LONDON and LINITHICUM, Md. -- Ciena(r) Corporation (NASDAQ: CIEN), the network specialist, today announced successful completion of contract negotiations with BT confirming Ciena's participation as a preferred supplier to the operator's revolutionary 21st Century Network (21CN). The commercial agreement, signed today, formalises Ciena's involvement with BT for the multi-year project designed to enable the cost-effective delivery of next-generation converged, multimedia communications across a single multiservice network.

BT plans to deploy Ciena's CN 4200(tm) FlexSelect(tm) Advanced Services Platform, CoreDirector(r) Multiservice Switch and CoreStream(r) Agility Optical Transmission System as it moves its entire customer base from the existing UK public-switched telephone network (PSTN) to an Internet Protocol (IP)-based network. Ciena's products will help form the transmission domain of 21CN, connecting all network nodes via a simplified, cost-effective architecture.

All three selected platforms are part of Ciena's FlexSelect Architecture, a standards-based, service-oriented approach to building next-generation network infrastructures, which includes Ethernet-enabled solutions for a smooth transition from TDM to IP. Ideal for BT's network transformation, FlexSelect offers BT the flexibility, adaptability and manageability required to help deliver a complete mix of services and speeds while driving down the total cost of network ownership through practical convergence and automation.

"BT's selection of Ciena for this project highlights Ciena's commitment to the innovation exemplified by 21CN," said Gary Smith, president and CEO, Ciena. "An important milestone in the communications industry, this enormous and ambitious network transformation embodies Ciena and BT's shared vision for next-generation converged architectures and service flexibility."

BT Wholesale chief executive Paul Reynolds said: "With 21CN, BT and our suppliers are leading the world in next generation networks. Where we go with 21CN, others will follow and the experience gained and expertise developed in this transformation of BT's network will set the standard for other NGN deployments. We're moving forward strongly with world class suppliers and the first customers in the UK will start enjoying services over 21CN within 12 months."

Ciena Corp. (NYSE: CIEN)