<A> IAXIS SIGNS ON FOR MORE LIGHTWORKS SOLUTIONS FROM CIENA
UK-Based Carrier Places Orders for Metropolitan Optical Solutions,
Plans to Trial CIENA's Intelligent Optical Core Switch
LINTHICUM, Md. - Dec. 7, 1999 - CIENA Corporation (Nasdaq: CIEN) and iaxis, the London-based wholesale carrier, today announced further plans for working together in building next-generation optical networks with CIENA's LightWorks(tm) suite of optical networking solutions. iaxis has issued purchase orders for CIENA's MultiWave Metro(tm) optical transport systems for deployment in its iaxisenroute pan-European network and announced plans to trial CIENA's MultiWave CoreDirector(tm) intelligent optical core switch.
CIENA has been iaxis' exclusive provider of dense wavelength division multiplexing solutions since February, when the two companies signed a three-year contract valued at an estimated US$200 million. Iaxis became CIENA's first customer to deploy its MultiWave CoreStream(tm) system.
"CIENA has been our optical networking partner since the inception of iaxis," said Julian de Bosdari, business development director at iaxis. "In that time, CIENA solutions have helped us create one of the lowest cost-per-bit networks in Europe. We're now adding CIENA's Metro systems and evaluating additional optical networking solutions from CIENA to immediately add a new level of strategic value to our network and our customers."
iaxis already uses CIENA systems in its iaxisenroute network, which went live in May. iaxis has since reported 100 percent availability for iaxisenroute, which stretches over 7,000 km and covers 20 points of presence including London, Paris, Milan, Geneva, Zurich, Frankfurt, Dusseldorf, Berlin, Munich, Rotterdam, Amsterdam and Brussels. In the first phase of the metropolitan network project, CIENA's Metro systems will provide iaxis with intra-city connections throughout the Paris metropolitan area and are expected to carry live traffic by February.
MultiWave Metro enables iaxis to cost-effectively build and scale intra-city distribution networks that it believes will make broadband IP services as easy to provide as traditional private line services. Metro's virtual topology will allow iaxis to rapidly provision bandwidth services and eliminate the constraints of the underlying fiber. These capabilities mark the emergence of low-cost, rapidly provisioned local optical networks.
CIENA's LightWorks architecture is a comprehensive blueprint for building intelligent optical networks. It extends integrated capabilities in optical transport, core switching and multi-service access technologies through software-driven intelligence embedded throughout the optical layer. With CIENA LightWorks solutions, iaxis intends to operate a simpler, smarter network that exceeds customer expectations for availability and reliability of high-speed data services.
"CIENA's role as iaxis' optical networking provider is not only to supply capacity, but to build intelligence into the network that turns available bandwidth into revenue-producing services," said Patrick Nettles, CIENA's president and CEO. "LightWorks solutions will give iaxis important operational and economic advantages. With CIENA's suite of products, iaxis will be able to turn up broadband services faster, manage them more easily, and offer them at a lower cost than with legacy network equipment."
In addition to the MultiWave Metro deployments, iaxis plans to begin testing CIENA's MultiWave CoreDirector intelligent optical core switch in January. The CoreDirector will provide iaxis with high-bandwidth switching, protection and provisioning capabilities for an intelligent optical core. It features the networking intelligence of CIENA's LightWorks OS(tm) that will allow iaxis to bring on new services faster and realize new revenue more quickly.
"We're looking forward to trialing CIENA's CoreDirector optical switch, which looks to have top-of-the-range density, scalability and functionality available," said Eryl Stafford, technical director at iaxis. "We already know the benefits of CIENA's transport solutions for long-haul and metro networks. The next logical step is the CoreDirector switch. With CoreDirector intelligence driving the iaxis network, we expect to achieve automated end-to-end network scale, provisioning and management - from private line to Gigabit Ethernet to wavelength services."
Iaxis will be the first European customer to test CIENA's CoreDirector. The product already is in the customer trial phase in North America.
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ABOUT IAXIS
Formed in April 1998, iaxis is Europe's only dedicated wholesale telecoms operator. iaxis has no retail division so it can provide wholesale services to the communications industry with complete independence. Target customers include ISPs and ASPs, tier one telecom operators, new carriers, systems integrators, resellers and mobile operators.
With its primary technology partners, CIENA, Nortel and Juniper, iaxis has developed a multi-terabit European network. Phase One of the network, which went live in May 1999, stretches over 3,000 km and covers London, Paris, Strasbourg, Dusseldorf, Frankfurt, Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Antwerp and Brussels. Phase Two, a further 4,000 km, which went live in November 1999, expands the network through Stuttgart, Basel, Geneva, Zurich, Berlin, Leipzig, Munich, Nürnberg and Milan. Phase Three, which goes live in Q3 2000, will increase the network by 5,000 km. In its entirety, the network will span 12,000 km. By providing IP services, bandwidth capacity and co-location services, iaxis allows telecom companies to focus on servicing their most valuable assets, customers, and enter new markets rapidly.
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