Software removes vendor lock-in to accelerate roll out of 5G and digital services.

Telefónica Deutschland, a leading integrated telecommunications provider, has selected software from Blue Planet, a division of Ciena (NYSE: CIEN), to support the preparation of its network in Germany to adapt to escalating data traffic and bandwidth demands from users..

Telefónica Deutschland is preparing its transport network with open, software-defined network (SDN) orchestration and a partially disaggregated multi-vendor optical network architecture to transform network operations and improve the delivery of new services. Blue Planet will enable the service provider to lower its operating expenses (OPEX) while optimizing its network to offer services such as 5G, video streaming and online gaming.

Key Facts

  • The deployment of Blue Planet plays a key role in Telefónica’s iFusion program, which is focused on using SDN to transform its transport network in Germany to improve the customer experience.
  • Blue Planet Multi-Domain Service Orchestration (MDSO) software is an important first step for Telefónica Deutschland to rapidly create, deploy and automate end-to-end service delivery across its new multi-vendor transport network.
  • Open Rest Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) from MDSO simplify integration with other components of Telefónica Deutschland’s Operations Support System (OSS) to align the network with needs of different applications. The upgraded network utilizes open standard models, including the transport application programming interface (T-API) and OpenConfig, with Blue Planet MDSO.

Executive Quotes

  • “Telefónica is moving away from legacy single-vendor platforms to a model combining best-of-breed solutions from multiple vendors, enabling us to maintain diversity in our network and avoid depending on one vendor. In Germany, Blue Planet’s software executes our SDN program to enable not only multivendor transport but also automation of our network.” - Cayetano Carbajo Martín, Global Director of Technology, Telefónica GCTIO
  • “Telefónica Deutschland is taking strategic steps to support its users’ demands for 5G, cloud services, artificial intelligence and more. Blue Planet’s intelligent automation software differentiates, disrupts and transforms Telefónica Deutschland’s network to adapt and deliver measurable business outcomes." - Rick Hamilton, Senior Vice President, Blue Planet, a division of Ciena
Telefónica Deutschland, a leading integrated telecommunications provider, has selected software from Blue Planet, a division of Ciena (NYSE: CIEN), to support the preparation of its network in Germany to adapt to escalating data traffic and bandwidth demands from users.

About Telefónica DeutschlandTelefónica Deutschland offers telecommunications services for private and business customers, as well as innovative digital products and services in the fields of the Internet of Things and data analytics. With a total of 50.4 million customer connections (as of 31 December 2019), the company is one of the leading integrated telecommunications providers in Germany. In the mobile segment alone, Telefónica Deutschland is responsible for more than 46 million connections – no other domestic network operator connects more people. By 2022, the company aims to become the “Mobile Customer & Digital Champion”, meaning the preferred partner for customers in the German mobile service market that allows them mobile freedom in the digital world. Through its core brand O2 and various secondary and partner brands, the company sells postpaid and prepaid mobile telecommunications products including innovative mobile data services. The basis for this is a mobile service network based on a high-performance GSM, UMTS and LTE infrastructure. Telefónica Deutschland also provides telephony and high-speed internet products, such as VDSL, in the fixed network field. Telefónica Deutschland Holding AG has been listed in the Prime Standard on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange (TecDAX) since 2012. In the 2019 financial year, the company generated revenue of EUR 7.4 billion with almost 9,000 employees. The company is majority owned by the Spanish telecommunications group Telefónica S.A., headquartered in Madrid. With operations in 14 countries and a customer base of base of approximately 345 million connections, the group is one of the world’s biggest telecommunications providers.

About Blue PlanetBlue Planet, a division of Ciena (NYSE: CIEN), provides market-leading intelligent automation software and specialized professional services to help customers modernize their IT and network operations. Driven by policy and AI-based insights, Blue Planet delivers the closed-loop automation tools needed to align IT and networking processes—critical to facilitating digital transformation. For updates on Blue Planet, visit www.blueplanet.com.

Note to Ciena Investors
You are encouraged to review the Investors section of our website, 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. This press release contains certain forward-looking statements that are based on our current expectations, forecasts, information and assumptions. These statements involve inherent risks and uncertainties.  Actual results or outcomes may differ materially from those stated or implied, because of risks and uncertainties, including those detailed in our most recent annual and quarterly reports filed with the SEC. Forward-looking statements include statements regarding our  expectations, beliefs, intentions or strategies and can be identified by 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.