LINTHICUM, MD, Feb. 25, 2004 -- CIENA Corp. announced that MCI has selected it as a strategic supplier for its new nationwide, ultra long-haul (ULH) network. As MCI converges its legacy networks to deliver voice and data services over a single next-generation infrastructure, the company will deploy CIENA's CoreStream platform for integrated optical transport and switching. CIENA is helping MCI build an efficient infrastructure to allow the migration of all types of customer traffic - from voice to IP/MPLS - onto a cohesive and automated network that extends coast to coast. CoreStream will provide a reliable optical ULH backbone that integrates software-configurable wavelength switching. CoreStream's ultra long-haul capabilities will allow MCI to eliminate costly electrical signal regenerations, while automated wavelength switching will allow MCI to remotely provision wavelengths. For more information, contact: pr@ciena.com