Ciena Announces Japan Win

LINTHICUM, Md. -- CIENA® Corporation (NASDAQ: CIEN), a global provider of intelligent optical networking systems, today announced that it is supplying eAccess Ltd., a Tokyo-based broadband data communications company, with optical switching equipment for a metropolitan ring-based network between Osaka and Tokyo, Japan.The CIENA MetroDirector K2(tm) is being deployed along a major SONET ring in Tokyo, and along 10G sub-rings connecting Tokyo to Osaka. eAccess expects deployment of the MetroDirector K2 product will continue through March 2003. The initial order placed by eAccess is more than 100 MetroDirector K2 units."We chose CIENA's MetroDirector K2 switch because of its flexibility," said Sachio Semmoto, chief executive officer of eAccess. "CIENA was the only vendor able to provide us an optical switch that is OC-192-capable, and that has integrated ATM and Ethernet switching. They also demonstrated excellent customer support."Ciena Corp.