Enables efficient, resilient and cost-effective transport of uncompressed high-definition video between production studios and distribution facilities for broadcasters and content producers leveraging XO 100 Gbps Nationwide Network

Ciena® Corporation (NASDAQ: CIEN), the network specialist, and XO Communications today announced that XO Communications will use Ciena’s Digital Video Transport solution to deliver native digital video transport services to media and entertainment customers across the XO nationwide network. Underpinned by XO Communications’ coast-to-coast 100 Gbps network, Ciena’s solution will allow XO Communications to cost-effectively transport high-definition (HD) video content for its customers without affecting original quality.

Key Facts:

  • XO Communications provides comprehensive managed network, IP communications, and IT infrastructure solutions to customers located across its extensive nationwide network, which serves 85 metropolitan markets.
  • As high-definition video traffic in all its forms (television, video-on-demand, Internet, etc.) continues to soar, traditional broadcasters and content providers are seeking ways to more efficiently transport content between studios, venues, production houses and the video head end or satellite distribution point. This demand for bandwidth requires a combination of carrier-class Digital Video Transport solutions and high-speed networks.
  • With the increasing use of file-based workflows in the contribution environment, the ability to combine real-time (uncompressed) and file-based connectivity over a common network and dynamically allocate bandwidth between applications is creating new opportunities for service providers like XO Communications to optimize network traffic and reduce connectivity costs.
  • Leveraging these dynamics, XO Communications is employing Ciena’s Digital Video Transport Platform to deliver a reliable, flexible, and high-performance service that will allow broadcasters, content producers, and other media and entertainment customers to cost-effectively transport real-time, uncompressed video across the XO nationwide 100 Gbps network.
  • Ciena’s Digital Video Transport solution includes the 565 Advanced Services Platform, a compact and cost-optimized metro WDM platform that enables a variety of data, storage and video services to be cost-efficiently aggregated onto an optical wavelength-based network or service. This provides a cost-effective way to multiplex different video signals alongside Ethernet services from remote studios, stadiums and other dispersed locations into a centralized studio or video production location. The solution also includes video diagnostic tools that greatly simplify testing and troubleshooting for motion picture and television pre- and post-production, and live broadcast television content contribution.
  • As part of Ciena’s Optical Transport portfolio, the Digital Video Transport solution will be deployed in conjunction with other Ciena platforms in the XO network, including the 6500 Packet-Optical Platform with WaveLogic technology. XO Communications utilizes Ciena platforms across its network to provide Ethernet, storage and managed services applications with low latency, as well as 100G managed wavelength services to its large enterprise and wholesale service provider customers.
  • A long-time Managed Service Provider Partner within Ciena’s award winning BizConnect program, XO Communications will introduce the new video service into its managed network services offerings.

Executive Quotes:

  • “With the rising adoption of HD video, the connectivity needs of the media and entertainment companies have grown exponentially, and as a result video must be delivered faster and more efficiently while maintaining the highest quality possible. Our coast-to-coast 100 Gbps nationwide network coupled with Ciena’s Digital Video Transport solution allows us to deliver uncompressed digital video in its native format at extremely high speeds and helps the media and entertainment industry more efficiently transport and manage video content while helping keep costs down.”
    -  Don MacNeil, chief marketing officer, XO Communications
  • “In the media and entertainment industry, uptime, video quality, and secure, high-speed service delivery are critical. Ciena’s highly reliable, scalable and flexible optical platforms, part of our OPn programmable network architecture, address the specific requirements of native digital video transport. We’re pleased to help XO Communications deliver a secure and reliable solution so that they can quickly and cost-effectively send bandwidth-intensive, high quality video between geographically dispersed teams.”
    - Francois Locoh-Donou, senior vice president, Global Products Group, Ciena

Ciena at NAB Show:

  • Ciena subject matter experts will be on hand at the NAB show in booth #SU13512 April  8 - 11 at the Las Vegas Convention Center. Ciena will show how its Packet Optical transport portfolio can help broadcasters and content producers address their overall network transport. As part of the demonstration, Ciena will transport uncompressed video over 10G and 40G networks combined with Storage Area Network (SAN) and Network Attached Storage (NAS) connectivity for a combined workflow environment.

Technology Leadership:

  • Ciena deployed the first purely optical nationwide contribution network, supporting 3G-SDI services over distances exceeding 400km, connecting all major stadiums and arenas in Switzerland to the country’s main productions studios.
  • Ciena demonstrated the transport of an uncompressed 4k video signal between Amsterdam and REYKJAVÍK, Iceland, a distance of over 4000km, as part of the TERENA Networking Conference (TNC2012). This demonstration outlined the networkability of a video transport solution across multiple networks and services providers, including a 2200km 100Gbps submarine link.

Supporting Resources:

About XO CommunicationsXO Communications is a leading nationwide provider of advanced IP communications, managed network and hosted IT services for business, large enterprise and wholesale customers. These customers include more than half of the Fortune 500, in addition to leading cable, mobile wireless and domestic and international telecommunications companies. XO offers a superior customer experience through its innovative solutions, its employees’ focus on customers and the proven performance of its advanced network.  To learn more about XO Communications, visit www.xo.com or blog.xo.com. XO Communications is also on Twitter, YouTube, Facebook and LinkedIn.

About Ciena
Ciena is the network specialist. We collaborate with customers worldwide to unlock the strategic potential of their networks and fundamentally change the way they perform and compete. Ciena leverages its deep expertise in packet and optical networking and distributed software automation to delivering solutions in alignment with OPn, its approach for building open next-generation networks. We enable a high-scale, programmable infrastructure that can be controlled and adapted by network-level applications, and provide open interfaces to coordinate computing, storage and network resources in a unified, virtualized environment. We routinely post recent news, financial results and other important announcements and information about Ciena on our website. For more information, visit www.ciena.com.

Note to Ciena InvestorsForward-looking statements. 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 13, 2013. 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.