Cegetel Selects Ciena's Next-Generation Core Systems to Increase Performance for Broadband Applications.

LINTHICUM, Md. & PARIS -- Ciena's CoreStream Agility Platform Creates Additional Capacity and Improves Cegetel's Service Delivery Capabilities

Ciena(R) Corporation (Nasdaq:CIEN), the network specialist, today announced that Cegetel has selected Ciena's next-generation optical transport systems to improve the performance and reliability of the French operator's national long-haul network and to facilitate new revenue opportunities via more efficient broadband service delivery.

Cegetel, France's leading alternative telecommunications carrier, will deploy Ciena's CoreStream(TM) Agility for increased capacity and flexibility in its core network to support the adoption of high-capacity services at the network edge. CoreStream mitigates bandwidth obstacles for Cegetel to ease the deployment of high-value services as Cegetel's consumer, enterprise, operator and ISP customers place increasing demands on the network with broadband applications.

"Following a competitive tender process for core infrastructure, we chose to continue our successful relationship with Ciena, whose historical leadership in the fiber optic network market ensures that we generate greater value from our network. The expertise of a partner like Ciena is critical to our success as we continuously evolve to meet customer demand for next-generation services," said Francis Costamania, general manager, Cegetel Network. "In particular, the abundance of broadband and multimedia applications Cegetel offers today means that our core fiber optic network plays a central role in the efficient delivery of services such as DSL, UMTS, voice over IP, Gigabit Ethernet and online storage. Ciena's CoreStream Agility assures us of that."

Building on a working relationship of more than seven years between the two companies, the contract was awarded after an extensive consultation and selection process involving vendors from Europe and Asia in addition to the United States. CoreStream Agility provides Cegetel greater levels of bandwidth and reliability across its core network via WDM (wavelength division multiplexing) and the incorporation of innovative technologies such as tunable lasers, intelligent add and drop systems, and next-generation transponders to offer the most cost-effective, flexible and reliable solution for delivering advanced services.

"This contract with Cegetel reflects our ongoing commitment to the European market and our ability to solve critical network challenges for customers across the region with innovative technologies. It also demonstrates that in addition to Ciena's specialist expertise in other high-growth areas - including broadband access and carrier-class Ethernet - we maintain our strong leadership position and commitment to core networking," said Eric Sele, Ciena's managing director for Southern Europe, Middle East and Africa. "We are dedicated to enabling high-value applications while optimizing network performance and economics to help customers like Cegetel deliver a wider range of services through their networks."

About Ciena's CoreStream Agility

CoreStream Agility delivers agile WDM for new levels of network flexibility and efficiency by enabling rerouting of signals and reconfiguration of network traffic via software. Capable of routing 2.5 Gigabit and 10 Gigabit wavelengths, with migration to 40G wavelengths, for long-haul and ultra long-haul (ULH) network routes, CoreStream Agility also delivers an all-optical bypass to eliminate optical-electrical-optical (OEO) signal conversions and transceivers, allowing capital-cost savings that grow as the network scales. Additionally, the system lowers ongoing operational costs by automating end-to-end service provisioning and management, inventory and resource tracking, and dynamic power management.

ABOUT CIENA

Ciena Corporation is the network specialist, focused on expanding the possibilities for its customers' networks while reducing their cost of ownership. The company's systems, software and services target and cure specific network pain points so that telcos, cable operators, governments and enterprises can best exploit the new applications that are driving their businesses forward. For more information, visit www.ciena.com.

ABOUT CEGETEL

Cegetel, created by the merger between Cegetel and Telecom Developpement and which is jointly owned by the SFR Cegetel Group and SNCF, has played a leading role in opening up the fixed telecommunications market to competition and is now the number one alternative fixed telecommunications operator in France, with an overall market share of 10% in all customer segments - residential, business, carriers and ISPs.

Cegetel has 3.8 million residential and small office/home office (SOHO) customers and more than 20,000 corporate customers. Cegetel owns its own world-class backbone, which consists of a 22,800 kilometre cable optical fibre network connected to all the major networks in other countries. Cegetel recorded a turnover of 1.35 billion euros during 2003. For more information go to www.cegetel.fr.

NOTE TO INVESTORS

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-K, which Ciena filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on December 9, 2004. 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.