For the second year running, Ciena (NASDAQ:CIEN, news, filings), Digicel Fiji, and Southern Cross are coming together to provide schools in Fiji with high-speed internet access of at least 10 Mbps via the Digicel Fiji network. The Assemblies of God High School, Basden Anglican College, and Ratu Sukuna Memorial School in Fiji will enjoy enhanced internet access provided by Project Semata, a joint initiative between the three companies. This current iteration of the project with three new schools will benefit more than 2,000 teachers and students in Suva.

“This great initiative will enable us to be connected to the world, assisting us in the daily teaching and learning process. It will enable teachers to access the latest teaching methods. Students too will be at an advantage with a greater access to a variety of resources which can help them prepare well for any assessment or examination. Communication barriers between all school stakeholders will become a thing of the past and the Internet will be a great enabler for monitoring and informing parents about their child’s performance in school,” said Mr. Waisale Tavatuilagi, Head of School, Basden Anglican College.

“E-learning and teleworking are considered essential to full social and economic inclusion, making internet connectivity a necessity regardless of where you’re based. Through the Ciena Digital Inclusion programme, it is a privilege to once again be working with Digicel Fiji and Southern Cross on Project Semata to address some of the gaps in rural connectivity,” said Mr. Philip Rolle, Regional Managing Director, Subsea, Ciena Asia Pacific.

Digicel Fiji CEO, Mr. Farid Mohammed, said: “Digicel Fiji is thrilled to partner with Ciena and Southern Cross for the second year of Project Semata. This project is essential for bridging the digital divide in Fiji and ensuring that students and teachers have access to the high-speed internet they need to succeed in today’s digital world. By providing enhanced internet access to these schools in Suva, we are empowering them with the tools and resources they need to learn, grow, and thrive.”

“We continue to believe in the critical role broadband connectivity plays in socio-economic development, in particular learning, education, and communication. Southern Cross is committed to supporting this development through high-speed and accessible internet in rural areas of the Pacific, and by collaborating with Ciena and Digicel Fiji we see this commitment come to fruition. Project Semata has been greatly received in improving accessibility of learning materials and empowering the education of students and teachers in Savusavu, and Southern Cross is proud to expand this support into other schools in Fiji,” says Mr. Laurie Miller, Chief Executive Officer, Southern Cross.

In 2023, Project Semata supported three schools in Savusavu, providing around 2,000 teachers and students with reliable and convenient access to high-speed internet to support their learning journey with access to new online learning materials.

About Digicel
At Digicel, we’re bringing the future into the present, enriching the digital lives of every customer we serve. Our people are a direct reflection of our commitment to being the very best in delivering digital services, experiences and connectivity to our 6 markets in the South Pacific. Together, we can do more, experience more, learn more, laugh more, make more, share more, listen more and play more.

About Southern Cross Cable Network
Southern Cross Cable Network provides fast, direct, and secure international bandwidth from Australia, New Zealand, and the Pacific to the heart of the Internet in the USA.  The Southern Cross Cable Network comprises three diverse submarine communications cables from Oceania to the US West coast where global Internet hubs are located. The Southern Cross NEXT cable is the latest high performance express route in the Southern Cross eco-system, providing data centre connectivity between Sydney, Auckland, and Los Angeles.

About Ciena
Ciena (NYSE: CIEN) is a global leader in networking systems, services, and software. We build the most adaptive networks in the industry, enabling customers to anticipate and meet ever-increasing digital demands. For three-plus decades, Ciena has brought our humanity to our relentless pursuit of innovation. Prioritizing collaborative relationships with our customers, partners, and communities, we create flexible, open, and sustainable networks that better serve all users—today and into the future. For updates on Ciena, follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter, the Ciena Insights blog, or visit www.ciena.com.

Note to Ciena Investors
You are encouraged to review the Investors section of our website, 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. This press release contains certain forward-looking statements that are based on our current expectations, forecasts, information and assumptions. These statements involve inherent risks and uncertainties.  Actual results or outcomes may differ materially from those stated or implied, because of risks and uncertainties, including those detailed in our most recent annual and quarterly reports filed with the SEC. Forward-looking statements include statements regarding our  expectations, beliefs, intentions or strategies and can be identified by 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.