Ciena's Multiwave Sentry 4000 to be Deployed by Japan Telecom.

LINTHICUM, Md.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 22, 1998--CIENA Corporation (NASDAQ:CIEN) announced today that Japan Telecom has selected CIENA's MultiWave Sentry(TM) 4000 dense wavelength division multiplexing (DWDM) system for deployment in its national fiber optic network. Shipments to Japan Telecom have already begun.

In 1997, Japan Telecom selected CIENA's 16-channel MultiWave Sentry for its first installation of DWDM. This new contract marks the first time a 40-channel capable DWDM system will be deployed in Asia. Installation is expected to begin during the fourth quarter of 1998.

"By building the infrastructure for 40-channels, we will be able to quickly provide capacity as the demand for telecommunications and data services increases," said Nobuhisa Osada, director technology and engineering at Japan Telecom.

"The explosive growth in data services has made it increasingly important for emerging and competitive carriers like Japan Telecom to build in future network scalability today," said Gary Smith, CIENA's vice president of global sales. "CIENA's MultiWave Sentry 4000 enables service providers to add capacity where and when their networks require it - efficiently and economically."

Nissho Electronics Corporation (NELCO) will continue to supply, install and service CIENA's products in conjunction with the CIENA Communications Inc. Japan branch, which was formed in the fall or 1997. NOTE TO INVESTORS:

Forward-looking statements in this release are based on information available to the Company as of the date hereof. The Company's actual results could differ materially from those stated or implied by such forward-looking statements, due to risks and uncertainties associated with the Company's business, which include, among others, its dependence on its major customers and their spending patterns, competition, an effective manufacturing transition to multiple product lines, and the overall management of its expansion. The forward-looking statements should be considered in the context of these and other risk factors disclosed in the Company's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on September 14, 1998. ABOUT CIENA

Based in Linthicum, Maryland, CIENA Corporation is a worldwide market leader of open architecture, dense wavelength division multiplexing (DWDM) systems for long-distance and local exchange carriers. CIENA's DWDM solutions include the MultiWave(R) 1600 long-haul transport system, WaveWatcher(R) network management software, the MultiWave Optical Add/Drop Multiplexer, the MultiWave Sentry(TM) enhanced long-distance transport system and the new MultiWave(R) Firefly and MultiWave Metro(TM) short-haul systems. Through its Alta subsidiary, based in Norcross, GA, CIENA provides a range of engineering, furnishing and installation (EF&I) services for telecommunications service providers in the areas of transport, switching and wireless communications.

Additional information about CIENA can be found on its World Wide Website: http://www.ciena.com.