LINTHICUM, Md. -- Ciena® Corporation (Nasdaq: CIEN - News), the network specialist, today announced the addition of a 10 Gigabit Ethernet (GbE) module for its CN 4350(TM) Ethernet Services Provisioning Switch, the first carrier-grade Ethernet platform specifically designed for telco and cable service providers to deliver high-value business-class Ethernet services as well as the triple play of voice, video and data. As carrier Ethernet traffic increases daily, the 10 GbE module reduces costs and adds new levels of flexibility for optimizing the performance, aggregation and switching of commercial and residential voice, video and data services.

The CN 4350's new 10 GbE module incorporates 10 gigabits per second (Gbps) Ethernet LAN/WAN PHY interfaces, 10 Gbps (OTU2) DWDM transport and packet switching functionality. It can be configured as either a packet-switched interface or as a 3R (repeat, retime, regenerate) transponder to provide transport-grade 10 GbE transmission for third-party switches or routers across SONET/SDH or Optical Transport Network (OTN) metro or regional backbones.

Ciena's CN 4350 also now includes support for ITU G.709 standards-based OTN "digital wrapper" functionality for encapsulating and efficiently transporting services across optical networks with superior performance monitoring, fault signaling and management. This enables direct packet over optical transport without the cost and complexity of SONET/SDH.

"The CN 4350's high availability and switching performance have been essential to Ciena's success in delivering reliable network infrastructure for Video on Demand," says Nick Maynard, senior analyst, Communications Network Infrastructure, Yankee Group. "The recent addition of 10 Gigabit Ethernet and integrated DWDM optics to the CN 4350 provide further differentiation, making it an effective solution for service providers offering triple play and business-class Ethernet services."

Ciena Corp.