Ciena Corporation (NASDAQ: CIEN), the network specialist, today announced a strategic agreement with the Russian telecoms operator VimpelCom, for the upgrade and expansion of its national optical network. Ciena’s 6500 Packet-Optical Platform, powered by WaveLogic™ coherent optical processors, will be deployed in network links extending over approximately 10,700 km. This includes the upgrade of the Moscow - Urals and Urals - Siberia connections and the southern part of the Western Russia network (the ‘Big European Ring’), as well as the construction of a 100G network in the far eastern part of the country. “The roll-out of LTE services and increase in broadband usage, coupled with the prospect of new data-heavy enterprise services, dictate that VimpelCom’s core network must be ready. In collaboration with Ciena we developed an optimized architecture for our national network that will provide VimpelCom with operational effectiveness, both in terms of ease of implementation and scalability. Moreover, the network upgrade will cause no disruption to existing services and ensure VimpelCom continues to meet customers’ expectations,” Alexey Sapunov, Transport Network Director at OJCS VimpelCom. VimpelCom Ltd