Press Release

AboveNet Upgrades Core Optical Network with Ciena's CoreStream Agility

CoreStream's scalable capacity, service flexibility and automated network and service activation addresses growth in Ethernet services, IP traffic and demand for wavelength services

LINTHICUM, Md. and NEW YORK, June 19 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Ciena(R) Corporation CIEN, the network specialist, today announced that AboveNet, Inc., a leader in private metro optical networks and fiber-based connectivity solutions for businesses and carriers, is deploying Ciena's CoreStream(R) Agility Optical Transport System to upgrade its core optical network that provides high-bandwidth, long-haul service between multiple metro networks throughout the U.S.

AboveNet operates a private optical network with more than 1.5 million fiber miles interconnecting 14 of the top U.S. metro markets and London. The service provider offers a portfolio of metro area network, wide area network and managed services, including wavelength services, Metro Ethernet, WAN Ethernet, IP transit and dark fiber. Upgrading to Ciena's CoreStream platform provides AboveNet with a flexible, service-oriented core network featuring unmatched reliability. CoreStream Agility will lower overall network costs by reaching up to 2500km without regeneration, while improving performance and scalability - starting with 10 Gbps today and offering an in-service, seamless migration path to 40 Gbps networking.

"Our customers are large and mid-size corporations in the financial services, healthcare, media, legal, government and retail industries that have large amounts of delay-sensitive traffic to move between multiple locations with rigorous requirements for service quality and availability," said Bill LaPerch, president and CEO of AboveNet. "As we continue to experience explosive traffic growth driven by business continuity/disaster recovery, Ethernet LANs, VoIP and other applications, upgrading our core network with market-leading technology gives us the scalable capacity, design flexibility and automated service management needed to continually address our customers' increasing demands for bandwidth and multi-protocol services."

AboveNet has already deployed CoreStream Agility on some of its key backbone routes, including San Jose to Los Angeles and New York City to Philadelphia. Additional routes between AboveNet's 14 metro markets are currently being added with the full network upgrade expected to be complete in 2007.

"In a market where cost and scalability are paramount, Ciena continues to leverage new and innovative technologies to ensure our solutions are consistent with customer requirements," said Mike Aquino, senior vice president of worldwide sales at Ciena. "This deployment underscores Ciena's vision for delivering service-enabled transport to help customers like AboveNet deliver Ethernet, OTN, SONET/SDH, storage, video and other services, on a national backbone that can scale to support their customer requirements."

CoreStream Agility is a key element of Ciena's FlexSelect(TM) Architecture, which is the aggregation of strategic technologies that, when integrated, create a software-defined, service-selectable network for automated delivery any mix of high-performance packet services, like Ethernet and IP, as well as traditional circuit-based services-all side by side. CoreStream Agility is an all-optical, ultra long-haul (ULH) transport platform that combines industry-leading wavelength density, service flexibility and bandwidth scalability with granular optical wavelength routing wavelengths for speeds up to 40G today and 100G future. CoreStream Agility's all-optical design eliminates optical-electrical-optical (OEO) signal conversions and transceivers, allowing capital-cost savings that grow as the network scales. Additionally, the platform lowers ongoing operational costs by automating end- to-end service provisioning and management, inventory and resource tracking, and dynamic power management.

About AboveNet, Inc.
AboveNet, Inc. provides fiber connectivity solutions for businesses and carriers. Its private optical network delivers key network and IP services in and among 14 top U.S. metro markets and London. AboveNet's network is widely used in demanding markets such as financial services, media, health care, retail and government.

About Ciena
Ciena Corporation is the network specialist, focused on expanding the possibilities for its customers' networks while reducing their cost of ownership. The Company's systems, software and services target and cure specific network pain points so that telcos, cable operators, governments and enterprises can best exploit the new applications that are driving their businesses forward. For more information, visit www.ciena.com.

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This news release contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. Factors that could cause or contribute to such risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, general economic and business conditions, competition, changes in technology and methods of marketing, and various other factors beyond the Company’s control. This also includes such factors as are described from time to time in the SEC reports filed by AboveNet, Inc. including the most recently filed Forms S-3 and 8-K.