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Ciena

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Industry Communication Equipment
Employees 5001-10,000
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FY2003 Annual Report · Ciena
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Annual Report 2003

Redefining data networking.

CIENA Corporation delivers innovative networking solutions to the world’s largest service providers
and enterprises, increasing the cost-efficiency of current voice and data services while enabling 
the creation of new carrier-class data services built upon the existing network infrastructure. 

Revenue/Product Diversification
Transforming into a comprehensive networking solutions provider

Revenue/Product Diversification
Transforming into a comprehensive networking solutions provider

Core Networking

Service/Tech Support

Metro Networking

Solutions & Software

Data Networking

FY ’01
$1.6 billion

FY ’02
$361 million

FY ’03
$283 million

CIENA Corporation / 2003

Fellow Shareholders:

During another difficult year in the telecommunications equip-

Improving Gross Margins

ment industry, CIENA held firm to the course we set at the onset

We successfully improved our gross margin from 13.8% in the

of the telecom downturn, and as a result, we made meaningful

fourth quarter of fiscal 2002 to 31.2% in the fourth quarter of

strides toward profitability.

fiscal 2003. This improvement came as a result of:

When CIENA’s service provider customers began to dramati-

• Significantly reducing our fixed cost overhead as a result of

cally reduce their capital spending three years ago, we embarked

increased outsourcing;

on a strategy designed to increase our addressable market

• Adding more profitable product platforms to our portfolio;

through a combination of internal development, acquisitions

• Meaningfully improving the profitability of our services 

and strategic alliances. Simultaneously, we also began to take

business; and

steps to stabilize and improve our gross margin, as well as 

• An ongoing focus on product cost reductions.

to reduce our operating expenses and align our continued
investment in our business with emerging market opportunities.

We continue to believe that it is the combination of these

Reducing Costs
In parallel with the steps to increase our addressable market,

actions, as opposed to any one action alone, that will restore

and to improve our gross margin, we also have executed a 

long-term, sustained profitability to our business.

program to reduce and restructure our costs, better aligning

Let’s review our progress:

Driving Future Revenue Growth

them with our market opportunities and changing product mix.

• Since the fourth quarter of fiscal 2001, we have reduced

our quarterly research and development, selling and market-

While CIENA had revenue of $283 million for its fiscal year

ing, and general and administrative expenses (exclusive of

ended October 31, 2003, a decrease of 22% when compared

deferred stock compensation) by 37%, from $127.2 million 

with fiscal 2002 revenue of $361 million, we believe we have

to $79.9 million.

taken significant steps to set the stage for future revenue

• In the last year, these expenses have declined 25%, despite

growth, including winning new customers, selling more prod-

the addition of costs associated with two acquisitions.

ucts to existing customers and entering new markets.

Additionally, we’ve announced our intention to reduce our

• For the year, we recorded revenue from sales to a total of 

ongoing operating expenses further still in fiscal 2004. Given

110 customers representing an increase of more than 42% 

our expanded market and product focus, cost reduction must

over 2002’s customer base of 77.

happen simultaneously with steps to ensure we are spending

• Among the new customers added were incumbent carriers

strategically, and in line with market and revenue opportunities.

such as BT, SBC and SingTel. In all, we can point to 15 new 

product wins in our tier one accounts, which builds our presence

Preserving Balance Sheet Strength

with the kind of important customers that will drive industry
recovery and CIENA’s future growth.
• As a result of the acquisitions of WaveSmith Networks and

In addition to the steps we’ve taken to restore profitability to
our business, during 2003 we also took steps to improve an
already-strong balance sheet, reducing our long-term debt by

Akara Corporation, and our strategic partnerships with Laurel

Networks and Luminous Networks, we estimate we have

increased our addressable market by $3.8 billion, bringing our

total addressable market in 2005 to an estimated $11.6 billion.
• The combination of the two acquisitions and two strategic
partnerships added nine new products to our arsenal, expanding

our portfolio to 20 products.
• As a result of a broader product set, we were able to expand
our reach within key existing accounts, and we sold new or addi-
tional products to 40% more customers than in the previous year.
• We also expanded our sales channels beyond direct sales to
service providers, developing a growing number of partnerships
and other strategic relationships that target enterprise and gov-
ernment customers. During the year, we added 22 new world-
wide channel partners, enabling us to address new geographic
regions and market segments.

$113.2 million. Since the end of the fiscal year, we have taken
steps to reduce long-term debt by an additional $48 million with
the redemption of the 5% convertible notes originally issued by

ONI Systems. As a result, we continue to have a stronger net
cash position than many of our peers and competitors.

CIENA’s Transformation
We have taken deliberate steps to evolve from a company that,
just two years ago, derived more than 80% of its revenue from
a single product line into a comprehensive network solutions
provider—one that can offer a wider range of customer solu-
tions that span from the optical core of the network to the edge
where services are created and delivered. As a result, our reve-
nues have diversified significantly, with more than 50% of our
2003 revenue coming from sources outside our historic focus
of core networking.

 
2003 / CIENA Corporation

Many of the new solutions we’ve added to our portfolio in

converged network will be based on a completely new network

the last year are focused on data applications and the network

infrastructure. We believe, however, that the transition to a

edge. As a result, we’ve grown our revenues in these areas from

converged all-service network will be an evolutionary process,

zero to 7% year over year. For 2004, our goal is for data/edge

one in which carriers will leverage the reliability and investment

products to contribute more than 30% of total revenues.

in their existing networks.

This transformation is about more than product and revenue

diversification. In fact, it extends to every facet of our business,

Going Forward

from the products we sell to how we sell them to the way we

In the last year, we have substantially increased CIENA’s

receive and process orders to the way we prioritize and spend

addressable market and, we believe, our future revenue and

R&D dollars.

earnings potential by entering new markets where we antici-

This transformation is not an option. If CIENA is going to
thrive in today’s telecom environment, we believe that we 

pate growth, predominantly as a result of the demand for this
emerging, all-service network. Going forward, we will look for

cannot simply cost-cut our way back to sustained profitability.

additional opportunities to expand our solution portfolio and 

We believe restoring long-term growth and profitability to our

increase our addressable market further still through both 

business requires the combination of expanding our address-

additional partnerships and acquisitions. We also will remain

able markets while simultaneously reducing and realigning

focused on following through on the steps that are necessary

our investment with the opportunities we see emerging. 

to restore long-term profitability and positive operating cash

We have made solid progress thus far, but there is more 

flow to our business.

to be done.

The Data Challenge

Our team is confident that, as the market continues to

stabilize over the course of 2004, the opportunities are there

for CIENA. On behalf of myself and all the employees of

The major challenge service providers face is evolving their

CIENA, I thank our customers and our shareholders for their

networks to process efficiently and deliver profitably a growing

continued support.

GARY B. SMITH
President, 
Chief Executive Officer and Director 

range of data services. The networks of most carriers were

designed to carry voice traffic and deliver voice services. As

the demand for data services grew, these carriers built sepa-

rate data networks and operated them concurrently with their

existing voice networks. Revenue from data services continues

to grow, but in most cases not nearly as fast as data traffic. 

It is estimated that in 1999 data services represented 13% 

of network traffic and accounted for 13% of revenue. In con-
trast, analysts estimate data services will represent 54% of
network traffic in 2004 but will generate only 16% of revenue.

Moreover, data services are, in general, less profitable than 
traditional voice services.

With data surpassing voice as the dominant network traffic

but lagging in terms of profitability, carriers are looking for more
cost-effective and efficient ways to deliver the range of voice
and data services that their customers are demanding. Most

have concluded that the only way to offer advanced voice,
data, video and other services profitably is to consolidate their
separate voice and data networks onto a single converged net-
work, one that is capable of delivering multiple services over 
a single infrastructure.

While this vision of eventual network convergence is
widely shared, there are divergent perceptions regarding how 

it will come about. Some equipment vendors envision that the 

CIENA Corporation / 2003

FORM 10-K

CIENA Corporation 10-K / 1

UNITED STATES SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM 10-K

(Mark One)

Annual Report pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934
For the fiscal year ended October 31, 2003

OR

Transition Report pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934
For the transition period from _________ to __________

Commission file number 0–21969

CIENA Corporation
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

(State or other jurisdiction of incorporation or organization) Delaware

(I.R.S. Employer Identification No.) 23–2725311

(Address of principal executive offices) 1201 Winterson Road, Linthicum, MD

(Zip Code) 21090–2205

(Registrant’s telephone number, including area code) (410) 865–8500

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act: None

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act: Common Stock

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant: (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) 
of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the 
registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days.

Yes

No

Indicate by check mark if disclosure of delinquent filers pursuant to Item 405 of Regulation S-K is not contained 
herein, and will not be contained, to the best of registrant’s knowledge, in definitive proxy or information statements 
incorporated by reference in Part III of this Form 10-K or any amendment to this Form 10-K.

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is an accelerated filer (as defined in Exchange Act Rule 12b-2). 

Yes

No

The aggregate market value of the Registrant’s Common Stock held by non-affiliates of the Registrant was 
$2,287,132,422, based on the closing price of the Common Stock on the Nasdaq Stock Market on May 2, 2003.

The number of shares of Registrant’s Common Stock, par value $0.01 outstanding as of December 9, 2003 
was 473,795,871.

Documents Incorporated by Reference
Part III of the Form 10-K incorporates by reference certain portions of the Registrant’s proxy statement for its 
2004 annual meeting of stockholders to be filed with the Commission not later than 120 days after the end 
of the fiscal year covered by this report.

2 / CIENA Corporation 10-K 

PART I

The information in this Form 10-K contains certain forward-looking statements, including statements related to

markets  for  the  Company’s  products  and  trends  in  its  business  that  involve  risks  and  uncertainties.  The

Company’s  actual  results  may  differ  materially  from  the  results  discussed  in  the  forward-looking  statements.

Factors that might cause such a difference include those discussed in “Management’s Discussion and Analysis

of Financial Condition and Results of Operations—Risk Factors” and “Business” as well as those discussed else-

where in this Form 10-K.

Item 1. Business

General
Overview
CIENA  is  a  leading  global  provider  of  innovative  network  solutions  to  telecommunications  service  providers  and
enterprises  worldwide.  Our  customers  include  long  distance  carriers,  local  exchange  carriers,  cable  operators,
Internet  service  providers,  wireless  and  wholesale  carriers,  resellers,  governments,  large  businesses  and  non-
profit institutions.

CIENA was incorporated in Delaware in November 1992, and we completed our initial public offering on February 7,
1997. CIENA’s principal executive offices are located at 1201 Winterson Road, Linthicum, Maryland 21090. Our tele-
phone  number  is  (410) 865-8500,  and  our  web  site  address  is  www.ciena.com.  We  make  our  annual  reports  on
Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, current reports on Form 8-K, and amendments to those reports available
free of charge on our web site as soon as reasonably practicable after we file these reports with the Securities and
Exchange Commission.

In fiscal 2001, CIENA’s annual revenue reached $1.6 billion, based largely on the success of a single product line,
long-distance  optical  transport.  In  early  2001,  the  telecommunications  industry  began  a  severe  decline,  which  has
affected almost all of its participants, including equipment suppliers like CIENA. This decline caused the market for
networking  equipment  to  shrink  substantially,  with  a  resulting  adverse  impact  on  our  revenue  and  profitability.  In
response, we embarked upon a strategy designed to increase our addressable market through a combination of inter-
nal development, acquisitions and strategic alliances. Since 2001, we have entered new markets by expanding our
network solution offerings and worked to increase our market share by adding new features to our existing products.
We also have taken steps to expand our sales channels beyond direct sales to service providers, developing a grow-
ing number of partnerships and other strategic relationships that target enterprise and government customers. We
plan to continue this strategy, with particular emphasis on offering products to enable delivery of data communica-
tions services, because we expect a large portion of capital spending to occur in this area over the next few years. In
general, our intent is to continue to evolve from a vendor of optical networking equipment into a strategic provider of
networking solutions.

During fiscal 2003, as part of our efforts to implement our strategy, we completed the acquisitions of WaveSmith
Networks,  Inc.  and  Akara  Corporation.  WaveSmith  was  a  privately  held  corporation  offering  a  multi-service  switching
product  designed  to  be  deployed  at  the  edge  of  carrier  networks.  Akara  was  a  privately  held  corporation  providing
SONET/SDH-based extended storage solutions.

CIENA had revenue of $283 million for its fiscal year ended October 31, 2003, a decrease of 22% when compared
with fiscal 2002 revenue of $361 million. CIENA recorded a net loss of $387 million in fiscal 2003 compared with a net
loss of $1.6 billion for fiscal 2002. For the fiscal year ended October 31, 2003, CIENA recorded revenue from sales to a
total of 110 customers. This represents an increase of more than 42% over 2002’s customer base of 77. During fiscal
2003, AT&T and Qwest each represented more than 10% of CIENA’s total revenue.

Over the last two years, in parallel with the steps to increase our addressable market, we have also executed a pro-
gram to reduce and restructure our costs, aligning them better with our market opportunities and changing product mix.
Since the fourth quarter of fiscal 2001, we have reduced our quarterly research and development, selling and marketing,
and  general  and  administrative  expenses  (exclusive  of  deferred  stock  compensation)  by  37%,  from  $127.2  million  to

CIENA Corporation 10-K / 3

$79.9 million. Consistent with our overall strategy, we plan to reduce these expenses further in fiscal 2004, in order
to strike an appropriate balance between ongoing strategic investment in our business and careful expense control and
prudent cash management.

The  matters  discussed  in  this  section  should  be  read  in  conjunction  with  the Consolidated  Financial  Statements

found under Part II, Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

Industry Background
General
Deregulation in the United States and privatization in many other countries during the 1990’s began a transition from a
telecommunications  industry  characterized  by  a  small  number  of  heavily  regulated  large  service  providers  to  one  in
which numerous new competitors began to emerge. Rapid traffic growth and readily available capital further fueled the
growth in the number of service providers, as emerging carriers built networks and fought to take market share from
the incumbent carriers. The rapid adoption of the Internet prompted service providers and enterprises to construct large-
scale data networks as overlays to existing legacy voice networks. During this time, CIENA’s revenue grew to $1.6 bil-
lion in fiscal 2001, predominantly from the sale of a single product category, long-distance optical transport equipment.
Beginning in late 2000, capital markets tightened. Service providers responded by curtailing network build-outs and
dramatically  reducing  their  overall  capital  spending,  significantly  affecting  the  revenue  and  profitability  of  equipment
providers like CIENA. In addition, many carriers found that they had built networks in anticipation of demand that failed
to materialize, and the industry, as a whole, faced a market in which there was significant over-capacity. Some carriers,
with inadequate revenue and no access to additional capital, failed. Others reorganized or are still in the process of work-
ing through restructurings, leading to a climate of uncertainty.

After several years of significantly lower capital spending, most service providers’ operating costs remain high while
their revenue is growing slowly, if at all. In the United States, the incumbent local exchange carriers (ILECs) are losing
revenue to wireless and cable substitution, and interexchange carriers (IXCs) are losing long-distance revenue to ILECs
and wireless carriers. Overseas, incumbent carriers, mostly former post, telephone and telegraph enterprises (PTTs), are
experiencing intense price pressure from new players in the their respective markets. As a result of this environment,
we expect most service providers to strive to hold aggregate capital spending flat for the next several years and focus
on reducing overall network ownership costs and on generating new, higher margin data services.

The Data Challenge
Currently, the major challenge service providers face is evolving their networks to process efficiently and deliver profitably
a growing range of data services. The networks of most ILECs, IXCs and PTTs were designed to carry voice traffic and to
deliver voice services. As the demand for data services grew, these carriers built separate data networks and operated
them concurrently with their existing voice networks. Revenue from data services continues to grow, but in most cases
not nearly as fast as data traffic. It is estimated that in 1999 data services represented 13% of network traffic and accounted
for 13% of revenue. In contrast, analysts estimate data services will represent 54% of network traffic in 2004 but will
generate only 16% of revenue. Moreover, data services are, in general, less profitable than traditional voice services.

