Ciena® Corporation (NASDAQ: CIEN), the network specialist, today announced that Embarq Corporation (NYSE: EQ), has selected the CN 4200® FlexSelect™ Advanced Services Platform for deployment throughout its network. The solution will support the aggregation and transport of a variety of residential and business services.

EMBARQ selected Ciena’s CN 4200 for its ability to dynamically increase bandwidth to handle growing capacity demands. For example, with CN 4200, EMBARQ can theoretically carry the entire collection of books in the Library of Congress – or the equivalent of more than three billion voice calls at 64 Kbps each – in approximately eight minutes across a single fiber.* In addition, the platform is capable of carrying multiple types of voice, video and data traffic, eliminating the need for additional equipment.

“Our customers are demanding new bandwidth-intensive products for their communications needs, and EMBARQ is committed to providing a network able to effectively meet those demands,” said Jim Hansen, senior vice president, Network Services at EMBARQ. “Our promise to customers is to offer practical, innovative solutions for their communications needs. This deployment gives us the added bandwidth we need to fulfill that promise within our current capital program.”

EMBARQ is installing the Ciena CN 4200 platform across its service territories. Currently, more than 100 nodes have been deployed.

“Customers like EMBARQ are making it clear that network and service flexibility is crucial in successfully implementing profitable convergence strategies,” said Mike Aquino, senior vice president of worldwide sales at Ciena. “This is consistent with our focus on delivering unprecedented network flexibility, adaptability and manageability with our FlexSelect Architecture, which is the only migration approach available today that provides the service-enabled transport for the delivery of any end-user service to any point on the network at any time.”

About Ciena’s CN 4200

With its unique FlexiPort technology and integrated Layer 0, Layer 1 and Layer 2 multiplexing capabilities, Ciena’s CN 4200 platform goes far beyond the functionality of conventional metropolitan WDM systems and SONET/SDH Multiservice Provisioning Platforms (MSPPs) with an architecture designed to support not only today’s advanced network services, but tomorrow’s as well. Optimized to manage the transition from TDM-centric to packet-centric environments, the CN 4200 family includes the CN 4200 MC for edge-optimized optical services from the customer premises, the CN 4200 for aggregating services onto rings at metro hubs, and the CN 4200 RS for highly-scalable aggregation, grooming and routing of traffic at major network interconnection points.

*Calculation made based on several assumptions, including that the Library of Congress holds approximately 32 million books – each on average with 250 pages, 40 lines per page, 80 characters per line and eight bits per character – equaling approximately 205 trillion bits. If running a 40-channel DWDM system at OC-192 speeds, EMBARQ could push 205 trillion bits in approximately 8.5 minutes.

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.

About EMBARQ

Embarq Corporation (NYSE: EQ), headquartered in Overland Park, Kansas, offers a complete suite of communications services. The company has approximately 18,000 employees and operates in 18 states. EMBARQ is included in the S&P 500 and is in the Fortune 500® list of America’s largest corporations.

For consumers, EMBARQ offers an innovative portfolio of services that includes reliable local and long distance home phone service, high-speed Internet, wireless, and satellite TV from DISH Network® -- all on one monthly bill.

For businesses, EMBARQ has a comprehensive range of flexible and integrated services designed to help businesses of all sizes be more productive and communicate with their customers. This service portfolio includes local voice and data services, long distance, Business Class High Speed Internet, wireless, satellite TV from DIRECTV®, enhanced data network services, voice and data communication equipment and managed network services.

For more information, visit www.embarq.com.

Note to Ciena Investors

This press release contains certain forward-looking statements based on current expectations, forecasts and assumptions that involve risks and uncertainties. These statements are based on information available to the Company as of the date hereof; and Ciena's actual results could differ materially from those stated or implied, due to risks and uncertainties associated with its business, which include the risk factors disclosed in its Report on Form 10-Q, which Ciena filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on March 7, 2008. Forward-looking statements include statements regarding Ciena's expectations, beliefs, intentions or strategies regarding the future and can be identified by forward-looking words such as "anticipate," "believe," "could," "estimate," "expect," "intend," "may," "should," "will," and "would" or similar words. Ciena assumes no obligation to update the information included in this press release, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.