CIENA Integrates Packet Switching into Intelligent Metro Access and Transport Solutions

Business Wire, June 14, 2004

Business Editors/High-Tech Writers

SCTE Cable-Tec Expo 2004

SUPERCOMM 2004

LINTHICUM, Md.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--June 14, 2004

Company Introduces Layer 2 Packet Switching On Former Internet

Photonics Platforms To Help Drive Revenue-Generating Services For

Cable Operators and Service Providers

CIENA(R) Corporation (Nasdaq: CIEN) today announced the integration of Layer 2 packet switching capabilities in both its CN 4300 Managed Optical Transport and Switching Platform and its CN 2300 Managed Optical Services Multiplexer (formally the LightStack GSLAM and LightStack MXA respectively). These developments underscore CIENA's strategic evolution to a leading provider of intelligent service creation and delivery solutions for cable operator, service provider and enterprise customers from Core to Door(TM). The new features will be demonstrated at CIENA's booths at Cable-Tec Expo (booth #2935, June 15-18 in Orlando, Fla.) and at SUPERCOMM (booth #23815, June 22-24 in Chicago).

Integrated packet switching at the central office or cable headend via the CN 4300, and at the point of access via the CN 2300, significantly enhances the business case for cable operators and service providers who are rolling out triple-play services for residential and commercial customers. By integrating intelligent Layer 1 and Layer 2 technology, CIENA creates a carrier-grade packet switch that can consolidate routing to a few locations, significantly reducing network complexity and enabling a high-bandwidth, low fixed-latency services transport network thoroughfare. This allows CIENA's customers to support any mix of service applications (voice, video, data and storage) over a single optical infrastructure and converge around IP packet networks without the complexity and expense of putting routers at every network hop.

"CIENA has built a true carrier-grade packet switch with full redundancy, integrated optical protection switching and separation of the data and management planes, which enables our customers to deliver in-service upgrades. We've combined these features with the reliability, availability and scalability that always have been inherent in our platforms," said Gary Southwell, vice president of marketing for CIENA's Metro and Enterprise Solutions Group. "Our customers can now deploy one platform for transport and switching at 30-50 percent less cost than the competition, which significantly reduces network cost and complexity."

"Adelphia intends to deliver our services via the most scalable, reliable, and flexible multiservice network possible. This converged network should allow us to deliver advanced services to both residential and business customers without building out separate infrastructures for separate services," said Harold Willison, director of transport design and engineering, Adelphia. "CIENA is helping us with this initiative. The combination of CIENA's Layer 1 VirtualWire(TM)* technology and new integrated Layer 2 packet switching capabilities should enable us to create a more reliable and scalable multiservice network. Another benefit of adding packet switching to CIENA's transport solution is that we should be able to leverage transport and switching at the edge of the network and centralize the routing to major headends, which significantly reduces capital costs and operational complexity."

Cable Applications

CIENA's CN 4300 and CN 2300 packet switching platforms enable cable operators to transport and switch applications such as Video on Demand (VoD), cable modem high-speed data, Voice over IP (VoIP), High Definition Television (HDTV), and more over one converged infrastructure.

In VoD applications, integrated packet switching technology allows partially filled VoD server links to be aggregated to full wire rate Gigabit Ethernet (GbE) signals. Additionally, the CN 4300 provides content switching so that programs on any server can be streamed to any set-top box regardless of its location. This is in contrast to today's VoD networks, in which servers are often dedicated on a per-hub or edge QAM (quadrature-amplitude modulation) basis and not fully utilized, even during peak periods.

For high-speed data and CMTS (Cable Modem Termination System) transport applications, the enhanced CN 4300 and CN 2300 platforms can switch and aggregate high-speed data to fully fill GbE ports on Internet routers, reducing the number of expensive router ports required. The CN 4300 also works with the CN 2200 Managed Optical Services Multiplexer (formerly LightStack MX) for mixed applications where intelligent Layer 2 operations are concentrated to a few locations. This solution delivers flexibility and cost optimization in network designs by allowing all traffic to be brought back on VirtualWire channels to a centralized integrated Layer 2 switching function.

VoIP traffic can be cost-effectively switched and sent on to voice gateways and call management servers. Separate signaling and bearer VLANs can be set up to facilitate efficient centralized or distributed call routing schemes. This minimizes end-to-end latency by reducing the number of routing hops and leads to higher voice quality. Microsecond restoration techniques allow line cuts to go unnoticed by callers instead of dropping calls, as typically happens with today's distributed routing approach.