Virgin Media Business Leverages Ciena to Provide Lightning Fast, High-Capacity Services for UK Cloud Services Provider

Core network extension allows Virgin Media Business customers to move large volumes of data between sites quickly and securely

HANOVER, Md. — 09/12/2013

Ciena^® Corporation (NASDAQ:CIEN, news, filings), the network specialist, today announced that Virgin Media Business is deploying Ciena’s converged packet optical solutions to provide Data Centre Interconnect services to Redstation, a UK data centre operator and cloud service provider. This deployment showcases how Virgin Media Business can deploy high capacity managed services to satisfy growing demands from customers like Redstation for server virtualisation, distributed storage and data backup, cloud computing and big data.

Key Facts:

• With high-performance capacity scalable to 100G per wavelength, Virgin Media Business can grow its revenue by enabling customers such as Redstation to deliver hosted IT and cloud services to improve their end-customers’ business operations. Redstation will also be able to avoid data bottlenecks during peak traffic times, so its customers don’t need to be concerned about downtime or temporary loss of access to data.

• Ciena’s 6500 Packet-Optical Platform, equipped with third generation WaveLogic Coherent Optical Processors and advanced ROADM bridge features, will allow Virgin Media Business to quickly and efficiently extend 100G managed wavelength services from its network core to end customers. ROADM functionality ensures full agility for the addition and routing of new wavelengths, providing the flexibility to dial up services as needed to meet Redstation’s specific requirements.

• Virgin Media Business will also leverage Ciena’s advanced management solutions, including the OneControl Unified Management System, for simplified low-touch service management, which provides rapid service delivery, comprehensive service visualization, and robust network monitoring.

• Redstation is expected to introduce its high-capacity network in its two Hampshire-based data centres before the end of 2013.

Executive Comments: 

• “Today’s businesses are becoming more reliant on cloud computing, mobile broadband and networks that support faster and more reliable data transfer between sites. With Ciena’s technology, we are able to offer high capacity services that enable Redstation to support its customers growing demand for more bandwidth.”
  –      Jason King, head of business partners at Virgin Media Business

• “Enterprise demand for bandwidth is increasing daily, and service providers need a flexible, scalable infrastructure in place to meet customer demand. Our OPⁿ architecture and industry-leading packet-optical solutions give operators like Virgin Media Business the ability to modernize and monetize their networks to not only meet demand, but to quickly and cost-effectively introduce new managed services to enable cloud computing and server virtualization that help drive new business and revenue opportunities.”
  –      Nick Walden, regional managing director, Northern Europe at Ciena

Technology Background:

• Ciena was recently named as the worldwide leader in Optical Packet Platforms in the recent Optical Transport Quarterly Report issued by analyst firm Dell’Oro Group.
• Architected for network modernization, Ciena’s 6500 converges comprehensive Ethernet, TDM and WDM capabilities into a single platform to support cost-effective delivery of emerging and existing services—from the access edge to the backbone core.
• OPⁿ is Ciena’s approach for building open and programmable next-generation networks with flexible architectures and service offerings, providing differentiated network operator benefits for a myriad of applications, including: wireless backhaul, data center connectivity, cloud networks and private network builds.
• Ciena is the pioneer and market leader of coherent optical technology with 27,000 coherent 40G/100G line interfaces shipped to over 150 customers across the globe, with more than 25 million coherent kilometers deployed.

Supporting Resources:

• Product Overview: 6500 Packet-Optical Platform
• Product Overview: OneControl Unified Management System
• Application Note: Coherent Optical Processing for High-Capacity Networks
• Video: What is Coherent Optical Networking?
• White Paper: Cloud Networking: Data Center Without Walls

About Virgin Media Business
Virgin Media Business is the largest business-to-business Virgin brand and part of the Virgin Media group, the UK’s first provider of all four broadband, TV, mobile phone and home phone services. The division prides itself on delivering innovative, high quality solutions that break down the barriers facing UK organisations today.

Businesses and public sector organisations around the country are using the Virgin Media Business network and skilled service teams to deliver far more than just high speed connectivity.

Staff are located at 40 offices across the country, meaning Virgin Media Business really is closer to its customers. Organisations working with Virgin Media Business include Knight Frank, Telefonica, London Grid for Learning, Hampshire Fire and Rescue and Cambridge County Council.

It has the UK’s only nationwide fibre optic network, carrying 35 per cent of all business broadband traffic and is already able to reach 85 per cent of businesses in the UK.

Virgin Media is a part of Liberty Global plc, the world’s largest international cable company. Together Virgin Media and Liberty Global serve 25 million customers across 14 countries, helping connect people to the digital world and enabling them to discover and experience its endless possibilities.

To see analysis on the current issues surrounding business-to-business telecoms please visit our blog or get involved at http://twitter.com/vmbusiness.

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. Ciena leverages its deep expertise in packet and optical networking and distributed software automation to deliver solutions in alignment with OPⁿ, its approach for building open 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 11, 2013. 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.

Kacie Levy
Ciena Corporation
+1 (410) 865-8964
pr@ciena.com

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