With data surpassing voice as the dominant network traffic but lagging in terms of profitability, carriers are looking
for  more  cost-effective  and  efficient  ways  to  deliver  the  range  of  voice  and  data  services  that  their  customers  are
demanding. Most have concluded that the only way to offer advanced voice, data, video and other services profitably is
to consolidate their separate voice and data networks onto a single converged network, one that is capable of deliver-
ing multiple services over a single infrastructure.

While this vision of eventual network convergence is widely shared, there are divergent perceptions regarding how
it will come about. Some equipment vendors envision that the converged network will be based on a completely new
network infrastructure. We believe, however, that the transition to a converged all-service network will be an evolution-
ary process, one in which carriers will leverage their existing network investment. The majority of our strategic initia-
tives, partnerships and investments are intended to capitalize on this evolution.

4 / CIENA Corporation 10-K 

Strategy
In fiscal 2001, nearly 80% of CIENA’s revenue came from a single product category, long-haul optical transport. Since
then, through internal development, acquisition and partnerships, we have significantly diversified our product portfo-
lio  and  with  it,  our  customer  base.  Our  strategy  is  based  on  leveraging  our  key  strengths  to  capitalize  on  service
providers’ focus on operational savings and on their move toward converged voice and data networks. We see these
strengths as:
• A solid base of major customers;
• A position as an industry technology leader; and
• Our experience in successfully introducing economically-driven network innovation.

Since the decline in the telecommunications equipment market began, our strategy has been to enhance our com-

petitive position by continuing to invest in our business. This strategy entails taking steps to:
• Expand our addressable market by adding new data-focused products to our portfolio through internal development,

acquisition and partnerships.

• Increase our market share within our existing markets by enhancing the features and functions of current products

and focusing on product cost reductions.

• Expand our customer base by directing increased sales efforts toward incumbent carriers, developing new sales

channels and increasing our sales efforts with enterprises and government customers.

• Increase sales to existing customers by leveraging our new features, products and partnerships to establish CIENA

as a strategic and attractive supplier.
We believe restoring sustained profitability to CIENA requires simultaneous revenue growth and an internal trans-
formation of our business and processes. Our efforts toward this transformation are well underway and will continue.
They include:
• Balancing continued strategic investment with careful cost control and prudent cash management;
• Closely aligning investment with opportunity;
• Reducing costs through outsourcing;
• Improving gross margin by adding products with higher software content to the product portfolio;
• Expanding our service offerings and delivering them more profitably;
• Managing our cash prudently; and
• Modifying our business processes to match the demands of our evolving customer base and product portfolio.

CIENA’s Solutions
CIENA’s solutions harness innovation to deliver improved network economics. Our intelligent networking solutions are
designed to enable service providers to transition from inefficient, legacy, voice-centric networks to more efficient, data-
friendly networks. CIENA’s systems and their intelligent networking software address the network scalability and capi-
tal spending challenges and the escalating operational costs faced by service providers.
• CIENA’s equipment can replace multiple legacy network elements with fewer, more intelligent network elements,

thereby simplifying the network and lowering carriers’ initial capital costs and ongoing operating expenses.

• The software functionality of CIENA’s equipment creates a network environment in which distributed intelligence—
intelligence at the network element level—takes the place of centralized network intelligence. As a result, CIENA
networks  can  “think”  for  themselves,  making  dynamic  decisions  without  human  intervention  thereby  facilitating
provisioning and protection capabilities and lowering associated operating costs.

• CIENA’s equipment is designed to reduce network operating costs by enabling carriers to manage network traffic

and network bandwidth more efficiently.

• CIENA’s equipment is designed to enable carriers to shorten the time it takes to provision services, in some cases

from months to nearly real-time, thereby accelerating revenue generation.

• In  addition  to  capital  and  operational  cost  savings,  CIENA’s  equipment  and  network  management  software  is

designed to enable carriers to offer new, revenue-generating and service-differentiating services.

CIENA Corporation 10-K / 5

Our networking product portfolio, which is targeted at the critical areas of our customers’ networks, includes the

following solutions:

Core Networking
CIENA’s  suite  of  core  networking  systems  helps  service  providers  extract  maximum  value  from  their  current
SONET/SDH network architectures, while minimizing the risk and cost of integrating new services. Our solutions offer
the switching functionality and long-haul transport capabilities service providers need to enable the creation of new
carrier-class data services.

Core Transport
CIENA’s core transport solutions provide a flexible platform with a menu of options that allows service providers to cost-
effectively implement long-haul and ultra long-haul dense wavelength division multiplexing (DWDM) applications within
a single platform. The core transport family features the following products:
• CoreStream™ Long-Haul Optical Transmission System
• MultiWave Sentry® 4000 Transport System
• MultiWave Sentry® 1600 Transport System
• CoreStream™ System Optical Add/Drop Multiplexers (OADMs)

Core Switching
CIENA’s  core  switching  solutions  support  differentiable  carrier  service  offerings  by  combining,  in  a  single  combined
switching  and  transport  platform,  many  different  protection  options  and  flexible  bandwidth  management  capabilities.
The core switching family features the CoreDirector® family of intelligent optical core switches.

Metropolitan Networking
CIENA’s suite of metropolitan networking systems helps service providers and enterprises collapse and stream-
line multiple layers of the network to deliver efficient networking across the metropolitan area for data voice and
video services.

Metropolitan Transport
CIENA’s metropolitan transport solutions target both service provider and enterprise requirements.
• ONLINE Metro™ Multiservice DWDM Transport Platform—provides customers a variety of managed services over

a single optical infrastructure

• ONLINE Edge™ Multiservice CWDM Platform—provides a platform to offer high-bandwidth services over a single

optical infrastructure

• CN 2000™ Storage Extension Platform—customer premise device for extending data and storage applications over

distance to meet business continuance/disaster recovery goals

• MultiWave  Metro® Transmission  System—DWDM  optical  transport  system  designed  for  use  in  metropolitan 

ring applications

• MultiWave  Metro  One™ Transmission  System—part of the MultiWave Metro™ family of DWDM optical networking 

systems designed for customer premise applications

Metropolitan Switching
CIENA’s metropolitan switching solution, the MetroDirector K2™ Multiservice Platform, provides a platform to aggre-
gate,  groom  and  add  or  drop  services  to  maximize  bandwidth  efficiency  throughout  a  carrier’s  metro  network—from
access to core. The MetroDirector K2 offers a comprehensive package of options to support TDM, ATM, and Ethernet
switching capabilities, which help enterprise and service providers generate revenue from traditional private line serv-
ices. It also enables new revenue streams from emerging switched data services.

6 / CIENA Corporation 10-K 

Multiservice Networking
CIENA delivers market-leading platforms for metropolitan network multiservice aggregation. CIENA’s DN multiser-
vice edge switching platform enhances bandwidth efficiency, provisioning, and scalability by converging traditional
and emerging data services such as ATM, DSL, Frame Relay, TDM/CES, and IP/MPLS in the network core and at
the  edge.  The  platform  also  offers  a  safe  migration  path  to  IP/MPLS,  while  simultaneously  supporting  existing
legacy services.

LightWorks ON-Center® Management Suite
CIENA’s  next-generation  intelligent  optical  network  management  system  allows  service  providers  to  rapidly  provision
and continuously monitor new revenue generating optical services, while increasing the efficiency of existing or new
networks. The management suite consists of an integrated network manager, a service layer management tool, element
management systems for each product and planning tools.

Partnerships
In addition to those products developed internally or added through acquisition, CIENA has executed reseller agreements
with both Laurel Networks and Luminous Networks. Under the agreement with Laurel, which is exclusive as to certain
designated  customers,  CIENA  markets,  sells  and  supports  Laurel  Networks’  ST200™ Service  Edge  Router  to  service
providers  worldwide.  Under  the  agreement  with  Luminous,  CIENA  markets,  sells  and  supports  Luminous  Networks’
entire PacketWave™ family of products.

Services
CIENA provides a comprehensive portfolio of service and support offerings for its products. Our offerings include:
• Deployment  services  including  network  design,  product  installation,  network  integration  testing  and  accept-

ance testing;

• Maintenance  services  including  parts  exchange,  engineering  dispatch,  advanced  technical  support  and  hardware

and software warranty extensions; and

• Training  and  documentation  services  including  product  training,  service  partner  training  and  documenta-

tion services.

Product Development
We believe that to be successful, we must continue to enhance our existing products, maintain our technological com-
petitiveness and develop new products that meet our customers’ evolving needs. As a result, CIENA has continued to
pursue strategic investment in our products and their feature sets despite the downturn in the communications indus-
try. Research and development expenses (exclusive of stock compensation cost of $12.8, $15.7 and $17.8 million) were
$199.7  million,  $239.6  million  and  $235.8  million  for  fiscal  2003,  2002  and  2001,  respectively.  For  more  information
regarding our research and development expenses, see Item 7. “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial
Conditions and Results of Operations.”

We plan to continue to make investments in research and development on enhancements of our existing products
that we believe will enable service providers and enterprises to increase revenue or improve operating costs. We also
have engineering efforts underway focused on cost reductions for our products. In addition, we plan to continue to invest
in  the  development  of  new  products,  especially  products  that  operate  at  the  edge  of  the  network  and  products  that
enable sophisticated services beyond transport and switching.

Our product development process is driven by market demand and a close collaboration among our marketing, sales
and product development organizations. We also incorporate feedback from our customers in the product development
process. In some cases, we will work with and invest in partners to develop new or modify existing products. In addi-
tion, we participate in industry and standards organizations where appropriate and incorporate information from these
contacts throughout the product development process.

CIENA Corporation 10-K / 7

Marketing and Distribution
We are focused on selling our innovative network solutions by building long-term relationships with service providers,
enterprises, governments and other customers through our direct sales efforts and channel partnerships. We maintain
a  direct  sales  presence  in  locations  throughout  the  United  States,  Latin  America,  Canada,  Europe  and  Asia.  Through
these offices we sell and support our network solutions to service provider, enterprise and government customers. We
also  maintain  a  channel  program  with  a  dedicated  team  that  works  with  resellers,  systems  integrators  and  service
providers to sell and market our solutions to service providers, enterprises and governments.

In support of its worldwide sales efforts, CIENA conducts marketing communications programs intended to posi-
tion and promote its products within the telecommunications industry. Marketing personnel also coordinate our partici-
pation in trade shows and conduct media relations activities with trade and general business publications.

Manufacturing
CIENA relies on contract manufacturers to assemble and test most of its products. We work closely with these manufac-
turers to manage quality, cost and delivery times. We continue to perform much of the assembly and testing of our core
transport products, but outsource all of the printed circuit board assembly and some of the optical assembly and module
functional testing. We manufacture in-house all the in-fiber Bragg gratings used in our core transport products. All prod-
ucts undergo a final system test performed by us in our Maryland facility. We will continue to evaluate the extent to which
third party manufacturers can do even more of our manufacturing and testing on a reliable and cost-effective basis.

Competition
Competition in the telecommunications equipment industry is intense, and became increasingly so as the market for
communications networking equipment declined. CIENA’s competition is dominated by a small number of very large,
usually  multi-national,  vertically  integrated  companies  each  of  which  has  substantially  greater  financial,  technical  and
marketing resources, and greater manufacturing capacity as well as better established relationships with the incumbent
carriers  than  CIENA.  Included  among  CIENA’s  competitors  are:  Alcatel,  Cisco  Systems,  Inc.  (“Cisco”),  Fujitsu  Group
(“Fujitsu”),  Hitachi  Ltd.  (“Hitachi”),  Huawei  Technologies  Co.  Ltd  (“Huawei”),  Lucent  Technologies  Inc.  (“Lucent”),
Marconi  Corporation  (“Marconi”),  NEC  Corporation  (“NEC”),  Nortel  Networks  (“Nortel”),  Siemens  AG  (“Siemens”),
Telefon AB LM Ericsson (“Ericsson”), and Tellabs, Inc. (“Tellabs”). There are also several smaller, but established com-
panies, such as ADVA AG Optical Networking, and Sycamore Networks, Inc., that offer one or more products that com-
pete  directly  or  indirectly  with  our  offerings.  In  addition,  there  are  a  variety  of  earlier-stage  companies  with  products
targeted  at  the  communications  networking  market  in  some  stage  of  development  or  deployment,  most  of  them
employing advanced technology that could offer advantages over products offered by CIENA.

Patents and Other Intellectual Property Rights
As of November 30, 2003, CIENA had received 154 United States patents and had pending 260 U.S. patent applications.
We also have a number of foreign patents and patent applications. Of the United States patents that have been issued
to CIENA, the earliest any will expire is 2015. In addition, CIENA has licensed patents from third parties. CIENA also
licenses from third parties certain software components for its network management products. These licenses are per-
petual but will generally terminate after an uncured breach of the agreement by CIENA. CIENA also relies on contractual
rights, trade secrets and copyrights to establish and protect its proprietary rights in its products.

CIENA enforces its intellectual property rights vigorously against infringement or misappropriation. CIENA’s practice
is  to  require  its  employees  and  consultants  to  execute  non-disclosure  and  proprietary  rights  agreements  upon  com-
mencement of employment or consulting arrangements with CIENA. These agreements acknowledge CIENA’s exclu-
sive ownership of all intellectual property developed by the individual during the course of his or her work with CIENA,
and require that all proprietary information disclosed to the individual will remain confidential. CIENA’s employees gen-
erally also sign agreements not to compete, in jurisdictions where these agreements are enforceable, with CIENA for a
period of twelve months following any termination of employment.

8 / CIENA Corporation 10-K 

We are currently engaged in two patent lawsuits. See Item 3. “Legal Proceedings.” In addition, parties who claim
that we may be infringing one or more of their patents approach us from time to time demanding that we take a license
from them. We are currently engaged in several discussions regarding such assertions. As part of a settlement of a suit
brought by Nortel, we have agreed to attempt to negotiate a patent cross-license agreement with it.

Employees
As of October 31, 2003, CIENA and its subsidiaries employed 1,816 persons, of whom 787 were primarily engaged in
research  and  development  activities,  265  in  manufacturing,  198  in  installation  services  and  customer  support,  354  in
sales and marketing related activities, and 212 in administration. None of CIENA’s employees are currently represented
by a labor union. CIENA considers its relations with its employees to be good.

Directors and Executive Officers
The table below sets forth certain information concerning each of the directors and executive officers of CIENA:
Position
Name

Age

Patrick H. Nettles, Ph.D.(1)

Gary B. Smith(1)

Stephen B. Alexander

Steve W. Chaddick

Joseph R. Chinnici

James F. Collier III

Nicholas S. Jeffery

Jesús León

Edward A. Ogonek

Robert A. O’Neil

Arthur Smith, Ph.D.

Russell B. Stevenson, Jr.
Andrew C. Petrik
Stephen P. Bradley, Ph.D.(1)(3)(4)

Harvey B. Cash(1)(2)(4)
Don H. Davis, Jr.(1)(2)
John R. Dillon(1)(3)
Lawton W. Fitt(1)(3)
Judith M. O’Brien(1)(2)(4)

Gerald H. Taylor(1)(2)

60

43

44

52

49

45

35

59

41

45

37

62
40

62

65

64

62

50

53

62

Executive Chairman of the Board of Directors

President, Chief Executive Officer and Director

Senior Vice President, Chief Technology Officer

Senior Vice President, Corporate Strategy and Marketing

Senior Vice President, Finance and Chief Financial Officer

Senior Vice President, Corporate Development

Senior Vice President, World Wide Sales

Senior Vice President, Chief Development Officer

Senior Vice President, General Manager of Metro and Enterprise Solutions

Senior Vice President, General Manager of Data Networking

Senior Vice President, Global Operations

Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary
Vice President, Controller and Treasurer

Director
Director
Director

Director
Director
Director

Director

(1) The Company’s Directors hold staggered terms of office, expiring as follows: Ms. O’Brien and Messrs Cash and Smith in 2005; Ms. Fitt and Messrs.

