Ciena Announces 5400 Family for New Era of Modular, Software-Defined Networking

Mobile broadband, digital video, software as a service, virtualized information environments and other bandwidth-intensive services are accelerating network transition from SONET/SDH to Ethernet and OTN while also requiring transmission speeds to scale from 10G through 40G and to 100G. Facing this situation, operators must deal with the increasingly high cost of scaling pure IP networks, the complexity of converging multiple service-specific networks and the difficulty of automating service provisioning while controlling capital expenditures across disparate data and optical equipment. Consequently, service providers now need more agile, service-driven networks for creating, provisioning and delivering new, differentiated services while driving down operational costs. This transition requires an underlying service-enabling infrastructure that is dynamic, resilient, multiservice, packet-optimized and automated.

To address this demand, Ciena's 5400 family establishes a new level of flexibility by introducing reconfigurable switching elements that can be used to address immediate service needs, such as in networks today that carry packets across TDM infrastructure, and reconfigured in the future to migrate those networks to leverage Ethernet and OTN. With its modular approach, the 5400 family reduces upfront capital costs and protects network investments over time by enabling service providers to pay only for what they need, when and where they need it in their network -- across geographies, market segments or even different parts of one network. The 5400 family integrates its own patent-pending technology with configurable components of the field-proven control plane of CoreDirector(R), market-leading OTN and FlexiPort(TM) technology of the CN 4200(R) FlexSelect(R) Advanced Services Platform and the True Carrier Ethernet(R) functionality of the Carrier Ethernet Services Delivery (CESD) portfolio. Based on this combination, Ciena's 5400 family can be configured and reconfigured at any time for a variety of high-capacity optical, TDM or packet functions, including optical cross-connect switching, optical transport, Carrier Ethernet switching or converged packet-optical networking.

"Packet-optical networking is at the very beginning of a significant migration -- moving from its metro origins and into the core network. With the launch of the 5400, Ciena puts itself at the forefront of this major new market segment," said Sterling Perrin, senior analyst at Heavy Reading. "Keys to success in the packet-optical core will be efficiently combining optical transport, optical switching, and packet switching in a single device. Ciena's approach stands out due to its modular hardware and common software architecture that allows operators to use specific functions where they need them and when they need them."

The 5400 Family of Reconfigurable Switching Systems is interoperable with Ciena's new CoreDirector FS [see related announcement: "Ciena Announces CoreDirector FS for Evolving Networks to Ethernet and OTN"] and the installed base of its CoreDirector, CN 4200 and CESD products. A key ingredient in the 5400 family is Ciena OneOS, common service-aware operating software that unifies capabilities and behaviors as well as provides network and service awareness. With OneOS, Ciena products work together across the network enabling solutions that span the data, control and management planes to create highly-differentiated, automated and resilient optical and data services.

"Our approach to building networks has always been a flexible and dynamic one that recognizes each network is different and cannot be served by static, monolithic boxes. The 5400 family highlights this by combining our best R&D innovations -- from intelligent control plane automation, granular OTN, FlexiPorts, connection-oriented Ethernet, MPLS and others -- that can be mixed and matched and changed over time into the optimal solution for each customer, application or network location," said Steve Alexander, chief technology officer, Ciena. "The unparalleled flexibility of the 5400 family finally 'de-layers' the network and underscores our goal of building service-enabling infrastructures featuring fewer boxes, cards and wavelengths that require less manual intervention, each powered by common operating and management software to increase network automation and accelerate service delivery."

Initial products in the 5400 family will include the 5430 Reconfigurable Switching System and the 5410 Reconfigurable Switching System. The first release of the 5430 is a 44 RU, 30-slot system with 3.6 Terabits per second (Tbps) of capacity, while the 5410 is a 22 RU, 10-slot system with 1.2 Tbps of capacity. Both platforms are designed to scale beyond the initial capacities, up to 7.2 Tbps, as market demand evolves. All members of the 5400 family will share modules and software so customers can optimize each switch for the application, bandwidth, space, power and cost requirements of specific locations in their network. Initial 5400 Reconfigurable Switching Systems will be in lab trials with customers later this year with general availability in the first half of 2010. Additional enhancements and platforms are expected to be available later in 2010.

About Ciena Ciena specializes in practical network transition. We offer leading network infrastructure solutions, intelligent software and a comprehensive services practice to help our customers use their networks to fundamentally change the way they compete. With a global presence, Ciena leverages its heritage of practical innovation to deliver maximum performance and economic value in communications networks worldwide. 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 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 3, 2009. 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.

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SOURCE: Ciena Corporation

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