Saudi Telecom Company Deploys High-Capacity International Mesh Network Powered by Ciena

Enables resilient OTN and Ethernet service delivery across major routes from Saudi Arabia to France

HANOVER, Md.& RIYADH, Saudi Arabia–(BUSINESS WIRE)–

Saudi Telecom Company (STC) is deploying a resilient, next-generation network (NGN) based on Ciena’s converged packet-optical platforms, as well as GeoMesh networking technology. This network solution maximizes the potential of STC’s existing global submarine and terrestrial investments by enabling flexible, high-capacity wholesale and enterprise Carrier Ethernet and OTN for Internet connectivity, datacenter interconnect and high-bandwidth cloud services.

Key Facts:

• STC, based in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is the incumbent and the largest telecommunications services provider in the Middle East and North Africa Region. Its international presence spreads across nine countries and includes an international data network that extends to Europe and Asia.
• Ciena’s 5430 Packet-Optical platform, equipped with the WaveLogic 3 Extremechipset and 15 Terabit (Tb/s) hybrid packet OTN switching, together with the 6500 help increase the capacity, agility and reach of STC’s network, ensuring operational simplicity and scalability while supporting the evolution toward software defined networking (SDN). E-Suite packet switch modules on both the 6500 and 5430 allow STC to maximize the number of high speed Ethernet services carried on the network.
• Ciena’s GeoMesh submarine solution ensures survivability even in the case of multiple network outages or submarine fiber cuts, with restoration within 50 milliseconds. As a result, STC can offer applicably vehement service level agreements (SLAs) tailored to its wholesale and enterprise customer requirements. GeoMesh also allows STC customers to take advantage of faster speeds, reduced latency and scalability for seamless global connectivity solutions.
• Additionally, Ciena’s OneControl Unified Management System, OneConnect Intelligent Control Plane and OnePlanner Unified Design System – all part of Ciena’s OPⁿ network architecture – give STC exceptional control over the entire network and enable service activation in a matter of seconds.
• As a member of Ciena’s BizConnect program, STC also benefits from marketing support, service enablement and training.

Executive Comments:

• “Transforming our network to deliver comprehensive and reliable services demonstrates STC’s dedication to its customers. Being a customer-centric operator, STC offers innovative and high-quality services over its leading state-of-the-art network infrastructure. STC ICT regional leadership is emphasized by the deployment of NGN solutions like Ciena’s packet-optical and GeoMesh solutions. These give STC the scalability and speed of services deployment, in tandem with lowering operating costs and supporting STC’s fierce evolution toward NGN capabilities.”
  – Dr. Homoud Al Kussayer, Vice President for Wholesale at STC

• “This deployment further cements our leading position in the submarine market. STC’s strategic network approach coupled with Ciena’s industry-leading solutions ensures that it has the capacity, agility and reliability needed to support current and future web-scale demands.”
  – Benoit de la Tour, Vice President and General Manager EMEA at Ciena

Supporting Resources:

• Product Data Sheet: 5430 Packet-Optical Platform
• Product sheet: 6500
• Video: GeoMesh
• Fact sheet: About STC

About Saudi Telecom Company

Saudi Telecom Company (STC) is the premier provider of information and communications technology (ICT) in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. Its Saudi operations generated over SAR 46.108 billion in revenues in 2014. Launched in 1998, STC empowers millions of consumers across the globe with customer-centric, cutting-edge solutions at the forefront of the knowledge economy. Today, STC comprises 16 local and international companies in 10 countries, with a fiber-optic cable network spanning 137,000 kilometers across Asia, the Middle East, and Europe. Based in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), where it is the top-ranked telecom operator, STC’s network covers more than 99% of populated areas, with a mobile network capacity of 28 million lines, 8.4 million landlines, and broadband capacity of 3.75 million.

About Ciena

Ciena (CIEN) 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 its OPⁿarchitecture for 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. For updates on Ciena news, follow us on Twitter @Ciena or on LinkedIn http://www.linkedin.com/company/ciena. Investors are encouraged to review the Investors section of our website at www.ciena.com/investors, where we routinely post press releases, SEC filings, recent news, financial results, and other announcements. From time to time we exclusively post material information to this website along with other disclosure channels that we use.

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-Q, which Ciena filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on September 9, 2015. 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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