Dillon and Nettles in 2004; Messrs. Bradley, Davis and Taylor in 2006

(2) Member of the Compensation Committee

(3) Member of the Audit Committee

(4) Member of the Governance and Nominations Committee

Patrick  H.  Nettles,  Ph.D. has  served  as  Executive  Chairman  of  the  Board  of  Directors  since  May  2001.  From
October 2000 to May 2001, Dr. Nettles was Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer, and he was President,
Chief Executive Officer and Director from April 1994 to October 2000. Dr. Nettles serves as a Trustee for the California
Institute of Technology and also serves on the Advisory Board to the President at Georgia Institute of Technology.
Dr. Nettles also serves on the board of directors of Axcelis Technologies, Inc.

Gary  B.  Smith has  served  as  Chief  Executive  Officer  since  May  2001;  President,  Chief  Operating  Officer  and
Director since October 2000; and Senior Vice President, Chief Operating Officer from August 1999 to October 2000.

CIENA Corporation 10-K / 9

Mr. Smith served as Senior Vice President, Worldwide Sales from September 1998 to August 1999, and was previ-
ously Vice President of International Sales since joining the Company in November 1997. He currently serves on
the  board  of  directors  for  the  American  Electronics  Association  and  as  a  commissioner  for  Global  Information
Infrastructure Commission.

Stephen B. Alexander has served as Senior Vice President and Chief Technology Officer of CIENA since January

2000. He served as CIENA’s Vice President and Chief Technology Officer from September 1998 to January 2000.

Steve W. Chaddick was appointed CIENA’s Chief Strategy Officer in May 2001, in addition to his existing responsibili-
ties  as  Senior  Vice  President,  Systems  and  Technology,  a  role  he  has  held  since  February  2000.  Between  July  1999  and
February 2000, Mr. Chaddick served as President of CIENA’s Core Switching Division. From August 1998 to July 1999, he
served as the Company’s Senior Vice President, Strategy and Corporate Development.

Joseph  R.  Chinnici has  served  as  CIENA’s  Senior  Vice  President,  Finance  and  Chief  Financial  Officer  since
August  1997.  From  May  1995  to  August  1997,  Mr. Chinnici  served  as  the  Company’s  Vice  President,  Finance  and
Chief  Financial  Officer.  Mr. Chinnici  joined  CIENA  in  September  1994  as  its  Controller.  Mr. Chinnici  serves  on  the
board of directors for Guilford Pharmaceuticals Inc.

James F. Collier III has served as Senior Vice President, Corporate Development since June 2003. He served as
CIENA’s Vice President, North American Sales between May 2002 and May 2003. Prior to joining CIENA, Mr. Collier was
employed  by  Nortel  as  Vice  President  of  Major  Accounts  between  April  2001  and  April  2002  and  Vice  President  of
Business Management, Wireless Networks Division from January 1997 to April 2001.

Nicholas S. Jeffery has served as Senior Vice President, World Wide Sales since November 2003. He served
as CIENA’s Vice President, International Sales from September 2003 to November 2003 and Managing Director and
Vice President, Europe, Middle East and Africa from June 2003 to September 23. Prior to joining CIENA, Mr. Jeffery
founded  and  was  director  of  Microfone  UK  Ltd.,  a  reseller  of  voice  services,  from  January  2003  to  June  2003.
Mr. Jeffery remains a director of Microfone. From April 2003 to January 2003, Mr. Jeffery was the Chief Executive
Officer of the Markets Group of Cable & Wireless Global. Prior to holding this position, Mr. Jeffery served in a vari-
ety  of  other  senior  sales  and  management  positions  with  Cable  &  Wireless  Global  and  other  Cable  &  Wireless
Group Companies.

Jesús León has served as Senior Vice President, Chief Development Officer since August 2002. Mr. León served
as Senior Vice President, Metro Transport and Metro Switching from August 2001 to August 2002, Senior Vice President,
Metro Transport from May 2001 to August 2001, Senior Vice President, Products and Technology between March 1999
and May 2001, and Vice President, Products and Technology between September 1998 and March 1999.

Edward  A.  Ogonek has  served  as  Senior  Vice  President,  General  Manager  of  Metro  and  Enterprise  Solutions
since  November  2003.  He  served  as  Senior  Vice  President,  General  Manager  of  Enterprise  Solutions  for  CIENA
between  August  2003  and  November  2003.  From  November  2000  until  he  joined  CIENA,  Mr.  Ogonek  served  as
President  and  Chief  Executive  Officer  of  Akara  Corporation,  which  was  acquired  by  CIENA  in  August  2003.  Before
joining Akara, Mr. Ogonek was employed by Alcatel, serving as Senior Vice President and General Manager, Edge Data
Networks from May 2000 to November 2000. From May 1997 to May 2000, Mr. Ogonek served in a variety of senior
management positions with Newbridge Networks and Alcatel.

Robert A. O’Neil has served as Senior Vice President, General Manager of Data Networking since November 2003.
He served as Vice President of Data Networking for CIENA between June 2003 and November 2003. From November
2002 until he joined CIENA, Mr. O’Neil served as Vice President of Sales of WaveSmith Networks, which was acquired
by CIENA in June 2003. From January 2001 to November 2002, Mr. O’Neil was a Venture Partner of Bessemer Venture
Partners, a venture capital firm. From April 1998 to December 2002, Mr. O’Neil served as the Vice President of Sales,
Network Access Division of Nortel.

Arthur Smith, Ph.D. has served as Senior Vice President, Global Operations since September 2003. Previously,
Dr. Smith served as Senior Vice President, Worldwide Customer Services and Support from June 2002 to September
2003 and as Senior Vice President, Core Transport Division from May 2001 through June 2002. Prior to May 2001, he
held engineering management positions in CIENA’s Transport Division since joining the company in May 1997.

10 / CIENA Corporation 10-K 

Russell B. Stevenson, Jr. has served as Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary since joining CIENA
in August 2001. From March 2000 to August 2001, he was Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary of
ARBROS  Communications,  Inc.,  an  integrated  communications  provider.  From  1996  to  2000,  Mr.  Stevenson  was
Executive Vice President and General Counsel of CyberCash, Inc.

Andrew C. Petrik has served as Vice President, Controller and Treasurer of CIENA since August 1997.
Stephen P. Bradley, Ph.D. has served as Director of the Company since April 1998. Professor Bradley is the William
Ziegler Professor of Business Administration and the Chairman of the Program for Management Development at the
Harvard Business School. A member of the Harvard faculty since 1968, Professor Bradley is also Chairman of Harvard’s
Executive Program in Competition and Strategy.

Harvey B. Cash has served as Director of the Company since April 1994. Mr. Cash is a general partner of InterWest
Partners, a venture capital firm in Menlo Park, California that he joined in 1985. Mr. Cash serves on the board of direc-
tors of i2 Technologies Inc., Silicon Laboratories, Inc., Microtune, Inc., Liberté Investors Inc., and Airspan Networks, Inc.
In addition, he is a member of the boards of several private corporations.

Don H. Davis, Jr. has served as Director of the Company since March 2002. Mr. Davis has been Chairman and CEO
of Rockwell Automation, Inc. since 1998. (Rockwell International Corporation changed its name to Rockwell Automation,
Inc. on June 29, 2001.) He previously served as Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer with responsibility
for Rockwell International’s automation and former semiconductor systems and automotive components businesses. In
addition  to  the  Rockwell  Automation  board,  Mr.  Davis  serves  on  the  boards  of  Illinois  Tool  Works,  Inc.  and  Apogent
Technologies Inc. He is also a member of the Business Council, the Business Roundtable, and The Conference Board. He
is also a past chairman of the Board of Governors of the National Electrical Manufacturers Association, Washington, DC.
John R. Dillon has served as Director of the Company since October 1999. Mr. Dillon has served in a variety of
positions  at  The  Coca-Cola  Company,  Scientific-Atlanta,  Inc.  and  Fuqua  National.  Mr.  Dillon  joined  Cox  Enterprises  in
1980 and, until his retirement in 1996, served as Senior Vice President, Chief Financial Officer and director.

Lawton  W.  Fitt has  served  as  Director  of  the  Company  since  November  2000.  Ms.  Fitt  was  appointed
Secretary (Chief Executive) of the Royal Academy of Arts in London in October 2002. Responsible for the day-to-
day  operation  of  the  Royal  Academy,  she  is  the  first  woman  and  the  first  American  to  have  been  appointed
Secretary  in  the  Academy’s  history.  Prior  to  her  appointment,  Ms.  Fitt  was  an  investment  banker  with  Goldman
Sachs & Co. from 1979 to October 2002, where she was a partner from 1994 and a managing director from 1996
to October 2002. Ms. Fitt is a trustee of the Darden School Foundation.

Judith M. O’Brien has served as Director of the Company since July 2000. Since February 2001, Ms. O’Brien has
been a Managing Director at INCUBIC L.L.C., a venture capital firm in Mountain View, California. From 1984 until 2001,
she was a partner with Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati, where she specialized in corporate finance, mergers and acqui-
sitions and general corporate matters.

Gerald  H.  Taylor has  served  as  Director  of  the  Company  since  January  2000.  Mr.  Taylor  serves  as  a  Managing
Member of MortonsGroup, LLC and serves on the board of directors of Lafarge North America Inc. From 1996 to 1998,
Mr. Taylor was Chief Executive Officer of MCI Communications Corporation.

Trademarks
“CIENA,” “MultiWave” and “MultiWave Sentry” are registered trademarks of CIENA. “CoreDirector,” “CoreDirector CI,”
“CoreStream,” “Fastmesh,” “Fastpath,” “Flexible Concatenation,” “JEM,” “LightWorks,” “LightWorks OS,” “LightWorks
ONCenter,” “LightWorks Toolkit,” “MultiWave CoreDirector,” “MultiWave CoreStream,” “MultiWave Metro,” “MultiWave
Metro  One,”  “ONCenter,”  “OSRP,”  “SmartSpan,”  “SmartSupport,”  “SmartTools,”  “VLSR,”  “ONLINE,”  “OPTX,”  and
“ONWAVE” are trademarks of CIENA under federal and state law.

Item 2. Properties
As of October 31, 2003, all of CIENA’s properties are leased. CIENA’s principal executive offices are located in Linthicum,
Maryland. We lease nine facilities related to ongoing operations, including the five buildings located at various sites near

CIENA Corporation 10-K / 11

Linthicum, Maryland, one as an engineering facility, three as manufacturing facilities, and one as an administrative and
sales  facility.  The  Company  also  has  engineering  and/or  service  facilities  located  in  Alpharetta,  Georgia;  San  Jose,
California; Durham, North Carolina; Acton, Massachusetts; and Ottawa, Ontario. The Company also leases various small
offices in the United States and abroad to support its sales and services. We believe the facilities we are now using are
adequate and suitable for business requirements.

CIENA leases a number of properties that we no longer occupy. As part of its restructuring costs, CIENA provides for
the estimated cost of the net lease expense for these facilities. The cost is based on the future minimum lease payments
under contractual obligations offset by estimated future sublease payments. As of October 31, 2003, CIENA’s accrued
restructuring liability related to these properties was $63.7 million. If actual market conditions are less favorable than those
projected by management, additional restructuring costs associated with these facilities may be required. For additional
information regarding the Company’s lease obligations, See Item 8. “Financial Statements and Supplementary Data.”

Item 3. Legal Proceedings
On October 3, 2000, Stanford University and Litton Systems filed a complaint in the United States District Court for the
Central District of California alleging that optical fiber amplifiers incorporated into CIENA’s products infringe U.S. Patent
No. 4,859,016  (the  “016  Patent”).  The  complaint  seeks  injunctive  relief,  royalties  and  damages.  We  believe  that  we
have valid defenses to the lawsuit and intend to defend it vigorously. On October 10, 2003, the court stayed the case
pending final resolution of matters before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (the “PTO”), including a request for and
disposition  of  a  reexamination  of  the  016  Patent.  On  October  16,  2003,  the  PTO  granted  reexamination  of  the  016
Patent, thus resulting in a continuation of the stay of the case.

On July 19, 2000, CIENA and CIENA Properties, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of CIENA, filed a complaint in the
United  States  District  Court  for  the  District  of  Delaware  requesting  damages  and  injunctive  relief  against  Corvis
Corporation (“Corvis”). The suit charged Corvis with infringing four patents relating to CIENA’s optical networking com-
munication systems and technology. A jury trial to determine whether Corvis is infringing these patents commenced on
February 10, 2003. On February 24, 2003, the jury decided that Corvis was infringing one of the patents and not infring-
ing two others. The jury was deadlocked with respect to infringement on the fourth patent. This trial was immediately
followed by a trial on Corvis’ affirmative defenses based on the validity of two of the patents. On February 28, 2003, the
jury in this trial determined that the patents were valid. In April 2003, following a third trial, another jury decided that
Corvis had infringed the fourth patent on which the previous jury had deadlocked. Based on these favorable verdicts col-
lectively holding that Corvis is infringing two valid CIENA patents, CIENA has moved for an injunction to prohibit the sale
by Corvis of the infringing products. The court has not yet ruled on this motion.

As a result of the merger with ONI Systems Corp. (“ONI”), we became a defendant in a securities class action law-
suit. Beginning in August 2001, a number of substantially identical class action complaints alleging violations of the fed-
eral securities laws were filed in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York. These complaints
name ONI, Hugh C. Martin, ONI’s former chairman, president and chief executive officer; Chris A. Davis, ONI’s former
executive vice president, chief financial officer and administrative officer; and certain underwriters of ONI’s initial public
offering as defendants. The complaints were consolidated into a single action, and a consolidated amended complaint
was filed on April 24, 2002. The amended complaint alleges, among other things, that the underwriter defendants vio-
lated the securities laws by failing to disclose alleged compensation arrangements (such as undisclosed commissions
or stock stabilization practices) in the initial public offering’s registration statement and by engaging in manipulative prac-
tices  to  artificially  inflate  the  price  of  our  common  stock  after  the  initial  public  offering.  The  amended  complaint  also
alleges that ONI and the named former officers violated the securities laws on the basis of an alleged failure to disclose
the underwriters’ alleged compensation arrangements and manipulative practices. No specific amount of damages has
been claimed. Similar complaints have been filed against more than 300 other issuers that have had initial public offer-
ings since 1998, and all of these actions have been included in a single coordinated proceeding. Mr. Martin and Ms. Davis
have been dismissed from the action without prejudice pursuant to a tolling agreement. In July 2002, ONI and other
issuers in the consolidated cases filed motions to dismiss the amended complaint for failure to state a claim, which was

12 / CIENA Corporation 10-K 

denied  as  to  ONI  on  February  19,  2003.  CIENA  has  participated,  together  with  the  other  issuer  defendants  in  these
cases,  in  mediated  settlement  negotiations  that  have  led  to  a  preliminary  agreement  among  the  plaintiffs,  the  issuer
defendants and their insurers. The settlement, which is subject to court approval, would result in the dismissal of the
plaintiffs’ cases against the issuers. CIENA has agreed in principle to the terms of this settlement. Draft settlement docu-
ments were circulated for preliminary review in October 2003.

As  a  result  of  the  merger  with  ONI,  we  also  became  a  defendant  in  two  substantially  identical  purported  class
actions on behalf of ONI security holders originally brought against ONI and members of its board of directors. The com-
plaints allege that the director defendants breached their fiduciary duties to ONI in approving the merger with CIENA and
seek declaratory, injunctive and other relief permitted by equity. The plaintiffs failed to obtain an injunction against com-
pletion  of  the  merger.  The  first  of  these  cases  was  filed  on  February 20,  2002,  in  the  Superior  Court  of  the  State  of
California, County of San Mateo, and is encaptioned K.W. Sams, On Behalf of Himself and All Others Similarly Situated
v. ONI Systems Corporation, et al. The second case was brought on March 19, 2002, in the Superior Court of the State
of California, County of Santa Clara, and is encaptioned Steven Myeary, On Behalf of Himself and All Others Similarly
Situated v. ONI Systems Corporation. On April 14, 2003, the plaintiffs in these cases filed a consolidated amended com-
plaint and named four additional defendants: CIENA Corporation, James F. Jordan, Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers and
Mohr Davidow Ventures. CIENA and the other defendants subsequently filed a demurrer and served a motion for sanc-
tions on plaintiffs based on factual inaccuracies in the consolidated amended complaint. In response, the plaintiffs filed
a corrected consolidated amended complaint, the demurrer to which is scheduled to be heard by the court in December
2003. We believe that these lawsuits are without merit and will continue to defend them vigorously.

