Fastest-growing mobile communications and technology provider in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia will enhance network capabilities with Ciena’s Carrier Ethernet and optical technologies
LINTHICUM, Md. — 01/25/2011
Ciena® Corporation (NASDAQ:CIEN, news, filings), the network specialist, today announced it was selected by Saudi Arabia’s telecoms operator Mobily to build a highly resilient, adaptable and scalable nationwide network to effectively address dramatic traffic growth and support the roll out of new services while reducing overall operational costs. Mobily selected solutions from across Ciena’s portfolio – including Carrier Ethernet, optical transport and switching, as well as management and maintenance services – to bring Ethernet services to the network edge and integrate packet-optical switching and transport through the network core.
The Middle East is driving major growth across the telecommunications landscape, with significant increases in mobile and fixed broadband penetration, regional IT projects, as well as investments in new regional and international markets. As Saudi Arabia’s fastest growing mobile communications and technology provider, owning more than 40 percent of the country’s mobile market, Mobily is focused on supporting high-bandwidth applications and enabling the reliable delivery of consumer and business services, including mobile TV, video on demand and high-speed Internet access. To maintain its market leadership position, Mobily realized the need for a substantial infrastructure investment and selected solutions from Ciena to form the foundation of its new network.
Ciena’s Packet-Optical Transport platforms will provide up to a tenfold capacity increase, enabling Mobily to scale and optimize its network to support the delivery of advanced services and applications. In order to better manage the growth in traffic, Ciena’s Packet-Optical Switching solutions will utilize OTN and distributed intelligence to increase network automation and resiliency. Additionally, a range of switches from Ciena’s Carrier Ethernet Service Delivery portfolio enable the operator to cost-effectively support Carrier Ethernet-based mobile backhaul as well as Ethernet aggregation and delivery of high-velocity business and transport Carrier Ethernet services to its customer base.
“As our capacity needs and services portfolio mature, our Ciena-based next-generation network will be instrumental in ensuring we address our customers’ critical business challenges and evolving demands, from the network edge all the way through to the core,” said Abdul Aziz Al Tamami, Chief Operations Officer at Mobily. “After evaluating all of our options, we selected Ciena for its ability to extend the value of our current network investment while providing a seamless upgrade path to 100 Gbps and a smooth transition to OTN, positioning us well for further growth in high-bandwidth services.”
Ciena’s Country Manager for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Yasser Alobaidan, commented, “With applications such as video, teleconferencing and cloud computing driving bandwidth growth, there is an ever-rising demand for capacity in the Middle East. Our relationship with Mobily demonstrates Ciena’s commitment to the region by providing a future-proof network that will scale to support this provider’s impressive growth and enable quick turn up of new services.”
He continued, “This win also illustrates the value of Ciena’s entire next-generation portfolio, which is focused on providing scalable optical, economical Ethernet and intelligent software technologies designed to help customers advance their strategic initiatives by offering efficiency and reliability for all traffic types and applications.”
Based on market-leading packet-optical transport and switching technologies, Mobily’s upgraded core and metro network architecture will combine Ciena’s ActivFlex 6500 Packet-Optical Platform and ActivFlex 5430 Reconfigurable Switching System for an initial transport capacity increase of up to 40 Gbps per wavelength, with a seamless upgrade path to 100 Gbps as bandwidth requirements change over time. Converging layers zero, one and two, the Ciena platforms will also allow Mobily to cost-effectively deploy a combination of TDM and data services, while providing a smooth migration path to a fully packet-switched environment, including packet-optical switching capacity increases of up to 3.6 Tbps of capacity that can scale up to 15 Tbps as the carrier’s requirements evolve.
In addition, Mobily’s network will take advantage of Ciena’s LE-311v Service Delivery Switch, ActivEdge 5410 Service Aggregation Switch and ActivEdge 3900 series of Service Delivery Switches to support Carrier Ethernet-based mobile backhaul and Ethernet business services. Moreover, Mobily will leverage network management and maintenance services from Ciena’s Specialist Services practice, which deliver critical network operations and support functions.
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. With focused innovation, Ciena brings together the reliability and capacity of optical networking with the flexibility and economics of Ethernet, unified by a software suite that delivers the industry’s leading network automation. 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.
About Mobily
Mobily, the brand name of Etihad Etisalat, took its first step in becoming the Kingdom’s monopoly-breaking mobile operator when it won a tender against five other competing consortiums in the summer of 2004. Mobily is the 1st Saudi communications company to get an operation license for 3rd generation services and beyond. In March 2008, Mobily was granted approval by CITC (Communication and Information Technology Commission) to acquire Bayanat al-Oula which was a licensed Data Service Provider. Few months later, Mobily acquired absolute majority stakes in Zajil, the leading Saudi ISP (Internet Service Provider). Mobily owns vast majority shares in the Saudi National Fiber Network (SNFN) composed with 12,800 KM of structured fiber cable, panned into 7 fully protected rings covering 35 Saudi cities plus access to 60 major hub sites for telecommunications prime points of presence, and complimented with 20 inter-metropolis fiber loops in major Saudi cities.
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 22, 2010. 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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