Full Description

Ciena Corporation, incorporated in November 1992, is a provider of communications networking equipment, software and services that support the transport, switching, aggregation and management of voice, video, and data traffic. The Company’s optical service delivery and carrier Ethernet service delivery products are used individually, or as part of an integrated solution, in communications networks operated by service providers, cable operators, governments and enterprises around the globe. It is a network specialist targeting the transition of disparate, legacy communications networks to converged, next-generation architectures, able to handle traffic and deliver a mix of high-bandwidth communications services. The Company’s products, along with its service-aware operating system and unified service and transport management, enable service providers to deliver critical enterprise and consumer-oriented communication services. On March 3, 2008, the Company completed acquisition of World Wide Packets, Inc. (WWP).

Optical Service Delivery

The Company’s optical service delivery portfolio includes transport and switching platforms that act as automated optical infrastructures for the delivery of a variety of enterprise and consumer-oriented network services. These products address both the core and metro segments of communications networks, as well as key managed service and enterprise applications. The Company’s principal core switching product is its CoreDirector Multiservice Optical Switch. CoreDirector is a multiservice, multi-protocol switching system that consolidates the functionality of an add/drop multiplexer, digital cross-connect and packet aggregator, into a single, high-capacity intelligent switching system. CoreDirector’s mesh capability creates networks. In addition to its application in core networks, CoreDirector is also focused to be used in metro networks for aggregation and forwarding of multiple services, including Ethernet/TDM Private Line, Triple Play and Internet protocol (IP) services.

In nationwide networks, the Company’s CoreDirector switching elements are connected by a long-haul transport infrastructure. Its principal core transport product is CoreStream Agility Optical Transport System. CoreStream Agility is a scalable wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) solution that enables transport of voice, video and data related to a variety of services for core networks, as well as regional and metro networks.

Carrier Ethernet Service Delivery

The Company’s carrier Ethernet service delivery products include service delivery switching and aggregation platforms acquired from WWP, its broadband access products for residential services and its Ethernet access products for enterprise broadband services. These products allow customers to utilize the automation and capacity created by its optical service delivery products in core and metro networks and to deliver new, revenue-generating services to consumers and enterprises. The Company’s carrier Ethernet service delivery products have applications from the edge of the metro/core network to the customer premises. It’s CN 3000 Ethernet Access Series platforms extend Ethernet services to customer sites, regardless of whether they are connected to the service provider’s network by copper or fiber access lines. The principal products for consumer broadband are CNX-5 Broadband DSL System and CNX-5Plus Modular Broadband Loop Carrier.

Unified Software and Service Management Tools

The Company’s optical service delivery and carrier Ethernet service delivery products include a shared suite of embedded operating system software and network management software tools that serve to unify its product portfolio and provide the underlying automation and management features. ON-Center Network & Service Management Suite, the Company’s integrated network and service management software, is designed to simplify network management and operation across its portfolio. ON-Center can track individual services across multiple product suites, facilitating planned network maintenance, outage detection and identification of customers or services affected by network troubles.

Consulting and Support Services

The Company offers a range of consulting and support services that help customers design, deploy and operationalize their services. It provides these professional services through its internal services resources, as well as through service partners. Its services portfolio includes network analysis, planning and design; network optimization and tuning; project management, including staging, site preparation and installation activities; deployment services, including turnkey installation and turn-up and test services, and maintenance and support services, including helpdesk and technical assistance and training, spares and logistics management, software updates, engineering dispatch, advanced technical support, and hardware and software warranty extensions.

The Company competes with Alcatel-Lucent, Cisco, Ericsson, Fujitsu, Huawei, Nokia Siemens Networks, Nortel, Tellabs, ADVA and Infinera.