Comcast Upgrades to Ciena’s Newest 100G Technology

Nation’s largest MSO is using Ciena’s WaveLogic 3 technology to further advance infrastructure and create energy efficiencies

HANOVER, Md. & PHILADELPHIA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Ciena^® Corporation (NASDAQ: CIEN), the network specialist, today announced that it is providing next-generation 100G coherent optical technology to Comcast Cable for use in its core network. Ciena’s 6500 Packet-Optical Platform equipped with third generation WaveLogic coherent optical line interfaces – the industry’s first software-programmable coherent technology that scales to 400G – gives service providers like Comcast a cost-effective, scalable way to further enhance their networks while supporting continued broadband growth.

“Service providers are continuously looking for new ways to meet the needs of their customers while extracting the most value out of their vast network infrastructures”

This deployment will help Comcast to continue satisfying growing customer demand for high-speed, high-capacity services and applications, such as HD video, mobile data and cloud computing. It also will help Comcast more easily evolve its network and create energy efficiencies by reducing the number of network components, including optical regenerators required in its network.

“Adding Ciena’s WaveLogic 3 to our already installed 6500 Packet-Optical Platforms lets us leverage that investment to deliver more content, faster Internet speeds and enable new cloud-based applications for our customers, while also providing future core 400G scalability,” said Kevin McElearney, senior vice president, Network Engineering, at Comcast Cable. “As we scale beyond our 100G network, Ciena’s coherent optical technology will help us to deliver on our ongoing commitment to maintain and operate a high-performance, feature-rich advanced network.”

Ciena’s coherent optical technology, a critical component of the company’s OPⁿ architecture, gives service providers advanced signal regeneration capabilities and is programmable for capacity, reach and latency.

“Service providers are continuously looking for new ways to meet the needs of their customers while extracting the most value out of their vast network infrastructures,” said Francois Locoh-Donou, senior vice president, Global Products Group at Ciena. “Through a combination of consultative customer engagements based on network analytics and transformational planning, along with state-of-the-art 100G technology, we are able to help customers like Comcast transform network infrastructure so that they can meet escalating bandwidth and service demands.”

Ciena is also providing Comcast with network management system capabilities and a range of professional services via its Ciena Specialist Services portfolio, including furnishing and installation.

Ciena and Comcast have a long-standing relationship. Comcast has been deploying Ciena’s coherent 40G and 100G technologies across its national fiber network since 2009. More recently, Comcast deployed Ciena’s packet networking solutions to support its Metro Ethernet services offering. In addition, Comcast Business Class, a division of Comcast Cable, is a Managed Service Provider partner in Ciena’s BizConnect partner program.

Technology Background:

• The industry’s first software-programmable coherent technology that scales to 400G, WaveLogic 3 coherent optical processors enable service providers to accelerate the move to dynamic, software-defined Terabit networking while improving network economics. WaveLogic-powered networks change the game in optical networking by making the optical layer more intelligent and responsive to application needs—an increasingly critical requirement in today’s dynamic and cloud-centric networks.
• Ciena is the pioneer and market leader of coherent optical technology with 20,000 coherent 40G/100G line interfaces shipped to over 100 customers across the globe, with more than 20 million coherent kilometers deployed.
• OPⁿ is Ciena’s approach for building open, programmable next-generation networks that scale and automatically adapt to handle the changes created by cloud/data center migration, mobile broadband and the growing demand for high-bandwidth applications and services.

Supporting Resources:

• Chalk Talk Video: WaveLogic 3
• Application Note: Enabling a Bigger and Smarter Network with WaveLogic 3
• Coherent Application Note: Coherent Optical Processing for High-Capacity Networks
• Data Sheet :6500 Packet-Optical Platform
• Video: What is Coherent Optical Networking?
• Ciena Insights: Proving that 100G is real today
• White Paper: OPⁿ Network Architecture

About Comcast Cable:

Comcast Cable is the nation's largest video, high-speed Internet and phone provider to residential customers under the XFINITY brand and also provides these services to businesses. Comcast has invested in technology to build an advanced network that delivers among the fastest broadband speeds, and brings customers personalized video, communications and home management offerings. Comcast Corporation (Nasdaq: CMCSA, CMCSK) is a global media and technology company. Visit www.comcastcorporation.com for more information.

About Ciena

Ciena 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 OPⁿ, its approach for building open 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. We routinely post recent news, financial results and other important announcements and information about Ciena on our website. For more information, visit www.ciena.com.

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-K, which Ciena filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on December 21, 2012. 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.