Item 4. Submission of Matters to a Vote of Security Holders
No matters were submitted to a vote of security holders in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2003.

CIENA Corporation 10-K / 13

PART II

Item 5. Market for Registrant’s Common Stock 
and Related Stockholder Matters

CIENA’s Common Stock is traded on the NASDAQ National Market under the symbol CIEN. The following table sets
forth for the fiscal periods indicated the high and low sales prices of the Common Stock, as reported on the NASDAQ
National Market.

Price Range of Common Stock

Fiscal Year 2002

First Quarter ended January 31

Second Quarter ended April 30

Third Quarter ended July 31

Fourth Quarter ended October 31

Fiscal Year 2003

First Quarter ended January 31

Second Quarter ended April 30

Third Quarter ended July 31

Fourth Quarter ended October 31

High

$21.71

$12.95

$ 7.53

$ 4.90

$ 7.74

$ 6.12

$ 6.74

$ 7.45

Low

$12.60

$ 7.03

$ 3.60

$ 2.41

$ 3.49

$ 4.19

$ 4.80

$ 5.10

The market price of CIENA’s Common Stock has fluctuated significantly and may be subject to significant fluctuations

in the future. See Item 7. “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.”

As  of  December 9,  2003,  there  were  approximately  2,473  holders  of  record  of  CIENA’s  Common  Stock  and

473,795,871 shares of Common Stock outstanding.

CIENA has never paid cash dividends on its capital stock. If and when we return to profitability, we intend to retain

earnings for use in our business, and we do not anticipate paying any cash dividends in the foreseeable future.

On August 29, 2003, we issued 2,343,015 shares of CIENA common stock to stockholders of Akara Corporation
as partial consideration for all outstanding shares of Akara. Our issuance of these shares was exempt from registration
pursuant to Rule 506 promulgated under the Securities Act of 1933, and/or Section 4(2) of the Securities Act.

Item 6. Selected Consolidated Financial Data
The following selected consolidated financial data should be read in conjunction with Item 7. “Management’s Discussion
and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” and the consolidated financial statements and the notes
thereto included in Item 8. “Financial Statements and Supplementary Data.” CIENA has a 52 or 53 week fiscal year,
which ends on the Saturday nearest to the last day of October in each year. For purposes of financial statement pres-
entation, each fiscal year is described as having ended on October 31. Fiscal 1999, 2000, 2002 and 2003 comprised
52 weeks and fiscal 2001 comprised 53 weeks.

(in thousands)

Balance Sheet Data:
Cash, cash equivalents, short-term 
and long-term investments

Total assets
Long-term obligations, excluding current portion
Stockholders’ equity

1999

2000

2001

2002

2003

As of October 31,

$262,396

$ 238,318

$1,795,141

$2,078,464

$1,626,218

677,835
4,881

1,027,201
4,882

3,317,301
869,865

2,751,022
999,935

2,378,165
861,149

$530,473

$ 809,835

$2,128,982

$1,527,269

$1,330,817

14 / CIENA Corporation 10-K 

(in thousands, except per share data)

Statement of Operations Data:

Revenue

Excess and obsolete inventory costs (benefit)

Cost of goods sold

Gross profit (loss)

Operating expenses:

Research and development

Selling and marketing

General and administrative

Settlement of accrued contract obligation

Deferred stock compensation costs:

Research and development

Selling and marketing

General and administrative

Amortization of goodwill

Amortization of intangible assets

In-process research and development

Restructuring costs

Goodwill and intangible impairment

Merger related costs
Provision (benefit) for doubtful accounts

Total operating expenses

Income (loss) from operations

Interest and other income, net
Interest expense
Loss on equity investments, net

Loss on extinguishment of debt
Income (loss) before income taxes

Provision (benefit) for income taxes

Net income (loss)
Basic net income (loss) per common share
Diluted net income (loss) per common 
and dilutive potential common share
Weighted average basic common shares outstanding
Weighted average basic common and 

1999

2000

2001

2002

2003

Year Ended October 31,

$482,085

$858,750

$ 1,603,229

$ 361,155

$ 283,136

6,534

293,235

182,316

101,006

61,603

22,696

—

—

—

40

3,197

438

—

—

—

13,021
250

202,251

(19,935)

14,448
(504)

—

—
(5,991)

(2,067)
$ (3,924)
(0.01)
$

15,022

462,371

381,357

125,434

90,922

33,960

(8,538)

—

—

40

3,197

438

—

—

—

—
28,010

273,463

107,894

13,020
(340)

—

—
120,574

39,187
$ 81,387
0.29
$

68,411

836,138

698,680

235,831

146,949

57,865

—

17,783

8,378

15,206

177,786

4,413

45,900

15,439

1,719,426

—
(6,579)

286,475

309,559

(234,879)

239,619

130,276

52,612

—

15,672

3,560

1,092

—

8,972

—

225,429

557,286

—
14,813

2,438,397

1,249,331

(1,739,717)

(1,484,210)

63,579
(30,591)

—

—
(1,706,729)

87,333
$(1,794,062)
(5.75)
$

61,145
(45,339)

(15,677)

(2,683)
(1,486,764)

110,735
$(1,597,499)
(4.37)
$

(5,296)

215,387

73,045

199,699

103,193

38,478

—

12,824

2,728

1,225

—

17,870

2,800

31,155

29,596

—
—

439,568

(366,523)

42,959
(36,331)

(4,760)

(20,606)
(385,261)

1,256
$(386,517)
(0.87)
$

$

(0.01)
267,042

$

0.27
281,621

$

(5.75)
311,815

$

(4.37)
365,202

$

(0.87)
446,696

dilutive potential common shares outstanding

267,042

299,662

311,815

365,202

446,696

CIENA Corporation 10-K / 15

Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis 

of Financial Condition and Results of Operations

The following discussion and analysis should be read in conjunction with “Selected Consolidated Financial Data” and the
Company’s consolidated financial statements and notes thereto included elsewhere in this report on Form 10-K.

Overview
CIENA is a leading global provider of innovative network solutions to service providers and enterprises worldwide. Our
customers include long-distance carriers, local exchange carriers, cable operators, Internet service providers, wireless
and wholesale carriers, resellers, governments, large businesses and non-profit institutions.

For several years, the market for our equipment was influenced by the entry of a substantial number of new com-
panies into the communications services business. In the United States, this was largely due to changes in the regula-
tory  environment,  in  particular  those  brought  about  by  the  Telecommunications  Act  of  1996.  These  new  companies
raised  billions  of  dollars  in  capital,  much  of  which  they  invested  in  capital  improvements,  causing  acceleration  in  the
growth of the market for telecommunications equipment.

The last three years have seen a reversal of this trend, including the failure of a large number of the new entrants
and a sharp contraction of the availability of capital to the industry. Several of the more established carriers also have
experienced  significant  financial  distress.  These  developments  have  caused  a  substantial  reduction  in  demand  for
telecommunications equipment, including our products. This industry trend was compounded by the slowing not only of
the United States economy, but the economies in virtually all of the countries in which we are marketing our products.
The combination of factors caused our customers to become more conservative in their capital investment plans and
more uncertain about their future purchases. As a consequence, we are facing a market that is both reduced in size and
more difficult to predict and plan for.

These trends have had a number of significant effects on our business during fiscal 2003 and 2002, including the
reduction of revenue by $1,320.1 million since fiscal 2001, the incurrence of $286.5 million of costs related to obsolete
inventory and excess purchase commitments during fiscal 2002, restructuring charges of $31.2 million and $225.4 mil-
lion  during  fiscal  2003  and  2002,  respectively,  goodwill  and  intangible  asset  impairment  charges  of  $29.6  million  and
$557.3 million during fiscal 2003 and 2002, respectively, provisions for bad debt expense of $14.8 million during fiscal
2002, $4.8 million and $15.7 million in losses on equity investments during fiscal 2003 and 2002, respectively, and a net
income  tax  charge  of  approximately  $110.7  million  during  fiscal  2002  to  establish  a  valuation  allowance  against  our
deferred tax assets. Our net losses of $386.5 million and $1,597.5 million, in fiscal 2003 and 2002, respectively, were
primarily attributable to the factors listed above.

In response to the deterioration of our market, we have, since 2001, entered new markets by expanding our net-
work solution offerings and worked to increase our market share by adding new features to our existing products. We
also have taken steps to expand our sales channels beyond direct sales to service providers to include partnerships and
other strategic relationships targeting enterprise and government customers. We plan to continue to pursue this strat-
egy by adding new products and features to our portfolio, primarily targeting delivery of data communications services
because we expect a large portion of carrier spending to occur in this area over the next few years.

As part of our efforts to implement our strategy, during fiscal 2003, we completed the acquisitions of WaveSmith
Networks,  Inc.  and  Akara  Corporation.  WaveSmith  was  a  privately  held  corporation  offering  a  multi-service  switching
product  designed  to  be  deployed  at  the  edge  of  carrier  networks.  Akara  was  a  privately  held  corporation  providing
SONET/SDH-based extended storage solutions.

As of October 31, 2003, CIENA and its subsidiaries employed approximately 1,816 persons, which was a net reduc-

tion of 302 persons from the approximate 2,118 employed on October 31, 2002.

Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates
The preparation of consolidated financial statements requires CIENA to make estimates and judgments that affect the
reported amounts of assets, liabilities, revenue and expenses, and related disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities.

16 / CIENA Corporation 10-K 

On an ongoing basis, CIENA re-evaluates its estimates, including those related to bad debts, inventories, investments,
intangible assets, goodwill, income taxes, warranty obligations, restructuring, contingencies and litigation. CIENA bases
its estimates on historical experience and on various other assumptions that we believe to be reasonable under the cir-
cumstances. Among other things, these estimates form the basis for judgments about the carrying values of assets and
liabilities that are not readily apparent from other sources. Actual results may differ from these estimates under differ-
ent assumptions or conditions. CIENA believes the following critical accounting policies affect its more significant judg-
ments and estimates used in the preparation of its consolidated financial statements.

Revenue Recognition
CIENA recognizes product revenue in accordance with the terms of the contract of sale and where collection is reasonably
assured. For transactions in which sales are not complete until the customer has accepted the product, revenue is not rec-
ognized until the terms of acceptance are satisfied. Revenue for installation services is recognized as the services are per-
formed unless the terms of the supply contract combine product acceptance with installation, in which case, revenue from
installation  services  is  recognized  when  the  terms  of  acceptance  are  satisfied  and  installation  is  completed.  Amounts
received in excess of revenue recognized are included as deferred revenue in the balance sheet. For transactions involving
the sale of software, revenue is recognized in accordance with Statement of Position No. 97-2 (“SOP 97-2”), “Software
Revenue Recognition,” including deferral of revenue recognition in instances where vendor specific objective evidence
for undelivered elements is not determinable. For distributor sales where risks of ownership have not transferred, CIENA
recognizes revenue when the product is shipped through to the end user.

Allowances for Doubtful Accounts
CIENA maintains allowances for doubtful accounts for estimated losses resulting from the inability of its customers to
make required payments. If the financial condition of CIENA’s customers were to deteriorate, resulting in an impairment
of their ability to make payments, additional allowances may be required. As of October 31, 2003, our accounts receiv-
able balance, net of allowances for doubtful accounts of $1.5 million, was $43.6 million, which included three customers
that accounted for 23.6%, 12.5%, and 10.1% of the net trade accounts receivable.

Warranties
CIENA provides for the estimated cost of product warranties at the time revenue is recognized. CIENA engages in exten-
sive product quality programs and processes including actively monitoring and evaluating the quality of its component
suppliers and third-party contractors. CIENA’s warranty obligation is affected by product failure rates and material usage
and service delivery costs incurred in correcting a product failure. Should actual product failure rates, material usage or
service delivery costs differ from CIENA’s estimates, revisions to the estimated warranty liability would be required.

Reserve for Inventory Obsolescence
CIENA writes down its inventory for estimated obsolescence or unmarketable inventory equal to the difference between
the cost of inventory and the estimated market value based on assumptions about future demand and market conditions.
During the fiscal year ended October 31, 2003, CIENA recorded a benefit for inventory reserves of $5.3 million primarily
related to the realization of sales from previously reserved excess inventory. If actual market conditions differ from those
CIENA has projected, CIENA may be required to take additional inventory write-downs or to record additional benefits.

Restructuring
As part of its restructuring costs, CIENA provides for the estimated cost of the net lease expense for facilities that are
no longer being utilized. The provision is equal to the future minimum lease payments under contractual obligations off-
set by estimated future sublease payments. As of the end of fiscal 2003, CIENA’s accrued restructuring liability related
to net consolidation of excess facilities is $63.7 million. If actual market conditions are less favorable than those CIENA
has projected, CIENA may be required to recognize additional restructuring costs associated with these facilities.

CIENA Corporation 10-K / 17

Minority Investments
CIENA holds minority interests in several companies having operations or technology in areas within its strategic focus.
As of October 31, 2003, $21.3 million of these investments are included in other long-term assets. CIENA records an
investment impairment charge when it believes an investment has experienced a decline in value that is other than tem-
porary.  During  fiscal  2003,  CIENA  recorded  a  charge  of  $4.8  million  associated  with  the  impairment  of  one  of  these
investments.  Future  adverse  changes  in  market  conditions  or  poor  operating  results  of  underlying  investments  could
result in losses or an inability to recover the carrying value of the investments that may not be reflected in an investment’s
current carrying value, thereby possibly requiring an impairment charge in the future.

Impairment of Goodwill and Other Long-Lived Assets
Effective November 1, 2001, CIENA adopted Statement of Financial Accounting Standard No. 142, “Goodwill and Other
Intangible  Assets”  (“SFAS  142”)  and  ceased  to  amortize  goodwill.  As  of  October  31,  2003,  CIENA’s  assets  include
$336.0 million related to goodwill. SFAS 142 requires that we cease to amortize goodwill and to test it for impairment
on an annual basis, and between annual tests if an event occurs or circumstances change that would, more likely than
not, reduce the fair value of CIENA below its carrying value. Since no event occurred or circumstances changed during
fiscal 2003 that would, more likely than not, reduce the fair value of CIENA below its carrying value, no impairment was
recorded in fiscal 2003. If actual market conditions are less favorable than those we have projected or if an event occurs
or circumstances change that would, more likely than not, reduce the fair value of CIENA below its carrying value, we
may be required to recognize additional goodwill impairment charges.

As part of CIENA’s review of financial results for fiscal 2003, CIENA performed an assessment of the carrying value
of  the  Company’s  long-lived  assets,  including  other  intangible  assets.  The  assessment  was  performed  pursuant  to
Statement of Financial Accounting Standards No. 144 “Accounting for the Impairment or Disposal of Long-Lived Assets”
(SFAS  144).  As  a  result,  CIENA  recorded  a  charge  of  $29.6  million  during  fiscal  2003,  related  to  the  impairment  of
MetroDirector K2 technology acquired in the Cyras transaction. This charge was based on the amount by which the
carrying amount of the developed technology exceeded its fair value. Fair value was determined based on discounted
future cash flows derived from the developed technology, which had separately identifiable cash flows. The assumptions
supporting the estimated future cash flows, including the discount rate reflect management’s best estimates. If actual
market conditions are less favorable than those we have projected or if an event occurs or circumstances change that
would, more likely than not, reduce the fair value of our long-lived assets below their carrying value, we may be required
to recognize additional impairment charges.

