Ciena® Corporation (NASDAQ: CIEN), the network specialist, today announced that Colo4Dallas, a leading colocation service provider, has deployed Ciena’s CN 4200® FlexSelect® Advanced Services Platform to provide high-performance, low-latency connectivity over dark fiber between its existing data center facility in Dallas and the INFOMART, a major carrier hotel in the city.

Colo4Dallas is one of the fastest-growing colocation providers in the Southwest, serving a diverse base of customers in industries including finance, healthcare, technology and content delivery. The company offers comprehensive colocation and data center services and features a network optimized with intelligent routing and 24/7 on-site support.

“We’ve experienced tremendous customer growth and expanded both our facility and power capacity over the last year,” said Paul VanMeter, president and chief technology officer of Colo4Dallas. “Expanding our network presence was the next step. Linking our data center to the INFOMART using Ciena’s platform allows us to cross connect to hundreds of global networks, carriers and ISPs—this is extremely valuable for customers who want truly diverse routes and also require the high density power and technical support we can deliver.”

Colo4Dallas secured dark fiber and deployed Ciena’s CN 4200 platform at each site to deliver secure, reliable and high-bandwidth connectivity services. Key selection criteria included the CN 4200’s flexible support of multiple services, carrier-class reliability and the ability to grow capacity in increments, enabling Colo4Dallas to easily and cost-effectively scale to accommodate future customer growth and service demands. The company has lit an initial 10G wavelength between its facility and the INFOMART.

“The traditional selection criteria for choosing a colocation facility – power, cooling, space and reliability – are being disrupted by innovative firms like Colo4Dallas that understand a private network connection to a major carrier hotel expands their services, adds value for customers and virtually extends their data center to the doorstep of dozens of carriers,” said Mike Aquino, senior vice president of global field operations at Ciena. “As evidenced by our recent deployments in this area, the CN 4200 provides an ideal platform for data center extension networks – flexible multiservice support, carrier-class reliability and the ability to grow capacity in increments for a very cost-effective solution.”

About Colo4Dallas

Colo4Dallas is a leading provider of colocation services located in Dallas, Texas. Colo4Dallas operates 106,000 square feet of environmentally controlled and secure data center space and offers premium multi-homed connectivity from Level3, Internap, TW Telecom, and other quality providers. The company provides colocation services for high density power applications in a carrier neutral setting for an array of customers in the Dallas/Fort Worth area as well as businesses across the country and around the globe. SAS70 type II audited, Colo4Dallas offers customers a 100% service level agreement and around the clock support from trained, on-site technicians. The company is a repeat winner of Dallas 100™ Award and was named in 2008 by Inc. magazine as one of the fastest-growing private companies in the country. Visit www.colo4dallas.com for more information.

About Ciena

Ciena specializes in practical network transition. We offer leading network infrastructure solutions, intelligent software and a comprehensive services practice to help our customers use their networks to fundamentally change the way they compete. With a global presence, Ciena leverages its heritage of practical innovation to deliver maximum performance and economic value in communications networks worldwide. We routinely post recent news, financial results and other important announcements and information about Ciena on our website. For more information, visit www.ciena.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 June 4, 2009. 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.