CIENA Corporation (NASDAQ:CIEN) and Cyras Systems, Inc. announced that the two companies will demonstrate interoperability between CIENA's MultiWave CoreDirector intelligent optical core switch and MultiWave Metro optical transport system and Cyras' K2 Next-Generation SONET platform.
CIENA intends to complete its acquisition of Cyras during the first calendar quarter of 2001. On December 19, 2000, CIENA Corporation announced its intention to acquire Cyras in a stock-for-stock transaction. The proposed acquisition is expected to close by the end of 1Q2001. Cyras is an ISO 9001-certified supplier and is headquartered in Fremont, California.
CIENA and Cyras will feature two separate demonstrations during the OFC exhibit March 19-22, 2001. The first will show video traffic passing through Cyras' K2 platform and CIENA's MultiWave Metro and CoreDirector platforms over 2.5 Gigabits per second (Gbps) optical wavelengths. The second demo will highlight the K2's ability to deliver Gigabit Ethernet services over 10Gbps optical wavelengths.
"Cyras' K2 and CIENA's CoreDirector family of intelligent optical switches will result in a very effective combination in offering advanced bandwidth intelligence across the optical network," said Mark Lutkowitz, vice president of optical networking research for Communications Industry Researchers.
The K2 Next-Generation SONET Platform is designed for carriers facing the ever-increasing need for usable, cost-effective bandwidth. The K2 is NEBS Level 3 certified and supports all supplemental RBOC requirements and OSMINE. The K2 offers easy integration into existing network environments and delivers superior levels of price/performance, bandwidth optimization, reliability, service flexibility, provisioning capabilities and support for all prevailing circuit-switched and data-centric transport protocols.
The K2 platform, with its patented backplane architecture, helps carriers transcend metro area gridlock while extracting the potential from their existing mixed-traffic infrastructure. Cyras' K2 is now generally available in production quantities.
CIENA's MultiWave CoreDirector is an intelligent optical core switch that provides the high-bandwidth switching, protection and provisioning capabilities for next-generation optical networking. With built-in networking intelligence, CoreDirector enables carriers to quickly create and deliver dynamic new optical services at any time, any size and any priority. With density up to 640 Gbps/bay, scalability to OC-768, and granularity down to STS-1, CoreDirector eliminates the need for additional SONET/SDH add/drop multiplexers, digital cross-connects, and optical cross-connects.
MultiWave Metro is an intelligent optical transport system that offers carrier-class, ring-based protection with the ability to support SONET/SDH, IP, ATM, Gigabit Ethernet and high-bandwidth private line services at rates up to 10Gbps per channel. Utilizing all-optical protection and its ability to drop any traffic at any location on the ring without any intervening legacy gear, MultiWave Metro is a key step in the migration to simpler, more cost-effective, end-to-end networks.
About Cyras Systems, Inc.:
Cyras Systems, founded in 1998, creates next-generation optical networking platforms for the global telecommunications market. Cyras has raised more than $220M through a combination of equity and convertible debt financing. For more information, visit www.cyras.com.
About CIENA Corporation:
CIENA Corporation's optical networking systems and software form the core for the new era of networks and services. For more information, visit www.ciena.com.