Deferred Tax Valuation Allowance
As  of  October  31,  2003,  CIENA  has  recorded  a  valuation  allowance  of  $894.2  million  against  our  gross  deferred  tax
assets  of  $894.2  million.  We  calculated  the  valuation  allowance  in  accordance  with  the  provisions  of  Statement  of
Financial Accounting Standard No. 109, “Accounting for Income Taxes” (“SFAS 109”) which requires an assessment of
both  positive  and  negative  evidence  when  measuring  the  need  for  a  valuation  allowance.  Positive  evidence,  such  as
operating results during the most recent three-year period, is given more weight when due to our current lack of visibil-
ity, there is a greater degree of uncertainty that the level of future profitability needed to record the deferred assets will
be  achieved.  Our  results  over  the  most  recent  three-year  period  were  heavily  affected  by  our  recent  deliberate  and
planned business restructuring activities. Our cumulative loss in the most recent three-year period represents sufficient
negative evidence to require a valuation allowance under the provisions of SFAS 109. We intend to maintain a valuation
allowance until sufficient positive evidence exists to support its reversal.

Accounting for Stock Options
In  October  1995,  the  Financial  Accounting  Standards  Board  issued  SFAS  123,  “Accounting  for  Stock-Based
Compensation.” SFAS 123 allows companies to account for stock-based compensation either under the new provisions
of SFAS 123 or using the intrinsic value method provided by Accounting Principles Board Opinion No. 25 (“APB 25”),

18 / CIENA Corporation 10-K 

“Accounting for Stock Issued to Employees,” but requires pro forma disclosure in the footnotes to the financial state-
ments as if the measurement provisions of SFAS 123 had been adopted.

In December 2002, the Financial Accounting Standards Board issued Statement of Financial Accounting Standard
No.  148,  “Accounting  for  Stock-Based  Compensation—Transition  and  Disclosure”  (“SFAS  148”).  SFAS  148  amends
SFAS 123, to provide alternative methods of transition for a voluntary change to the fair value based method of account-
ing for stock-based employee compensation. In addition, SFAS 148 amends the disclosure requirements of SFAS 123
to require prominent disclosures in both annual and interim financial statements about the method of accounting for
stock-based employee compensation and the effect of the method used on reported results. SFAS 148 is effective for
financial statements for fiscal years ending after December 15, 2002.

We have elected to continue to account for stock-based compensation in accordance with the provisions of APB 25
as interpreted by FASB Interpretation No. 44, “Accounting for Certain Transactions Involving Stock Compensation, an
Interpretation  of  APB  Opinion  No.  25,”  (“FIN  44”)  and  present  the  pro  forma  disclosures  required  by  SFAS  123  as
amended by SFAS 148.

Results of Operations
Fiscal Years Ended 2003, 2002 and 2001
Revenue. We recognized $283.1 million, $361.2 million, and $1,603.2 million in revenue for fiscal 2003, 2002, and 2001,
respectively. The decrease in revenue of $78.1 million, or 21.6% from fiscal 2002 to 2003 was primarily a result of the
continued decline in demand for our core networking products. The decrease in revenue of $1,242.0 million, or 77.5%
from fiscal 2001 to 2002 was due to the reduction in demand for core networking products. CIENA’s revenue derived
from products and services is as follows (in thousands):

Products

Services

Total

2001

$1,518,833

84,396

$1,603,229

%

94.7

5.3

100.0

Fiscal Years

2002

$304,155

57,000

$361,155

%

84.2

15.8

100.0

2003

$240,772

42,364

$283,136

%

85.0

15.0

100.0

We had sales to 110 customers in fiscal 2003, as compared to 77 customers in fiscal 2002 and 53 customers in fis-
cal 2001. During the following fiscal years, customers who each accounted for at least 10% of our revenue during the
respective periods are as follows (in thousands):

Sprint
Qwest
AT&T
Total

2001
$463,078

347,083

n/a
$810,161

%*
28.9

21.6

—
50.5

Fiscal Years

2002
$ 58,739

n/a

74,111
$132,850

%*
16.3

—

20.5
36.8

2003

n/a

$31,148

39,444
$70,592

%*

—

11.0

13.9
24.9

*—Denotes % of total revenue.
n/a—Denotes revenue recognized less than 10% for the period.

During the following fiscal years CIENA’s geographic distribution of revenue is as follows (in thousands):

Domestic

International

Total

2001

$1,220,742
382,487

$1,603,229

%

76.1
23.9

100.0

Fiscal Years

2002

$232,524
128,631

$361,155

%

64.4
35.6

100.0

2003

$178,564
104,572

$283,136

%

63.1
36.9

100.0

CIENA Corporation 10-K / 19

Gross  Profit  (Loss). Cost  of  goods  sold  consists  of  component  costs,  direct  compensation  costs,  warranty  and
other contractual obligations, royalties, license fees, direct technical support costs, cost of excess and obsolete inven-
tory  and  overhead  related  to  manufacturing,  technical  support  and  engineering,  furnishing  and  installation  (“EF&I”)
operations.  Gross  profit  (loss)  was  $73.0  million,  ($234.9)  million,  and  $698.7  million  for  fiscal  2003,  2002,  and  2001,
respectively. The $307.9 million increase in fiscal 2003 compared to fiscal 2002 was primarily the result of a $291.8 mil-
lion decrease in inventory obsolescence cost. The $933.6 million decrease in gross profit in fiscal 2002 compared to fis-
cal 2001 was the result of decreased revenue and an increase in excess and obsolete inventory charges. This increase
in excess and obsolete inventory charges was a result of the decline in capital spending by our customers and a decline
in forecasted revenue of existing products and accordingly, we recorded a provision for inventory, including purchase
commitments, of approximately $286.5 million in fiscal 2002.

Gross profit (loss), as a percentage of total revenue, was 25.8%, (65.0%) and 43.6% for fiscal 2003, 2002 and 2001,
respectively. The increase from fiscal 2002 to fiscal 2003 was largely attributable to decreases in inventory obsolescence
costs, increases in manufacturing efficiencies, higher margin product mix and improvements in margin from installation and
technical support services. The decrease from fiscal 2001 compared to fiscal 2002 was largely attributable to increases in
inventory obsolescence costs, lower manufacturing volumes resulting in reduced manufacturing efficiencies, and changes
in product mix resulting in sales of higher proportion of revenue from lower margin installation and tech support services.
Gross profit on products, as a percentage of product revenue, was 34.0%, 25.0% and 52.5% for fiscal 2003, 2002
and 2001, respectively. The improvement from fiscal 2002 to fiscal 2003 was largely attributable to increases in manu-
facturing efficiencies and higher margin product mix. The reduction from fiscal 2001 to fiscal 2002 was primarily attrib-
utable to lower manufacturing volumes resulting in reduced manufacturing efficiencies.

Gross loss on services, as a percentage of services revenue, was 33.3%, 43.0% and 36.6% for fiscal 2003, 2002 and
2001, respectively. The improvement from fiscal 2002 to fiscal 2003 was largely attributable to reductions in services over-
head costs. The reduction from fiscal 2001 to fiscal 2002 was primarily the result of increased technical support costs.

Research and Development Expenses. Research and development expenses (exclusive of stock compensation
costs of $12.8, $15.7 and $17.8 million) were $199.7 million, $239.6 million and $235.8 million for fiscal 2003, 2002 and
2001, respectively. During fiscal 2003, 2002 and 2001, research and development expenses were 70.5%, 66.3% and
14.7% of revenue, respectively. The $39.9 million, or 16.7% decrease, from fiscal 2002 to fiscal 2003 was the result of
decreased employee related expenses, prototype costs, consulting expenses, and depreciation expense. The $3.8 mil-
lion, or 1.6% increase, from fiscal 2001 to fiscal 2002 was primarily related to increases in depreciation expense that
were partially offset by reductions in prototype parts and employee related costs. CIENA has expensed research and
development costs as incurred.

Selling and Marketing Expenses. Selling and marketing expenses (exclusive of stock compensation of $2.7, $3.6
and  $8.4  million)  were  $103.2  million,  $130.3  million  and  $146.9  million  for  fiscal  2003,  2002  and  2001,  respectively.
During fiscal 2003, 2002 and 2001, selling and marketing expenses were 36.5%, 36.1% and 9.2% of revenue, respec-
tively. The $27.1 million, or 20.8% decrease, from fiscal 2002 to fiscal 2003 was the result of reduced levels of sales
staff,  advertising  costs,  outside  consultants,  facility  costs  and  depreciation  expense.  The  $16.6  million,  or  11.3%
decrease, from fiscal 2002 to 2001 was primarily the result of decreases in staffing levels, commissions earned, trade
show participation and promotional costs.

General and Administrative Expenses. General and administrative expenses (exclusive of stock compensation of
$1.2, $1.1 and $15.2 million) were $38.5 million, $52.6 million and $57.9 million for fiscal 2003, 2002 and 2001, respec-
tively. During fiscal 2003, 2002 and 2001 general and administrative expenses were 13.6%, 14.6% and 3.6% of revenue,
respectively. The $14.1 million, or 26.8% decrease, from fiscal 2002 to fiscal 2003 was primarily the result of decreases
in staffing levels, outside consultants and facility costs. Fiscal 2003 general and administrative expenses also include
costs of $2.5 million related to the settlement of litigation with Nortel. The $5.3 million, or 9.2% decrease, from fiscal
2001  to  2002  was  primarily  due  to  decreases  in  employee-related  costs.  Fiscal  2002  general  and  administrative
expenses also include costs of $1.8 million related to the settlement of litigation with Pirelli.

20 / CIENA Corporation 10-K 

Deferred Stock Compensation Costs. The cumulative deferred stock compensation costs related to research and
development,  selling  and  marketing  and  general  and  administrative  employees  assumed  as  part  of  our  merger  and
acquisition activity were $16.8 million, $20.3 million and $41.4 million during fiscal 2003, 2002 and 2001 respectively.
As part of our acquisition of WaveSmith, ONI, and Cyras we recorded $7.4 million, $8.8 million and $98.5 million of
deferred stock compensation relating to the unvested stock options and restricted stock assumed on the acquisition,
respectively. Deferred stock compensation is presented as a reduction of stockholders’ equity and is amortized over
the remaining vesting period of the applicable options. As of October 31, 2003, the balance of deferred stock compen-
sation was $9.7 million.

Amortization of Goodwill. Amortization of goodwill was $0.0, $0.0, and $177.8 million for fiscal 2003, 2002 and
2001, respectively. The Company adopted SFAS 142 effective November 1, 2001 and upon adoption ceased to amor-
tize goodwill.

Amortization  of  Intangible  Assets. Amortization  of  intangible  assets  (exclusive  of  $3.3  million,  $0.0  and  $0.0
included in costs of goods sold related to certain technology licenses) was $17.9 million, $9.0 million and $4.4 million for
fiscal 2003, 2002 and 2001, respectively. In purchasing companies, we have acquired intangible assets such as certain
developed technology, patents and covenants not to compete. As part of our acquisition of Akara, WaveSmith, ONI, and
Cyras we recorded $14.5 million, $59.7 million, $15.1 million and $47.7 million worth of intangibles, respectively. The
various intangible assets will be amortized over periods ranging from 2 months to eight years.

In-Process Research and Development. In-process research and development was $2.8 million, $0.0 and $45.9 mil-
lion for fiscal 2003, 2002 and 2001, respectively. In connection with our fiscal 2003 acquisitions of Akara and WaveSmith,
we recorded charges of $1.3 million and $1.5 million, respectively, related to in-process research and development. This
generally represents the estimated value of purchased in-process technology that had not yet reached technological
feasibility and had no alternative future use at the time of the acquisitions. In connection with our March 2001 acquisi-
tion of Cyras, we recorded a $45.9 million charge for in-process research and development. This represents the esti-
mated value of purchased in-process technology related to Cyras’ K2 product development that had not yet reached
technological feasibility and had no alternative future use at the time of the acquisition. The amount of the purchase
prices for Akara, WaveSmith and Cyras allocated to in-process research and development was determined using the
discounted cash flow method. This method consisted of estimating future net cash flows attributable to the in-process
technology for a discrete projection period and discounting the net cash flows back to their present value.

Restructuring Costs. During fiscal 2003, we recorded a restructuring charge of $32.0 million associated with work-
force reductions and the write-down of certain property and equipment. This was offset by a credit of $0.8 million related
to the adjustment of previously estimated restructuring charges. The restructuring charge included $12.2 million associ-
ated with work force reductions, $2.3 million primarily related to lease terminations and non-cancelable lease costs and
a $17.5 million write-down related to property and equipment consisting primarily of leasehold improvements, produc-
tion equipment and research test equipment. See Note 3.

During fiscal 2002, we incurred $225.4 million in restructuring charges associated with our ongoing efforts to align
our operations with the current telecommunications industry environment. The restructuring charges included $32.9 mil-
lion related to work force reductions of approximately 1,946 employees, $70.3 million primarily related to lease termina-
tions  and  non-cancelable  lease  costs  and  an  $122.2  million  write-down  related  to  property  and  equipment  consisting
primarily of leasehold improvements, production equipment and research test equipment.

During fiscal 2001, we recorded $15.4 million in restructuring charges related to the consolidation of excess
facilities. The consolidation included the closure of certain manufacturing warehouse facilities and the consolida-
tion  of  certain  operational  centers  related  to  business  activities  that  have  been  restructured.  The  charges
included $7.0 million primarily related to lease terminations and non-cancelable lease costs and also included an
$8.4 million write-down related to property and equipment consisting primarily of leasehold improvements and
production equipment.

We expect to incur additional restructuring charges over the next several quarters as a result of our ongoing pro-

gram to restructure our business.

CIENA Corporation 10-K / 21

Goodwill  and  Other  Intangible  Impairment. Goodwill  and  other  intangible  impairment  was  $29.6  million,
$557.3 million and $1.7 billion for fiscal 2003, 2002 and 2001, respectively. During fiscal 2003, we recorded a charge
of  $29.6  million  related  to  the  impairment  of  MetroDirector  K2  technology  acquired  in  the  Cyras  transaction.  This
charge was determined in accordance with SFAS 144, which requires CIENA to perform an assessment on the carry-
ing value of its developed technology intangible assets.

In fiscal 2002 and 2001 we recorded charges of $557.3 million and $1.7 billion, respectively. The fiscal 2002 charge
was determined in accordance with SFAS 142, which requires annual testing to determine and measure goodwill impair-
ment on a reporting unit basis. The fiscal 2001 charge was determined in accordance with SFAS 121, which required
CIENA to perform an assessment of the carrying value of its long-lived assets including significant amounts of goodwill
and other intangible assets.

Provision for Doubtful Accounts. CIENA performs ongoing credit evaluations of its customers and generally does
not require collateral or other forms of security from its customers. CIENA maintains an allowance for potential losses
when a particular problem with the collectibility of a receivable is identified. Provision for doubtful accounts expenses
were $0.0, $14.8 million and ($6.6) million for fiscal 2003, 2002 and 2001, respectively. In fiscal 2001, we received pay-
ment for $15.4 million of the gross outstanding accounts receivable balance due from iaxis Limited primarily through our
sales  agreement  with  Dynegy.  Accordingly,  we  recognized  a  reduction  of  $6.6  million  in  the  provision  for  doubtful
accounts during fiscal 2001. We recorded a provision for doubtful accounts of approximately $14.8 million during fiscal
2002. This provision related to the estimated losses of $18.1 million from three customers, each of whom filed for bank-
ruptcy protection during fiscal 2002, offset by $3.3 million of the gross outstanding accounts receivable balance due from
iaxis  Limited  through  our  sales  agreement  with  Dynegy.  CIENA  did  not  record  any  additional  provision  for  doubtful
accounts during fiscal 2003.

Interest and Other Income, Net. Interest and other income, net were $43.0 million, $61.1 million and $63.6 million
for fiscal 2003, 2002 and 2001, respectively. Interest and other income, net, consists of interest income earned on our cash,
cash equivalents and available-for-sale short and long-term investments. The $18.1 million decrease from fiscal 2002 to
fiscal 2003 was attributable to the impact of lower average interest rates and lower average cash and invested balances.
The $2.5 million decrease from fiscal 2001 to fiscal 2002 was attributable to the impact of lower average interest rates.
Interest Expense. Interest expenses were $36.3 million, $45.3 million and $30.6 million for fiscal 2003, 2002 and
2001, respectively. The $9.0 million, or 19.9% decrease, from fiscal 2002 to fiscal 2003 was attributable to the decrease
in our debt obligations. The $14.7 million, or 48.0% increase, from fiscal 2001 to fiscal 2002 was attributable to the acqui-
sition of debt obligations related to ONI.

