LINTHICUM, Md. -- Ciena Corporation (NASDAQ: CIEN), the network specialist, today detailed its family of silicon chips that empower optical transmission systems to scale the capacity and reach of existing networks with operational simplicity. The company's WaveLogic coherent optical processors enable 40G and 100G coherent transmission for terrestrial and submarine networks across ultra-long haul distances and are exclusively available inside Ciena's market-leading optical systems. The latest generation of the chipset 'WaveLogic T2 and R2' is currently shipping inside Ciena's ActivFlex 6500 Packet-Optical Platform and will be shipping inside the ActivSpan 4200 Advanced Services Platform by mid-year, with other platforms planned for later in the year.

While much of the industry's focus on coherent optics has been targeted solely on scaling capacity, Ciena's unique approach to coherent optical processing has broader advantages for improving network economics and offering more flexible architectures. Ciena's WaveLogic processors provide cost-effective ways to mitigate optical impairments, take advantage of existing fiber plants and scale network capacity quickly and easily. To further improve network flexibility, performance, spectral efficiency and reach, future versions of Ciena's WaveLogic coherent optical processors will implement advances such as integrated coherent digital signal processors (DSP) for both transmit and receive as well as soft-decision forward error correction (FEC) that will result in more programmable infrastructures and new ways to design networks.

"The development of coherent optics has significantly increased optical performance and reduced the complexity and costs of deploying 40G and 100G data rates in carrier networks," said Ron Kline, principal analyst, Network Infrastructure at Ovum. "The technology has quickly become a critical feature for network operators and provides a distinct competitive advantage for suppliers with proven deployment records."

Building on more than 10 years of R&D investment into using silicon electronics to manage optical transmission, the company's WaveLogic coherent optical processors have driven its market leadership position in coherent technology.

"In the last twenty years, we've seen how transformative optical technologies can change the course of fundamental network design to enable greater efficiency and performance. Today, we are on the brink of the next phase of game-changing technology advances as we enter the "coherent era" of optical networking, where innovation in coherent optical processing will be paramount to successfully navigating the challenges of network scale and reach," said Rick Dodd, senior vice president, global marketing at Ciena. "With broad market acceptance that coherent technology is essential to scaling capacity to terabit levels, the focus must now turn to how to best implement coherent in a way that offers even greater impact on network operations and efficiency -- like automated power consumption controls and better bandwidth utilization - where Ciena's experience and technology advances lead the market."

Ciena Corp. (NYSE: CIEN)