Windstream Automates Provisioning of Wavelength Services Across Nationwide, Multi-Vendor Network Using Ciena Blue Planet

Windstream (NASDAQ: WIN), a leading provider of advanced network communications, is deploying Ciena’s^® (NYSE: CIEN) Blue Planet orchestration software to automate the delivery of managed wavelength services across the company’s multi-vendor optical network.  By leveraging the open orchestration capabilities of Blue Planet, Windstream is able to utilize its optical network as a programmable resource and accelerate the delivery of managed 1 GbE, 10 GbE, and 100 GbE wavelength services to its wholesale, enterprise, media and web-scale customers.

Key facts:

• Windstream transport services include TDM, SONET, Ethernet and optical Wave transport services at speeds from 1G to 100G, delivered over its 125,000 mile, nationwide core network.

• Windstream adopted an agile, DevOps-style approach to developing and implementing automation in its network. This involved close collaboration amongst multiple vendors that allowed the project to go from concept to production in less than three months.

• Windstream is leveraging Blue Planet’s open architecture to integrate with third-party SDN controllers and enable service orchestration across the company’s long-haul and metro network. The platform provides Windstream with a simplified view of the multi-vendor optical layer, through which it can develop and provision new services, and manipulate existing ones, with greater speed.

• Another key benefit of the Blue Planet software is the ability to orchestrate multiple technology domains, giving Windstream a foundation to quickly automate other layers of the physical network as well as virtual resources in the future.

Executive Comments:

• “At Windstream, we are investing in strategic technologies that enable us to deliver flexible, on-demand services across our multi-vendor network. We selected Ciena’s Blue Planet orchestration solution because of the richness and breadth of the technology, and its ability to grow with us as we automate other layers of the network and deliver agile, virtualized services to our customers. Abstracting the complexity of service delivery across our diverse, multi-vendor network, unlocks a future where we can focus more on the richness of our customer’s experience and less on the operations of that network.”
  -        Jeff Small, Head of Engineering, Windstream

• “Service providers today are looking for open networking solutions that automate processes and eliminate the need for human intervention. With Blue Planet, Windstream can automate and program its network for rapid service turn-up and delivery, significantly reducing deployment times, increasing time to market of new services and driving competitive advantage.”
  -        Francois Locoh-Donou, Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, Ciena

About Windstream
Windstream Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ: WIN), a FORTUNE 500 company, is a leading provider of advanced network communications and technology solutions for consumers, small businesses, enterprise organizations and carrier partners across the U.S. Windstream offers bundled services, including broadband, security solutions, voice and digital TV to consumers. The company also provides data, cloud solutions, unified communications and managed services to business and enterprise clients. The company supplies core transport solutions on a local and long-haul fiber-optic network spanning approximately 125,000 miles. Additional information is available at www.windstream.com. Please visit our newsroom at news.windstream.com or follow us on Twitter at @Windstream .

About Ciena
Ciena (NYSE: CIEN) is a network strategy and technology company. We translate best-in-class technology into value through a high-touch, consultative business model – with a relentless drive to create exceptional experiences measured by outcomes. For updates on Ciena, follow us on Twitter @Ciena, LinkedIn, the Ciena Insights blog, or visit www.ciena.com.

Note to Ciena Investors
You are encouraged to review the Investors section of our website, where we routinely post press releases, SEC filings, recent news, financial results, and other announcements. From time to time we exclusively post material information to this website along with other disclosure channels that we use. This press release contains certain forward-looking statements that are based on our current expectations, forecasts, information and assumptions. These statements involve inherent risks and uncertainties.  Actual results or outcomes may differ materially from those stated or implied, as a result of risks and uncertainties, including those detailed in our most recent annual or quarterly report filed with the SEC. Forward-looking statements include statements regarding our expectations, beliefs, intentions or strategies and can be identified by 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.