GlobalConnect Selects Ciena for New 10 Gigabit Network; Denmark-Based Telecom Infrastructure Provider Deploys CN 4200 and CN 3600 for New Network Connection Between Copenhagen and Hamburg.

LINTHICUM, Md. -- Ciena(R) Corporation (Nasdaq:CIEN), the network specialist, today announced that following a competitive bidding process, GlobalConnect, a Denmark-based telecom infrastructure provider, has named Ciena its preferred supplier of 10 Gigabit Ethernet (10GbE) DWDM and SDH transport and switching equipment. GlobalConnect has deployed Ciena's CN 4200(TM) FlexSelect(TM) Advanced Services Platform for 10G DWDM metro and regional transport and CN 3600(TM) Intelligent Optical Multiservice Switch for SDH and future Layer 2 Ethernet applications.

GlobalConnect, a leader in communication infrastructure services, selected a combination of Ciena platforms to provide a solution that is not only able to meet the growing market demand for 10G services, but is also flexible enough to enable new services quickly and efficiently with no interruption. In the initial deployments, Ciena's CN 4200 is creating a 10G DWDM backbone for aggregating and transporting Ethernet, IP and other services between Copenhagen and Hamburg. The CN 3600 is optimizing switching between high-capacity, high-order (HO) and low-order (LO) SDH traffic, and affords the flexibility to offer Layer 2 Ethernet services without a forklift upgrade.

Ciena's CN 4200 is the first multiservice transport and service aggregation platform capable of supporting the migration to packet for networks transitioning from TDM, using future-ready technology such as ITU G.709, software-defined service ports and remote service provisioning and management capabilities. The CN 3600 complements the CN 4200 by allowing customers to fully utilize their existing infrastructure with the addition of next-generation Ethernet functionality. Ciena's ON-Center(R) Element and Network Management System supports both products.

"As a success-based carrier, we usually don't have the luxury of deploying equipment before the market demands the services, but with Ciena's solutions we're able to meet the current demand while at the same time establishing a flexible, next-generation network that will allow us to better compete by being ahead of the technology curve," said Peter Olsen, CTO at GlobalConnect. "While we are focused on 10GbE today, our customers may need STM-64 or 10G Fibre Channel tomorrow, so the CN 4200's software-defined service flexibility gives us a future-proof business plan to meet evolving customer demands by adding new services without network disruption."

"This is a significant win for us, not only because it was a competitive environment, but also because it demonstrates the business value of our specialized FlexSelect solutions," said Francois Locoh-Donou, vice president and general manager, EMEA, at Ciena. "Like many of today's carriers, GlobalConnect is faced with a highly-competitive market and shifting customer demands, so having a network that can respond on-demand to current and future customer requests without requiring new equipment or major operational investments is a key building block to a more profitable business."

About Ciena's CN 4200 and CN 3600

Ciena's CN 4200 is the flagship product of Ciena's FlexSelect Architecture, a standards-based, service-oriented approach to building next-generation network infrastructures. The CN 4200 is a multiservice transport and aggregation platform capable of on-demand support for any transport protocol--including SONET/SDH, Ethernet/GbE/10GbE, storage or video--at any speed on any available port using the industry's first universal line card with individual user-programmable ports. Ciena's CN 3600 is a next-generation multiservice provisioning platform designed to seamlessly integrate next-generation DCS (digital cross-connect), SONET/SDH ADM (add-drop multiplexer), international gateway and Ethernet switching functions in a single carrier-class shelf to provide a global converged platform.

As part of its strategy to partner with companies for products and technologies that complement its own solutions, Ciena offers the CN 3600 through an OEM agreement with Turin Networks.

ABOUT GLOBALCONNECT

GlobalConnect A/S is the preferred alternative supplier of tele and data communication services. The company today counts among its customers the largest international tele, data and internet companies, which run their services on GlobalConnect's own fiber and transmission infrastructure and bandwidth both on long-haul and access throughout Denmark, Germany and Sweden. For more information visit http://www.globalconnect.dk/.

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.

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-Q, which Ciena filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on March 3, 2006. 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.