Loss on Equity Investments, Net. The $4.8 million loss on equity investments in fiscal 2003 related to the decline
in value of non-public equity investments that were determined to be other than temporary. Loss on equity investments,
net was $15.7 million for fiscal 2002. We realized a loss of $1.9 million from the sale of a public equity investment and
a loss of $16.6 million from a decline in the fair value of certain equity investments that were determined to be other than
temporary. On November 16, 2001, CIENA sold 80.1% of its ownership in ATI International Investments, Inc., the par-
ent company of ATI Telecom International Ltd. (“Alta”), which resulted in a gain of $2.8 million. CIENA retains a 19.9%
ownership in ATI International Investments, Inc.

Loss on Extinguishment of Debt. Losses on extinguishment of debt were $20.6 million, $2.7 million and $0.0 for
fiscal 2003, 2002 and 2001, respectively. On June 21, 2002, we assumed the outstanding ONI 5.00% convertible subor-
dinated notes, due October 15, 2005, in an aggregate principal amount of $300 million. The notes were initially recorded
at a value of $218.0 million based upon the present value of the outstanding notes at the time of the acquisition. We are
accreting the difference between $218.0 million and $300.0 million over the remaining period to October 15, 2005, such
that the carrying value of the outstanding notes equals the principal value at the time the notes become due. During fiscal
2003, we conducted a tender offer for the ONI notes, which resulted in our purchasing $154.7 in principal amount of notes
for $140.3 million. Since the notes had an accreted value of $119.7 million, the purchase resulted in a non-cash loss of
$20.6 million. During fiscal 2002, we purchased on the open market $97.1 million in principal amount of notes for $75.2 million.
Since the notes had an accreted value of $72.5 million, the purchase resulted in a non-cash loss of $2.7 million.

22 / CIENA Corporation 10-K 

Provision for Income Taxes. Our income tax expenses were 0.3%, 7.4% and 5.1% of pre-tax loss for fiscal 2003,
2002 and 2001, respectively. The income tax provision for fiscal 2003 was $1.3 million. This provision was primarily attrib-
utable to foreign taxes related to our foreign operations. We did not record a tax benefit for our domestic losses during
fiscal  2003.  We  intend  to  maintain  a  valuation  allowance  against  our  deferred  tax  assets  until  sufficient  positive  evi-
dences exists to support its reversal. The income tax provision for 2002 was $110.7 million. Our income tax provision
for 2002 differed from the expected statutory benefit of 35% primarily due to the establishment of a valuation allowance
against our deferred tax assets and the non-deductibility of the goodwill impairment. The income tax provision for 2001
differed from the expected 35% benefit primarily due to the non-deductibility of the goodwill impairment, and in-process
research and development.

Net  Loss. Our  net  losses  were  $386.5  million,  $1,597.5  million  and  $1,794.1  million  for  fiscal  2003,  2002  and

2001, respectively.

Liquidity and Capital Resources
At October 31, 2003, our principal source of liquidity was cash and cash equivalents, short-term investments and long-
term investments. We had $309.7 million in cash and cash equivalents, $796.8 million in short-term investments and
$519.7 million in long-term investments.

Our operating activities consumed net cash of $241.2 million and $28.0 million in fiscal 2003 and 2002, respectively
and provided net cash of $163.2 million in fiscal 2001. Cash used in operating activities during fiscal 2003 was primarily
attributable to the net loss, the reduction in accrued liabilities and an increase in accounts receivable. This was offset by
the non-cash charges for early extinguishment of debt, restructuring charges and related asset write-downs, deprecia-
tion, amortization and impairment of intangibles. Cash used in operating activities during fiscal 2002 was primarily attrib-
utable  to  the  net  loss,  offset  by  non-cash  charges  related  to  goodwill  impairment,  amortization  of  other  intangibles,
deferred stock compensation and debt issuance costs, non-cash portion of restructuring charges, depreciation expense,
provision  for  inventory  excess  and  obsolescence,  decrease  in  deferred  income  tax  asset  and  decrease  in  accounts
receivable. Cash provided by operating activities during fiscal 2001 was primarily attributable to decreases in accounts
receivable and inventories offset by non-cash charges related to goodwill impairment, amortization of other intangibles,
deferred stock compensation and debt issuance costs, non-cash portion of restructuring charges, depreciation expense,
provision for inventory excess and obsolescence, and increases in deferred revenue and other obligations.

Our investment activities provided net cash of $302.6 million and $239.1 million in fiscal 2003 and 2002 respectively,
and used net cash of $1,490.6 million in fiscal 2001. Investment activities included the net redemption of $364.8 million
and $26.0 million of short and long-term investments during fiscal 2003 and 2002, respectively and the net purchase of
$1,293.2 million of short and long-term investments during fiscal 2001. Investment activities also included approximately
$15.0 million, $10.0 million and $13.0 million of equity investments in private companies, accounted for under the cost
method, during fiscal 2003, 2002 and 2001, respectively. Also included in investment activities were additions to capital
equipment and leasehold improvements in fiscal 2003, 2002, and 2001 of $29.5 million, $66.3 million and $238.5 mil-
lion,  respectively.  The  capital  equipment  expenditures  were  primarily  for  customer  demonstration  systems,  test  sys-
tems,  manufacturing  equipment,  computer  equipment  and  leasehold  improvements.  In  fiscal  2003  we  used  cash  of
$26.7  million,  net  of  expenditures,  in  connection  with  our  acquisition  of  Akara  and  WaveSmith.  In  fiscal  2002,  we
acquired  cash  of  $286.9  million,  net  of  expenditures,  in  connection  with  our  acquisition  of  ONI.  In  fiscal  2001,  we
acquired cash of $54.1 million, net of expenditures, in connection with our acquisition of Cyras.

Our financing activities used net cash of $128.9 million and $231.8 million in fiscal 2003 and 2002, respectively and
provided net cash of $1,582.2 million in fiscal 2001. During fiscal 2003 the primary use was related to the purchase of
$154.7 million of the remaining $202.9 million outstanding ONI convertible subordinated notes. We paid $139.2 million
for the notes and fees of $1.1 million related to the purchase. Also, during fiscal 2003, we received $13.8 million from the
exercise of stock options and $1.9 million from the repayment of notes receivable from stockholders. The primary use of
cash during fiscal 2002 related to the redemption of all outstanding Cyras Systems LLC 4.5% convertible subordinated
notes for $178.4 million and the purchase of ONI 5.0% convertible subordinated notes with a cumulative accreted book

CIENA Corporation 10-K / 23

value of $72.5 million. Also during fiscal 2002, we received $15.1 million from the exercise of stock options and the sale
of stock through our employee stock purchase plan and $5.0 million from the repayment of notes receivable from stock-
holders. During fiscal 2001, we completed a public offering of 11,000,000 shares of common stock at a price of $83.50
per share less underwriters’ discounts and commissions. Concurrent with the offering of common stock, we completed
a public offering of 3.75% convertible notes with an aggregate principal amount of $690 million. Net proceeds from these
offerings  were  approximately  $1,547.8  million,  after  deducting  underwriting  discounts,  commissions  and  offering
expenses. During fiscal 2001, we also received $31.9 million from the exercise of stock options and the sale of stock
through our employee stock purchase plan and $4.6 million for the repayment of notes receivable from stockholders.

The following is a summary of our future minimum payments under contractual obligations as of October 31, 2003

(in thousands):

Convertible notes(1)(2)

Operating leases

Purchase obligations(3)

Total

Total

$ 859,542

251,005

33,270

$1,143,817

Less than
One Year

$28,289

37,810

33,270

$99,369

One to
Three Years

$102,441

72,128

—

$174,569

Four to
Five Years

$728,812

56,071

—

$784,883

Thereafter

$

—

84,996

—

$84,996

(1) The terms of our convertible notes with a principal value of $690.0 million include interest at 3.75% payable on a semi-annual basis on February 1 and
August 1 of each year; the notes are due February 1, 2008. The terms of the ONI convertible subordinated notes with a principal value of $48.3 million
include interest at 5.00% payable on a semi-annual basis on April 15 and October 15 of each year; the notes are due October 15, 2005.

(2) On November 18, 2003, CIENA announced a full redemption of all of the outstanding ONI 5.00% convertible subordinated notes due October 15, 2005.
The principal amount of the notes outstanding is $48.3 million. On the redemption date of December 19, 2003, CIENA will pay holders 102% of the
outstanding principal amount of the notes plus accrued interest.

(3) Purchase commitments related to amounts we are obligated to pay to our contract manufacturers and component suppliers for inventory.

Some  of  our  commercial  commitments,  including  some  of  the  future  minimum  payments  set  forth  above,  are
secured by standby letters of credit. The following is a summary of our commercial commitments secured by standby
letters of credit by commitment expiration date as of October 31, 2003 (in thousands):

Standby letters of credit

Total
$11,351

Less than
One Year
$10,741

One to
Three Years
$360

Four to
Five Years
$250

Thereafter
$—

CIENA does not engage in any off-balance sheet financing arrangements. In particular, we do not have any interest

in so-called limited purpose entities, which include special purpose entities (SPEs) and structured finance entities.

Based on past performance and current expectations, we believe that our cash and cash equivalents, short-term
investments,  and  cash  generated  from  operations  will  satisfy  our  working  capital  needs,  capital  expenditures,  invest-
ment  requirements,  full  redemption  of  the  ONI  5%  convertible  subordinated  notes,  and  other  liquidity  requirements
associated with our existing operations through at least the next 12 months.

Effects of Recent Accounting Pronouncements
In  November  2002,  the  FASB  issued  FASB  Interpretation  No.  45  (“FIN  45”),  “Guarantor’s  Accounting  and  Disclosure
Requirements for Guarantees, Including Indirect Guarantees of Indebtedness of Others.” FIN 45 requires that a liability
be recorded in the guarantor’s balance sheet upon issuance of a guarantee. In addition, FIN 45 requires disclosures about
the guarantees that an entity has issued, including a reconciliation of changes in the entity’s product warranty liabilities.
The initial recognition and initial measurement provisions of FIN 45 are applicable on a prospective basis to guarantees
issued or modified after December 31, 2002, irrespective of the guarantor’s fiscal year end. The disclosure requirements
of FIN 45 are effective for financial statements of interim or annual periods ending after December 15, 2002. The adop-
tion of this standard did not have a material impact on CIENA’s financial statements.

24 / CIENA Corporation 10-K 

In November 2002, the Emerging Issues Task Force (“EITF”) reached a consensus on Issue No. 00-21, “Revenue
Arrangements with Multiple Deliverables.” EITF Issue No. 00-21 provides guidance on how to account for arrangements
that involve the delivery or performance of multiple products, services and/or rights to use assets. The provisions of EITF
Issue No. 00-21 applied to revenue arrangements entered into in fiscal periods beginning after June 15, 2003.

In January 2003, the FASB issued FASB Interpretation No. 46 (“FIN 46”), “Consolidation of Variable Interest Entities,
an Interpretation of Accounting Research Bulletin No. 51.” FIN 46 requires certain variable interest entities to be consoli-
dated by the primary beneficiary of the entity if the equity investors in the entity do not have the characteristics of a con-
trolling financial interest or do not have sufficient equity at risk for the entity to finance its activities without additional
subordinated  financial  support  from  other  parties.  FIN  46  is  effective  for  all  new  variable  interest  entities  created  or
acquired after January 31, 2003. For variable interest entities created or acquired prior to February 1, 2003, the provi-
sions of FIN 46 must be applied for the first interim or annual period beginning after December 15, 2003. The Company
believes that the adoption of this standard will have no material impact on its financial statements.

In April 2003, the FASB issued SFAS 149, “Amendment of Statement 133 on Derivative Instruments and Hedging
Activities.” SFAS 149 amends and clarifies accounting for derivative instruments, including certain derivative instruments
embedded  in  other  contracts,  and  for  hedging  activities  under  SFAS  133.  The  statement  requires  that  contracts  with
comparable characteristics be accounted for similarly and clarifies when a derivative contains a financing component that
warrants special reporting in the statement of cash flows. SFAS 149 is effective for contracts entered into or modified
after June 30, 2003, except in certain circumstances, and for hedging relationships designated after June 30, 2003. The
Company does not expect that the adoption of this standard will have a material effect on its financial position or results
of operations.

In May 2003, the FASB issued SFAS 150, “Accounting for Certain Financial Instruments with Characteristics of Both
Liabilities and Equity.” This Statement establishes standards for how an issuer classifies and measures in its statement
of  financial  position  certain  financial  instruments  with  characteristics  of  both  liabilities  and  equity.  It  requires  that  an
issuer classify a financial instrument that is within its scope as a liability (or an asset in some circumstances) because
that  financial  instrument  embodies  an  obligation  of  the  issuer.  This  Statement  is  effective  for  financial  instruments
entered into or modified after May 31, 2003, and otherwise is effective at the beginning of the first interim period begin-
ning after June 15, 2003, except for mandatory redeemable financial instruments of nonpublic entities. The FASB has
defined implementation of SFAS 150 indefinitely for certain non-controlling interests, the provisions of which are cur-
rently not applicable to the Company. The Company does not expect that the adoption of this standard will have a mate-
rial effect on its financial position or results of operations.

CIENA Corporation 10-K / 25

Quarterly Results of Operations
The tables below (in thousands, except per share data) set forth the operating results and percentage of revenue repre-
sented by certain items in CIENA’s statements of operations for each of the eight quarters in the period ended October 31,
2003. This information is unaudited, but in our opinion reflects all adjustments (consisting only of normal recurring adjust-
ments)  that  we  consider  necessary  for  a  fair  presentation  of  such  information  in  accordance  with  generally  accepted
accounting principles. The results for any quarter are not necessarily indicative of results for any future period.

Revenue:

Products
Services
Total revenue
Costs:

Products
Services
Excess and obsolete 

inventory costs
Total cost of goods sold
Gross profit (loss)
Operating expenses:

Jan. 31,
2002

Apr. 30,
2002

Jul. 31,
2002

Oct. 31,
2002

Jan. 31,
2003

Apr. 30,
2003

Jul. 31,
2003

Oct. 31, 
2003

$ 139,935
22,221
162,156

$ 73,465
13,588
87,053

$ 41,029
8,999
50,028

$ 49,726
12,192
61,918

$ 61,221
9,253
70,474

$ 63,399
10,141
73,540

$ 59,294
9,184
68,478

$ 56,858
13,786
70,644

90,964
28,309

63,181
24,344

37,450
13,510

20,414
139,687
22,469

223,277
310,802
(223,749)

41,192
92,152
(42,124)

64,756
37,600
13,655

59,558
29,835
13,276

53,950
30,829
10,798

3,951
956
227
1,813

3,465
851
176
1,813

3,860
842
256
2,343

36,479
15,322

1,592
53,393
8,525

61,355
32,012
14,883

4,396
911
433
3,003

42,234
14,632

41,852
14,919

39,249
12,749

35,563
14,189

(2,657)
54,209
16,265

53,734
26,605
14,706

3,798
759
374
3,554

(1,446)
55,325
18,215

52,193
25,663
8,066

3,406
676
346
3,421

(55)
51,943
16,535

47,963
24,536
7,969

2,932
687
312
4,479

(1,138)
48,614
22,030

45,809
26,389
7,737

2,688
606
193
6,416

—
18,562

—
6,828
—
—
129,786
(107,317)
16,172
(10,505)
(5,306)
—
(106,956)
(36,365)

1,300
12,904
29,596
—
133,638
(111,608)
9,662
(7,997)
(4,750)
—
(114,693)
347
$ (70,591) $(612,153) $(159,985) $(754,770) $(107,142) $ (75,461) $ (88,874) $(115,040)

—
78,691
— 557,286
—
752,970
(744,445)
16,370
(15,583)
(9,937)
(2,683)
(756,278)
(1,508)

—
121,348
—
16,055
246,377
(470,126)
15,045
(8,637)
(434)
—
(464,152)
148,001

—
—
—
—
103,530
(87,265)
13,301
(12,203)
(10)
(20,606)
(106,783)
359

1,500
15,527
—
—
105,905
(89,370)
8,865
(8,070)
—
—
(88,575)
299

—
2,724
—
—
96,495
(78,280)
11,131
(8,061)
—
—
(75,210)
251

(1,242)
120,198
(162,322)
13,558
(10,614)
—
—
(159,378)
607

(0.22) $

(1.86) $

(0.42) $

(1.75) $

(0.25) $

(0.17) $

(0.20) $

(0.24)

328,764

376,548

431,257

432,572

433,932

451,009

470,244

Research and development
Selling and marketing
General and administrative(1)
Deferred stock 
compensation costs:
Research and development
Selling and marketing
General and administrative
Amortization of intangible assets
In-process research 
and development
Restructuring costs
Goodwill and intangible impairment
Provision for doubtful accounts

Total operating expenses
Loss from operations
Interest and other income, net
Interest expense
Loss on equity investments, net
Loss on extinguishment of debt
Loss before income taxes
Provision (benefit) for income tax
Net loss
Basic and diluted net loss per
common share and dilutive
potential common share
Weighted average basic common 
and dilutive potential common share 327,620

$

(1) During the quarter ended October 31, 2002 includes $1,792 of costs related to Pirelli litigation. During the quarter ended January 31, 2003 includes

$2,500 related to Nortel settlement costs.

