WaveLogic optics and advanced software combine to maximize bandwidth for any network distance

Ciena ® (NYSE: CIEN) has extended the value and benefits of its Waveserver data center interconnect (DCI) platform into long-haul applications with a richer set of reach and capacity options. The industry’s first stackable DCI system for any distance, Waveserver leverages Ciena’s WaveLogic 3 Extreme chipset to maximize transport capacity on the fly and meet surging demand for cloud and content-on-demand requirements. The new technology inside Waveserver can equip today’s networks to provide 200 Gb/s wavelengths at greater than 1,000 km distances and 100 Gb/s wavelengths in excess of 10,000 km.

The web-scale effect is driving network providers to invest heavily in interconnecting data centers not only within metropolitan areas, but across long distances between cities as well. According to Ovum’s global long-haul network DCI forecast, the market is growing at seven percent CAGR and is expected to reach $1.5 billion by 2019. Waveserver’s new long-haul capabilities allow Ciena customers to build long-haul DCI networks with a web-scale operational paradigm.

Waveserver is in customer trials today and will be generally available in October 2015. Long-haul optics capabilities on the platform are expected to be available in the first quarter of 2016.

Key Facts:

  • Waveserver brings an open, programmable and scalable approach to “any-haul’ networks, leveraging Ciena’s intelligent software and analytics tools to allow network providers to read system data in real-time and determine how bandwidth can be maximized. Waveserver easily integrates into data center environments, because it takes an open standards approach to software APIs and interoperates with third-party line systems, helping data center operators and network providers get the most out of existing assets. The platform supports 400G in one rack unit with 16QAM now for extended distances with flexible modulation formats available, including QPSK and now, the latest 8QAM capability available via WaveLogic 3 Extreme, for the longest hauls needed.
  • Powered by Ciena’s WaveLogic 3 Extreme chipset, Waveserver enables real-time monitoring of network parameters, best-in-class soft-decision forward error correction, signal shaping and recovery techniques to overcome distance challenges when operating across long spans and ROADM sites. With a view into margin levels, channel counts, and grid utilization, Waveserver will have the ability to determine if capacity can be maximized by changing modulation formats and dynamically assigning 100G, 150G and 200G wavelengths on flexible grid networks. This will give network operators the option to automatically gain more capacity while leveraging existing network assets.
  • These      enhancements further cement Ciena’s established DCI market      leadership based revenues from Ovum’s last published market share      analysis. As the pioneer in coherent technology for commercial optical systems, Ciena has      deployed more than 70 million coherent kilometers across the world, the      equivalent to more than 90 round trips to the moon.

Executive Comments:

  • “A direct response to customer demand on the heels of our Waveserver introduction earlier this year, the enhancements that support DCI for any distance deliver another industry first in coherent technology and overcome the DCI capacity and distance trade-off paradigm. Competing platforms lack the high-performance of our WaveLogic Extreme chips and its breadth of advanced network monitoring and optimization capabilities.”
    -   Francois Locoh-Donou, Senior Vice President, Global Products Group, Ciena
  • “We continue to see surging demands for DCI – not just in the metro, but also for long-haul networks. Ciena continues to build on its history of innovation by bringing 16QAM and 8QAM long-haul capabilities to its Waveserver DCI product providing increased flexibility and spectrum efficiency for this extremely demanding application."
    -   Ron Kline, Principal Analyst, Intelligent Networks at Ovum

Events:

  • Waveserver was featured at IO’s ‘From the Rack to the Cloud’ event that took place at its UK facility on September 22.
  • On September 28 at 15:55 CEST, Ciena’s David Boertjes, Senior Advisor, Photonic Systems Architect will present on “Transforming Network Margin into Capacity with Liquid Spectrum.”

Supporting Resources:

About CienaCiena (NYSE: CIEN) 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 deliver solutions in alignment with its OPn architecture for 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. For updates on Ciena news, follow us on Twitter @Ciena or on LinkedIn. Investors are encouraged to review the Investors section of our website at www.ciena.com/investors, where we routinely post press releases, SEC filings, recent news, financial results, and other announcements. From time to time we exclusively post material information to this website along with other disclosure channels that we use.

Note to Ciena Investors
Forward-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 September 9, 2015. 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.