March 3, 2004 Linthicum, MD -- Verizon has selected CIENA Corp.'s DN 7100 and DN 7200 multiservice switches to support its strategic Enterprise Advance network expansion initiative, which is designed to interconnect Verizon's local networks and provide large business and government customers with advanced data services nationwide.
Verizon named CIENA to provide multiservice edge solutions and plans to deploy nationwide the DN 7 product family for Fast Packet services (including Frame Relay and ATM) and other multiservice applications. According to CIENA, its DN 7 platform will help Verizon converge access services onto a high-efficiency multiservice backbone across the country, while also providing a seamless migration path for multi-protocol label switching (MPLS) solutions--both of which are key elements of Verizon's Enterprise Advance strategy.
As part of its LightWorks Services portfolio strategy, CIENA is integrating data-focused network solutions such as the DN 7 multiservice switching family into its comprehensive set of network solutions. LightWorks Services is designed to help service providers use their existing infrastructure to capitalize on data and traditional service markets with efficiency and profitability, without having to build and manage overlay data networks.
"We believe our LightWorks Services strategy meshes very well with Verizon's Enterprise Advance initiative," asserts Gary B. Smith, president and CEO of CIENA. "With its Enterprise Advance strategy, Verizon is attacking a key challenge faced by major service providers: efficiently evolving their networks to enable customer-driven advanced data service offerings," he adds. "With the DN 7 solution, Verizon will be better able to use its powerful existing infrastructure while delivering new services to Fortune 1000 corporations, governments, and finance, education, and healthcare enterprises."
CIENA claims its DN 7 family of multiservice switches is the industry's first product line to combine ATM, Frame Relay, Circuit Emulation Services (CES), Ethernet, and MPLS while delivering telephony-grade reliability. The DN 7 family increases today's service capacity and allows carriers to cap their legacy investment without disrupting services or overhauling the network.
The DN 7's improved virtual circuit (VC) and port densities will enable Verizon to more efficiently utilize its existing infrastructure, resulting in recurring cost savings as it continues to roll out expanded service offerings to its customers. Additionally, the DN 7 platform's small footprint, low power consumption, and completion of the Telcordia OSMINE process significantly reduce overall network operations costs compared to legacy solutions.