BT Expands 21CN Using Ciena’s Next Generation of High Bandwidth Optical DWDM Technology

Secures global contract for coherent 100G solutions equipped with intelligent switching technology; deepens cross-portfolio relationship with leading network operator

LINTHICUM, Md., U.S.A. and LONDON — 12/01/2011

Ciena® Corporation (NASDAQ:CIEN, news, filings), the network specialist, today announced its selection as vendor for BT’s 21st Century Network (21CN), reinforcing Ciena’s position as a strategic supplier for one of the world’s leading communications services companies. The resilient, adaptable and scalable architecture from Ciena will underpin BT’s next generation broadband and Ethernet efforts, which include an expanded portfolio of high-bandwidth technology applications to homes and businesses, and will also enable the company to utilise 40G and 100G technology in the core of its network.

Key Facts

• Ciena’s network implementation for BT will follow an aggressive timeline, with the commercial roll-out scheduled to begin by end of calendar 2011. The initial roll-out will include a single photonic layer covering BT’s extensive network throughout the UK.
• The intelligent infrastructure will be based on Ciena’s 6500 Packet-Optical Platform equipped with WaveLogic^™ coherent optical processors that support 10G and 40G/100G wavelengths working side by side – offering BT a smooth migration path to 100G and beyond, and addressing the network operator’s constantly growing capacity demands.
• The 6500 platform will also offer integrated OTN switching with the industry’s most advanced control plane functionality, which gives BT unparalleled network intelligence to optimise support of a wide range of traffic types and seamlessly enable the delivery of groomed wavelength services to its enterprise customers.
• In addition, Ciena’s technology will deliver ROADM functionality, which enables BT’s 21st Century Network to require fewer network elements while enabling simplified operations, resulting in a fully agile network that supports differentiated services and significant reduction in operating expenses.
• In deploying solutions from across Ciena’s portfolio for transport and switching functionality, including 6500 and 4200 platforms, BT is taking advantage of Ciena’s multi-layer, multi-domain management suite – OneControl – for seamless management. The unified management system will be integrated into BT’s existing operations support systems, offering comprehensive service lifecycle control and monitoring for the entire network.

Ciena & BT

• Ciena has been a strategic supplier to BT since 2003, with a deep relationship and shared responsibility for building reliable, service-enabling networks.
• Ciena serves as the foundation for much of BT’s existing infrastructure, spanning high-capacity transport and advanced optical switching domains with more than 7,000 network elements deployed across Europe.

Executive Comments

• “Our long-standing relationship with Ciena has enabled us to bring targeted innovation to market ahead of our competition. This deployment underpins BT’s product range and in particular supports growth in Wholesale Broadband Connect and Managed Ethernet Access Service.   Ciena’s leading technology and unique approach to customer partnerships served as key components in our supplier selection for this strategic deployment. With this new infrastructure, we are continuing to invest for the future by increasing core network capacity, at eventual speeds of 400G, and simplifying management to push our network and services to the next level of performance.”

– Neil J. McRae, Chief Network Architect at BT

• “Service providers are increasingly relying on the expertise of select suppliers to solve critical business challenges. The slow, complicated and costly provisioning of basic consumer and enterprise services combined with the well-established rise in capacity requirements and complexity of network management are major threats facing carriers – and are issues where Ciena’s expertise stands out in building intelligent infrastructures. Ciena’s market-leading coherent technology with integrated OTN and control plane, all managed with OneControl, offers the flexibility, automation, scalability and cost-efficiency needed for a future-proof network and differentiated strategy.”

– François Locoh-Donou, Senior Vice President, Global Products Group at Ciena

Supporting Resources and Multimedia:

• Data Sheet: 6500 Packet-Optical Platform
• Data Sheet: OneControl Unified Management System
• Application Note: Coherent Optical Processing for High-Capacity Networks
• White Paper: Addressing Network Uncertainty with an Intelligent Infrastructure
• White Paper: Key Technology Enablers of 100 Gb/s in Carrier Networks
• White Paper: Intelligent Control Plane Architecture
• Video: Ciena Intelligent Infrastructure Solutions
• Video: What is Coherent Optical Networking?
• Video: Ciena Chalk Talk – OTN
• Video: OneControl Unified Management System

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