provided a network design and turnkey implementation package, project management, technical resources and post implementation support. Ciena provided project consulting via Ciena’s Specialist Services portfolio.
  • The new network will be live throughout the region in the first quarter of 2015.
  • With Ciena’s E-Suite family,      including the 6500      Packet-Optical Platform equipped with eMOTR and WaveLogic      Coherent Optical Processors, Wilcon is delivering 100G wavelength services      to regional enterprise and wholesale customers across 3,000 route miles      from San Diego to Los Angeles. Wilcon is also offering a range of Ethernet      services leveraging Ciena’s 5142 and 5160 Service Aggregation      Switches and 3930 and 3931 Service      Delivery Switches – with subtending G.8032 Ethernet rings off the      6500 – which enable increased      network scalability and protection of services. Ciena’s OneControl Unified Management System will enable      Wilcon      to streamline operational      efficiency and seamlessly manage its entire portfolio of Ciena solutions –      from edge to core – to quickly address new demand for Ethernet services,      connectivity, and ensure service SLAs are met through proactive service      assurance.

Executive Comments:

  • “It was evident that Southern California could no longer count exclusively on the legacy network services available to handle the bandwidth of today’s HD video files and mobile data. In response, we built an agile, high capacity, next-generation packet-optical network that could easily scale to meet this market’s unique requirements. Thanks to Ciena’s and LightRiver’s expertise and leadership, we now have the ability to provide the media production professionals in California with the connectivity and bandwidth they need to create the entertainment we’ve come to enjoy.”
    -     Reginald Scales, SVP Sales & Marketing, Wilcon
  • “Our solutions are created with a specific goal in mind – to make      them flexible enough to meet each market segment’s needs—the media and      entertainment industry being no exception. Through our relationship with      LightRiver we are providing a network that enables the film industry to      conduct operations more succinctly, cost-effectively and securely.”
    -   Jason Phipps, General Manager & VP of North America Field Organization, Ciena
  • “This collaboration is really a showcase for what is possible when you combine the strategic vision at Wilcon, with the technology leadership at Ciena, and the next generation, carrier network focus at LightRiver. Together, we designed and quickly deployed a network while establishing a support structure that will allow Wilcon to accelerate its growth.”
    -     Michael Jonas, President, Global Sales & Marketing, LightRiver Technologies

Supporting Resources:

About Wilcon
Founded in 1998, Wilcon is the premier west coast provider of best-in-class fiber optical network and data center infrastructure. As one of the largest fiber optic networks in Southern California, Wilcon offers vast reach and diverse routes connecting major data centers, enterprise locations and wireless communications sites, as well as the most dense fiber and interconnection infrastructure in downtown Los Angeles.

Wilcon delivers dark fiber and ultra-broadband optical services for businesses, wireless carriers and other communications service providers that ensure optimal performance for their mission-critical data traffic and applications. Wilcon also owns and operates leading data center and carrier-neutral colocation facilities in downtown Los Angeles, including its key hub at the One Wilshire Building. For more information, please visit http://wilcon.com/ or contact us at +1 888-600-2800 or info@wilcon.com.

About LightRiver 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 Ciena
Ciena (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.