Under a new contract, optical network equipment maker Ciena will provide multiservice (voice and data) platforms to cable network operator Cox Communications
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Specifically, the deal includes Ciena’s Online Metro and Online Edge products. Financial term were not disclosed.
“CIENA’s product family allows us to cost-effectively upgrade our network while leveraging our existing infrastructure,” said Darryl Ladd, Cox’s director of network architecture.
Like its cable peers (Comcast, Time Warner and Cablevision), Atlanta-based Cox is working to increase revenues by offering a menu of residential and business services: video-on-demand, high-speed Internet, storage networking and local phone in some markets.
“These metro and edge networking systems were designed to provide high-bandwidth capacity, carrier-class reliability, and a cost-effective platform for converging voice, video and data services onto a unified network,” said Francois Locoh-Donou, Ciena’s vice president of marketing.
The Cox contract was the second piece of good news for Linthicum, Md.-based Ciena, which sells to telecom carriers, Internet service providers, wireless and wholesale carriers, systems integrators, governments large businesses and non-profits.
Earlier, analysts at USB Warburg upgraded the company’s stock, which was hurt by the economic downturn, from “reduce” to “neutral.”