26 / CIENA Corporation 10-K 

Quarterly Results as a Percentage of Total Revenue

Revenue:

Products
Services
Total revenue
Costs:

Products
Services
Excess and obsolete 
inventory costs
Total cost of goods sold
Gross profit (loss)
Operating expenses:

Research and development
Selling and marketing
General and administrative
Deferred stock 
compensation costs:
Research and development
Selling and marketing
General and administrative
Amortization of intangible assets
In-process research 
and development
Restructuring costs
Goodwill and intangible impairment
Provision for doubtful accounts

Total operating expenses
Loss from operations
Interest and other income, net
Interest expense
Loss on equity investment, net
Loss on extinguishment of debt
Loss before income taxes
Provision (benefit) for income taxes
Net loss

Jan. 31,
2002

Apr. 30,
2002

Jul. 31,
2002

Oct. 31,
2002

Jan. 31,
2003

Apr. 30,
2003

Jul. 31,
2003

Oct. 31, 
2003

86.3%
13.7
100.0

84.4%
15.6
100.0

82.0%
18.0
100.0

80.3%
19.7
100.0

86.9%
13.1
100.0

86.2%
13.8
100.0

86.6%
13.4
100.0

80.5%
19.5
100.0

56.1
17.5

12.6
86.2
13.8

39.9
23.2
8.4

2.4
0.6
0.2
1.1

72.5
28.0

256.5
(357.0)
(257.0)

68.4
34.3
15.3

4.0
1.0
0.2
2.1

74.9
27.0

82.3
184.2
(84.2)

107.8
61.6
21.6

7.7
1.7
0.5
4.7

58.9
24.8

2.6
86.3
13.7

99.1
51.7
24.0

7.1
1.5
0.7
4.8

59.9
20.8

(3.8)
76.9
23.1

76.3
37.7
20.9

5.4
1.1
0.5
5.0

56.9
20.3

(2.0)
75.2
24.8

71.0
34.9
11.0

4.6
0.9
0.5
4.6

57.3
18.6

(0.1)
75.8
24.2

70.0
35.8
11.6

4.3
1.0
0.5
6.6

50.3
20.1

(1.6)
68.8
31.2

64.8
37.4
11.0

3.8
0.9
0.3
9.1

—
4.2
—
—
80.0
(66.2)
10.0
(6.5)
(3.3)
—
(66.0)
(22.4)
(43.6)% (703.2)% (319.7)% (1,219.0)% (152.0)% (102.6)% (129.8)% (162.8)%

—
127.1
900.0
—
1,216.0
(1,202.3)
26.4
(25.2)
(16.0)
(4.3)
(1,221.4)
(2.4)

—
37.1
—
(2.5)
240.2
(324.4)
27.1
(21.2)
—
—
(318.5)
1.2

—
—
—
—
146.9
(123.8)
18.9
(17.3)
—
(29.3)
(151.5)
0.5

2.2
22.7
—
—
154.7
(130.5)
13.0
(11.9)
—
—
(129.4)
0.4

1.8
18.3
41.9
—
189.2
(158.0)
13.7
(11.3)
(6.7)
—
(162.4)
0.5

—
139.4
—
18.4
283.1
(540.1)
17.3
(9.9)
(0.5)
—
(533.2)
170.0

—
3.7
—
—
131.2
(106.4)
15.1
(11.0)
—
—
(102.3)
0.3

Risk Factors
Investing in our securities involves a high degree of risk. In addition to the other information contained in this annual report,
including the reports we incorporate by reference, you should consider the following factors before investing in our securities.

Our business could continue to be adversely affected by unfavorable and uncertain conditions in the
communications industry
The last three years have seen substantial changes in the communications industry. Most of our customers and potential
customers have confronted static or declining revenue. Many have experienced significant financial distress, and some
have  gone  out  of  business.  This  has  resulted  in  a  significant  change  in  the  structure  of  the  equipment  industry,  with
greater concentration of purchasing power in a small number of large services providers, combined with a substantial

CIENA Corporation 10-K / 27

reduction in overall demand. Together these factors have adversely affected our revenue and operating results. In addi-
tion, most of our customers have become more conservative and uncertain about their future purchases which has made
managing our business difficult.

We expect the factors described above to continue to affect our business for an indeterminate period, in several

significant ways:
• capital expenditures by many of our customers may be flat or reduced;
• we will continue to have only limited ability to forecast the volume and product mix of our sales;
• managing our expenditures will be difficult in light of the uncertainties surrounding our business;
• increased competition resulting from reduced demand will put substantial downward pressures on the pricing of our

products, tending to reduce our profit margins;

• increased competition will enable customers to insist on more favorable terms and conditions for sales, including

extended payment terms or other financing assistance, as a condition of procuring their business; and

• the bankruptcies or weakened financial condition of some of our customers may require us to write off amounts

due to us from prior sales.
The result of any one or a combination of these factors could lead to further reduced revenue and increased oper-

ating losses.

We face intense competition that could hurt our sales and profitability
The market for networking solutions is extremely competitive. Competition in this market is based on varying combi-
nations of price, functionality, manufacturing capability, installation, services, scalability and the ability of the system
solutions to meet customers’ immediate and future network requirements. A small number of very large companies,
including Alcatel, Cisco, Fujitsu, Hitachi, Huawei, Lucent, Marconi, NEC, Nortel, Siemens, Ericsson, and Tellabs have
historically dominated the telecommunications equipment industry. They all have greater financial, marketing, manufac-
turing and intellectual property resources than CIENA. They also often have existing relationships with our customers
and potential customers. We also compete with a number of smaller companies that provide significant competition.
Because we sell systems that compete directly with product offerings of these companies, and in some cases displace
or replace their equipment, we represent a competitive threat. The decline in the market for communications networking
products has resulted in even greater competitive pressures. We expect that the aggressive tactics we have confronted
on the part of many of these competitors will continue, and perhaps become more severe. These tactics include:

• intense price competition in sales of new equipment, resulting in lower profit margins;
• discounting resulting from sales of used equipment or inventory that a competitor has written down or written off;
• early announcements of competing products and other marketing efforts;
• “one-stop shopping” options;
• customer financing assistance;
• marketing and advertising assistance; and
• intellectual property disputes.

Tactics such as those described above can be particularly effective in a concentrated customer base like ours. Our cus-
tomers are under increasing competitive pressure to deliver their services at the lowest possible cost. This pressure may result
in the pricing of communications networking systems becoming a more important factor in customer decisions. This may favor
larger competitors that can spread the effect of price discounts across a larger array of products and services and across a larger
customer base than ours. If we are unable to offset any reductions in the average sales price for our products by a reduction
in the cost of our products, our gross profit margins will be adversely affected. Our inability to compete successfully against
our competitors and maintain our gross profit margins would harm our business, financial condition and results of operations.
New competitors continue to emerge to compete with our products. They often base their products on the latest
available technology. They may achieve commercial availability of their products more quickly due to the narrower focus
of their efforts. Our inability to compete successfully against these companies would harm our business, financial con-
dition and results of operations.

28 / CIENA Corporation 10-K 

The success of our strategy depends on our ability to increase our revenue substantially
We have deliberately chosen to continue to spend on research and development, sales and marketing, and other oper-
ating expenses at levels that will not permit us to return to profitability unless we can increase our revenue substantially.
In order to do so, we plan both to continue to maintain and enhance our existing products and to expand and diversify
our product portfolio. In addition we believe we must continue to maintain a significant sales presence in our principle
markets and to spend on marketing our products and services. We are implementing this strategy through a combina-
tion of internal development, acquisitions of smaller companies, and strategic alliances with other vendors. If we fail to
execute this strategy effectively, or it does not produce substantial revenue growth, we will be required to modify the
strategy, which would likely have an adverse effect on our financial condition.

Our future success will depend on our ability to sell our products to our existing incumbent carrier
customers and add additional incumbent carriers as new customers
Historically,  a  large  percentage  of  our  sales  were  made  to  emerging  carriers,  many  of  which  no  longer  exist  or
have  experienced  severe  financial  difficulties  and  have  reduced  their  equipment  purchases.  We  expect  that  our
sales to emerging carriers will continue to be at a lower level than they were at one time. Consequently, our future
success  will  depend,  to  a  large  extent,  on  our  ability  to  increase  our  sales  to  large  domestic  and  international
incumbent carriers.

We have limited experience in selling to incumbent carriers relative to many of our larger competitors. Many of
them  have  long-standing  relationships  with  incumbent  carriers,  which  present  additional  challenges  to  the  sales
process. The sales cycles for these larger customers is often substantially longer than for sales to smaller customers;
and they often require extensive testing of products before deciding to purchase them. In addition, even after a prod-
uct has been selected for an incumbent carrier’s network and a contract has been signed, we are typically unable to
recognize revenue until final network certification tests are completed satisfactorily, a process that is often lengthy
and difficult. Complying with these certification requirements may involve unanticipated delays that could adversely
affect our ability to sell to larger carriers or the timing of recognition of revenue. If we do not succeed in increasing
our sales to our existing incumbent carrier customers and adding additional incumbent carriers as customers, our busi-
ness will suffer.

We may not be successful in selling our products through new channels or to government customers
We  believe  that,  in  order  to  succeed,  we  must  enter  new  markets  and  build  a  larger  and  more  diverse  customer
base. Therefore, we are beginning to sell some of our products to large enterprises and federal, state and local gov-
ernments.  To  succeed  in  these  markets,  we  believe  we  must  develop  and  manage  new  sales  channels  through
resellers, distributors and systems integrators for sales of those of our products that are suitable for those markets.
Since we have only limited experience in developing and managing such channels, it is uncertain to what extent we
will be successful.

Sales to federal, state and local governments often require compliance with complex procurement rules and regu-
lations with which we have little experience. We may be unable to compete for government opportunities if we cannot
comply with these rules and regulations.

Our failure either to develop and manage new sales channels or to sell to government customers would adversely

affect our ability to achieve our planned levels of revenue, which would adversely affect our profitability.

Our strategy involves pursuing strategic acquisitions and investments that may not be successful
Our business strategy includes acquiring or making strategic investments in other companies to expand our portfolio of
products and services and to acquire or accelerate the development of new or improved products. To do so, we may
use cash, issue equity that would dilute our current shareholders’ ownership, incur debt or assume indebtedness. In
addition, we may incur significant amortization expenses related to intangible assets. In the fourth quarter fiscal 2001
and fourth quarter fiscal 2002, we incurred a significant write-off of goodwill associated with our previous acquisitions.

CIENA Corporation 10-K / 29

Strategic investments and acquisitions involve numerous risks, including:
• potential large cash expenditures;
• difficulties in integrating the operations, technologies and products of the acquired companies;
• diversion of management’s attention;
• potential difficulties in completing projects of the acquired company;
• the potential loss of key employees of the acquired company;
• dependence on unfamiliar or relatively small supply partners; and
• exposure to unanticipated liabilities.

In addition, acquisitions and strategic investments may involve risks of entering markets in which we have little or

no prior experience and competitors have stronger market positions.

Product performance problems could limit our sales prospects
The development and production of new products with high technology content often involves problems with software,
components  and  manufacturing  methods.  If  significant  reliability,  quality  or  network  monitoring  problems  develop,
including those due to defects in software or faulty components, a number of negative effects on our business could
result, including:
• costs associated with fixing software or hardware defects;
• high service and warranty expenses;
• payment of liquidated damages for performance failures;
• high inventory obsolescence expense;
• high levels of product returns;
• delays in collecting accounts receivable;
• reduced orders from existing customers; and
• declining interest from potential customers.

Although we maintain accruals for product warranties, actual costs could exceed these amounts. From time to time,
there will be interruptions or delays in the activation of our products at a customer’s site. These interruptions or delays
may result from product performance problems or from issues with installation and activation, some of which are out-
side our control. If we experience significant interruptions or delays that we cannot promptly resolve, confidence in our
products could be undermined, which could cause us to lose customers or otherwise harm our business.

Economic conditions require us to reduce the size of our business further
Since November 2001, we have taken several steps, including reductions in force and dispositions of assets to reduce
the size of our operations to better match the reduced sales of our products and services. Weakness in the telecommu-
nications equipment market continues to affect our business. Accordingly, during the next twelve months we believe
that we will be required to reduce our costs further. This could cause disruption in our business and require us to take
accounting charges. If we fail to execute effectively on a program of cost reductions, our profitability could suffer.

Selling our products requires substantial investments of our resources that may not produce antici-
pated benefits
In order to sell our products to both potential and existing customers, we must invest in financial, engineering, manu-
facturing and logistics support resources, even though we are unsure of the volume, duration or timing of customer pur-
chases. Our customers are generally technically sophisticated and demanding. Consequently, we may incur substantial
expenses and devote resources to potential relationships that never materialize or fulfill our expectations, in which event
our investment may largely be lost. For example, we often provide equipment and services to our customers, free of
charge, for the purpose of performing laboratory testing. In the quarter ended October 31, 2003, inventory increased as
a result of providing a large amount of test equipment to a potential customer. If we are unsuccessful in winning this
contract, we may be required to take a charge for the write down or write off of this inventory.

30 / CIENA Corporation 10-K 

Our results can fluctuate unpredictably
Purchases by many of our potential and existing customers can be unpredictable, sporadic and subject to unanticipated
changes.  Our  results,  in  turn,  can  fluctuate  unpredictably.  A  decision  to  purchase  our  products  requires  a  significant
investment and commitment of resources by our customers. As a result, the sales cycles for many of our products are
long, often as much as a year or two between initial contact with a potential customer and the recognition of revenue
from sales to the customer. Further, purchases by our existing customers tend to be large and sporadic, depending upon
their need to build a customer base, their plans for expanding their networks, the availability of financing, and the effects
of regulatory and business conditions in the countries in which they operate. Current economic and market conditions
have made it even more difficult to make reliable estimates of future revenue.

Fluctuations in our revenue can lead to even greater fluctuations in our operating profits. Our budgeted expense lev-
els depend in part on our expectations of long-term future revenue. Any substantial adjustment to expenses to account
for lower levels of revenue is difficult and takes time. Consequently, if our revenue does decline, our levels of inventory,
operating expenses and general overhead would be high relative to our revenue, resulting in additional operating losses.

Other factors can also contribute to fluctuations in our revenue and operating results, including:

• variations and the mix between higher and lower margin products and services;
• fluctuations in demand for our products;
• changes in our pricing policies or the pricing policies of our competitors;
• the timing and size of orders from customers;
• changes in customers’ requirements, including changes or cancellations to orders from customers;
• the introduction of new products by us or our competitors;
• changes in the price or availability of components for our products;
• readiness of customer sites for installation;
• satisfaction of contractual customer acceptance criteria and related revenue recognition issues;
• manufacturing and shipment delays and deferrals;
• increased service, installation, warranty or repair costs;
• the timing and amount of employer payroll tax to be paid on employee gains on stock options exercised; and
• changes in general economic conditions as well as those specific to the telecommunications industry.

