AT&T Deploys CIENA's MultiWave Metro Intelligent Optical Transport Systems.

Business Editors/Hi-Tech Writers

LINTHICUM, Md.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 22, 2001

CIENA Corporation (NASDAQ:CIEN), a global provider of intelligent optical networking systems and software, today announced that AT&T has successfully tested, certified and begun deployment of CIENA's MultiWave Metro(TM) intelligent optical transport system.

AT&T provides competitive local services to business customers in 71 major markets nationwide and plans to deploy CIENA's MultiWave Metro platform in a number of those networks to provide up to 24 wavelengths of protected OC-48 or OC-192 capacity per fiber. AT&T already is carrying "live" customer traffic using CIENA systems in its Los Angeles metro network.

"MultiWave Metro provides the capacity and flexibility needed to support the next generation of advanced communications services," said George Gawrys, transport network planning director for AT&T. "CIENA's expertise in optical networking technology will help ensure AT&T's continued delivery of cost-effective and reliable high-speed data services across our metropolitan area networks."

"As one of the world's leading providers of voice, Internet, data and video services, AT&T requires optimal network performance. We're pleased AT&T has selected CIENA to help build its metropolitan networks with intelligent solutions for greater speed, capacity and efficiency," said Gary Smith, president and chief executive officer for CIENA.

MultiWave Metro is a leading system for high-capacity (up to 10Gbps) optical service transport and protection in metropolitan networks. The Metro platform supports multiple topologies, protocols and protection arrangements on the same fiber pair and in the same network node.