We may not be successful in enhancing and upgrading our products
The market for communications networking solutions is characterized by rapid technological change, frequent introductions of new
products, and recurring changes in customer requirements. To succeed in this market, we must continue to develop new prod-
ucts and new features for existing products. Doing so is difficult and costly, and there is no assurance that we will continue to
be successful. In addition, we must be able to identify and gain access to promising new technologies. Failure to keep pace with
technological advances would impair the competitiveness of our products and sooner or later do serious harm to our business.
Our products are based on complex technology that could result in unanticipated delays in developing, improving,
manufacturing or deploying them. Modifying our products to enable customers to integrate them into a new type of net-
work architecture entails similar development risks.

Certain enhancements to our products are in the development phase and are not yet ready for commercial manu-
facturing  or  deployment.  The  maturing  process  from  laboratory  prototype  to  customer  trials,  and  subsequently  to
general availability, involves a number of steps, including:

• completion of product development;
• the qualification and multiple sourcing of critical components;
• validation of manufacturing methods and processes;
• extensive quality assurance and reliability testing, and staffing of testing infrastructure;
• validation of software; and
• establishment of systems integration and systems test validation requirements.

CIENA Corporation 10-K / 31

Each of these steps, in turn, presents serious risks of failure, rework or delay, any one of which could decrease the
speed  and  scope  of  product  introduction  and  marketplace  acceptance  of  the  product.  Specialized  application  specific
integrated circuits (“ASICs”) and intensive software testing and validation are key to the timely introduction of enhance-
ments to several of our products, and schedule delays are common in the final validation phase, as well as in the man-
ufacture of specialized ASICs. In addition, unexpected intellectual property disputes, failure of critical design elements,
and a host of other execution risks may delay or even prevent the introduction of these products. If we do not develop
and successfully introduce these products in a timely manner, our business, financial condition and results of operations
would be harmed.

We depend on a limited number of suppliers, and for some items we do not have a substitute supplier
We  depend  on  a  limited  number  of  suppliers  for  components  of  our  products,  as  well  as  for  equipment  used  to
manufacture and test our products. Our products include several high-performance components for which reliable,
high-volume suppliers are particularly limited. Furthermore, some key optical and electronic components we use in
our products are currently available only from sole or limited sources, and in some cases, that source also is a com-
petitor. Any delay in component availability for any of our products could result in delays in deployment of these
products and in our ability to recognize revenue. These delays could also harm our customer relationships and our
results of operations.

Furthermore, the market for optical components has recently been consolidated resulting in reduced competition,
which could lead to higher prices. In addition, the loss of a source of supply of key components could require us to
re-engineer products that use those components, which would increase our costs.

On occasion, we have experienced delays in receipt of components and have received components that do not per-
form according to their specifications. Any future difficulty in obtaining sufficient and timely delivery of components could
result in delays or reductions in product shipments, which, in turn, could harm our business.

Any delays in component availability for any of our products or test equipment could result in delays in deployment
of these products and in our ability to recognize revenue from them. These delays could also harm our customer rela-
tionships and our results of operations.

We rely on contract manufacturers for our products
We rely on a small number of contract manufacturers to perform the majority of the manufacturing operations for our
products.  The  qualification  of  these  manufacturers  is  an  expensive  and  time-consuming  process,  and  these  contract
manufacturers build modules for other companies, including our competitors. In addition, we do not have contracts in
place with some of these manufacturers. We may not be able to effectively manage our relationships with our manu-
facturers and we cannot be certain that they will be able to fill our orders in a timely manner. If we underestimate our
future product requirements, the contract manufacturers may not have enough product to meet our customer require-
ments, and this could result in delays in the shipment of our products and our ability to recognize revenue. If we over-
estimate product requirements, we may have to write off excess inventory.

We rely on service delivery partners
We rely on a number of service delivery partners, both domestic and international, to complement CIENA’s global serv-
ice and support resources. The certification of these partners incurs costs and is time-consuming, and these partners
service products for other companies, including our competitors. We may not be able to effectively manage our relation-
ships with our partners and we cannot be certain that they will be able to deliver our services in the manner or time
required. If our service partners are unsuccessful in delivering services,
• we may compromise the relevant services revenue; and
• we may suffer delays in recognizing product revenues in cases where revenue recognition is dependent upon prod-

uct installation, testing and acceptance.

32 / CIENA Corporation 10-K 

Our ability to compete could be harmed if we are unable to protect and enforce our intellectual prop-
erty rights or if we infringe on intellectual property rights of others
We share our proprietary information and intellectual property, including our source code, with other parties as neces-
sary to meet the needs of our business. We rely on a combination of patent, copyright, trademark and trade secret laws
and  restrictions  on  disclosure  to  protect  our  intellectual  property  rights.  We  enter  into  non-disclosure  and  proprietary
rights agreements with our employees and consultants, license agreements with our corporate partners, and we con-
trol access to and distribution of our products, documentation and other proprietary information. Despite our efforts to
protect our proprietary rights, unauthorized parties may attempt to copy or otherwise obtain and use our products or
technology. This is likely to become an increasing issue as we expand our operations and sales into countries that pro-
vide a lower level of protection for intellectual property.

Monitoring unauthorized use of our products is difficult, and we cannot be certain that the steps we have taken will
prevent unauthorized use of our technology. If competitors are able to use our technology, our ability to compete effec-
tively could be harmed. We have filed a patent infringement lawsuit to enforce our intellectual property right, and may
become involved with additional disputes in the future. Such lawsuits can be costly and may significantly divert the time
and attention of our personnel.

We have been subject to several claims of patent infringement, which in some cases have required us to pay the
patent holders substantial sums or enter into license agreements requiring ongoing royalty payments. The frequency of
assertions of patent infringement in the field of telecommunications networking solutions is increasing as patent hold-
ers seek alternative sources of revenue. There is a possibility that we may again find ourselves required to take patent
licenses or to redesign or stop selling products that allegedly infringe patents belonging to others. If we are sued for
infringement and are unsuccessful in defending the suit, we could be subject to significant damages, and our business
and customer relationships could be adversely affected.

We face risks associated with our international operations
We  market,  sell  and  service  our  products  globally.  We  have  established  offices  around  the  world,  including  in  North
America, Europe, Latin America and the Asia Pacific region. We will continue to expand our international operations and
enter new international markets. This expansion will require significant management attention and financial resources to
develop successfully direct and indirect international sales and support channels. In some countries, our success will
depend in part on our ability to form relationships with local partners. We cannot be sure that we will be able to identify
appropriate partners or reach mutually satisfactory arrangements with them for sales of our products. There is a risk that
we may sometimes choose the wrong partner. For these reasons, we may not be able to maintain or increase interna-
tional market demand for our products.

International operations are subject to inherent risks, and our future results could be adversely affected by a variety

of uncontrollable and changing factors. These include:
• greater difficulty in collecting accounts receivable and longer collection periods;
• difficulties and costs of staffing and managing foreign operations;
• the impact of recessions in economies outside the United States;
• unexpected changes in regulatory requirements;
• certification requirements;
• reduced protection for intellectual property rights in some countries;
• potentially adverse tax consequences;
• political and economic instability;
• trade protection measures and other regulatory requirements;
• service provider and government spending patterns; and
• natural disasters and epidemics.

Such factors could have a material adverse impact on our operating results and financial condition.

CIENA Corporation 10-K / 33

We face risks in reselling the products of other companies
We have recently entered into agreements that permit us to distribute the products of other companies and may enter
into other agreements in the future. To the extent we succeed in reselling the products of these companies, we may be
required by customers to assume warranty and service obligations. While these suppliers have agreed to support us with
respect  to  those  obligations,  they  are  relatively  small  companies  with  limited  financial  resources.  If  they  should  be
unable, for any reason, to provide the required support, we may have to expend our own resources on doing so. This
risk is amplified by the fact that the equipment has been designed and manufactured by others, and is thus subject to
warranty claims whose magnitude we are currently unable to evaluate fully.

If we are unable to retain and attract qualified personnel, we may be unable to effectively manage
our business
If we are unable to retain and motivate our existing employees and attract qualified personnel to fill key positions, we
may be unable to effectively develop our existing products, make timely product introductions and increase sales. Since
we generally do not have employment contracts with our employees, we must rely upon providing competitive compen-
sation packages and a dynamic work environment to retain and motivate employees. In response to the decline in our
revenue  and  weakness  in  the  telecommunications  equipment  market,  we  have  not  increased  salaries  for  or  paid
bonuses to most of our employees since the end of fiscal 2001. Since our compensation packages include equity-based
incentives, pressure on our stock price could affect our ability to continue to offer competitive compensation packages
to our employees. In addition to these compensation issues, we must continue to motivate employees to execute our
strategies and achieve our goals, which may be difficult due to morale challenges posed by the workforce reductions
and uncertainty in our industry and the economy in general.

If we lose members of our management team or other key personnel, it may be difficult to replace them. Even in
the current economic downturn, competition for highly skilled technical and other personnel can be intense. As a result,
we may not be successful in identifying, recruiting and hiring qualified engineers and other key personnel.

We are exposed to the credit risk of our customers
Industry and economic conditions have weakened the financial position of some of our customers. To sell to some of
these customers, we may be required to take risks of uncollectible accounts. While we monitor these situations care-
fully and attempt to take appropriate measures to protect ourselves, it is possible that we may have to write down or
write off doubtful accounts. Such write-downs or write-offs, if large, could have a material adverse effect on our operat-
ing results and financial condition.

Our stock price is volatile
Our common stock price has experienced substantial volatility in the past, and is likely to remain volatile in the future.
Volatility can arise as a result of divergence between our actual or anticipated financial results and published expecta-
tions of analysts, and announcements that we, our competitors, or our customers may make.

Divergence between our actual results and our anticipated results, analyst estimates and public announcements by
us, our competitors, or by customers will occur from time to time in the future, with resulting stock price volatility, irre-
spective of our overall year-to-year performance or long-term prospects. As long as we continue to depend on a limited
customer  base,  and  particularly  when  a  substantial  majority  of  their  purchases  consist  of  newly  introduced  products,
there is substantial chance that our quarterly results will vary widely.

34 / CIENA Corporation 10-K 

Forward-looking statements
Some of the statements contained, or incorporated by reference, in this annual report discuss future expectations, contain
projections of results of operations or financial condition or state other “forward-looking” information. Those statements
are  subject  to  known  and  unknown  risks,  uncertainties  and  other  factors  that  could  cause  the  actual  results  to  differ
materially from those contemplated by the statements. The “forward-looking” information is based on various factors
and was derived using numerous assumptions. In some cases, you can identify these so-called “forward-looking state-
ments” by words like “may,” “will,” “should,” “expects,” “plans,” “anticipates,” “believes,” “estimates,” “predicts,”
“potential” or “continue” or the negative of those words and other comparable words. You should be aware that those
statements only reflect our predictions. Actual events  or results may differ substantially. Important factors that could
cause  our  actual  results  to  be  materially  different  from  the  forward-looking  statements  are  disclosed  throughout  this
report, particularly under the heading “Risk Factors” above.

Item 7A. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures about Market Risk
The  following  discussion  about  the  Company’s  market  risk  disclosures  involves  forward-looking  statements.  Actual
results could differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements. The Company is exposed to mar-
ket risk related to changes in interest rates and foreign currency exchange rates. The Company does not use derivative
financial instruments for speculative or trading purposes.

Interest Rate Sensitivity. The Company maintains a short-term and long-term investment portfolio. These avail-
able-for-sale securities are subject to interest rate risk and will fall in value if market interest rates increase. If market
interest rates were to increase immediately and uniformly by 10 percent from levels at October 31, 2003, the fair value
of the portfolio would decline by approximately $112.2 million.

Foreign Currency Exchange Risk. As a global concern, the Company faces exposure to adverse movements in for-
eign currency exchange rates. These exposures may change over time as business practices evolve and if our exposure
increases,  adverse  movement  in  foreign  currency  exchange  rates  could  have  a  material  adverse  impact  on  the
Company’s  financial  results.  The  Company’s  primary  exposures  are  related  to  non-dollar  denominated  operating
expenses in Canada, Latin America, Europe and Asia where the Company sells primarily in U.S. dollars. The Company is
prepared to hedge against fluctuations in foreign currency if this exposure becomes material. As of October 31, 2003,
the assets and liabilities of the Company related to non-dollar denominated currencies were not material. Therefore we
do  not  expect  an  increase  or  decrease  of  10%  in  the  foreign  exchange  rate  would  have  a  material  impact  on  the
Company’s financial position.

Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data
The following is an index to the consolidated financial statements and supplementary data:

Report of Independent Auditors
Consolidated Balance Sheets

Consolidated Statements of Operations

Consolidated Statements of Changes in Stockholders’ Equity

Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements

Page 
Number
35

36
37

38

39

40

CIENA Corporation 10-K / 35

Report of Independent Auditors

To the Board of Directors and Shareholders of CIENA Corporation:

In our opinion, the accompanying consolidated balance sheets and the related consolidated statements of income, share-
holders’ equity and cash flows present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of CIENA Corporation and its
subsidiaries at October 31, 2003 and October 31, 2002, and the results of their operations and their cash flows for each
of the three years in the period ended October 31, 2003 in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in
the  United  States  of  America.  These  financial  statements  are  the  responsibility  of  the  Company’s  management;  our
responsibility is to express an opinion on these financial statements based on our audits. We conducted our audits of
these  statements  in  accordance  with  auditing  standards  generally  accepted  in  the  United  States  of  America,  which
require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are
free of material misstatement. An audit includes examining, on a test basis, evidence supporting the amounts and dis-
closures in the financial statements, assessing the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by man-
agement, and evaluating the overall financial statement presentation. We believe that our audits provide a reasonable
basis for our opinion.

As discussed with Note 1 to the financial statements, the Company ceased amortizing certain goodwill and intangi-
bles as a result of the adoption of Statement of Financial Accounting Standards No. 142, “Goodwill and Other Intangible
Assets,” effective on first day of its 2002 fiscal year.

PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP
McLean, VA
December 9, 2003

36 / CIENA Corporation 10-K 

CIENA Corporation
Consolidated Balance Sheets

(in thousands, except share data)

ASSETS
Current assets:

Cash and cash equivalents
Short-term investments
Accounts receivable, net
Inventories, net
Prepaid expenses and other

Total current assets
Long-term investments
Equipment, furniture and fixtures, net
Goodwill
Other intangible assets, net
Other long-term assets

Total assets

LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY
Current liabilities:
Accounts payable
Accrued liabilities
Restructuring liabilities
Unfavorable lease commitments
Income taxes payable
Deferred revenue
Other current obligations
Total current liabilities
Long-term deferred revenue
Long-term restructuring liabilities
Long-term unfavorable lease commitments
Other long-term obligations
Convertible notes payable
Total liabilities

Commitments and contingencies
Stockholders’ equity:

October 31,

2002

2003

$ 377,189
1,130,414
28,680
47,023
54,351
1,637,657
570,861
196,951
212,500
62,457
70,596
$ 2,751,022

$

39,841
132,588
27,423
7,630
—
15,388
948
223,818
15,444
65,742
70,124
5,009
843,616
1,223,753

$ 309,665
796,809
43,600
44,995
34,334
1,229,403
519,744
114,930
336,039
108,408
69,641
$ 2,378,165

$

44,402
98,926
14,378
9,380
4,640
14,473
—
186,199
14,547
52,164
61,312
2,698
730,428
1,047,348

Preferred stock—par value $0.01; 20,000,000 shares authorized; 
zero shares issued and outstanding
Common stock—par value $0.01; 980,000,000 shares authorized; 
432,842,481 and 473,214,856 shares issued and outstanding
Additional paid-in capital
Deferred stock compensation
Notes receivable from stockholders
Accumulated other comprehensive income
Accumulated deficit

Total stockholders’ equity

Total liabilities and stockholders’ equity

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.

—

—

4,328
4,683,865
(24,983)
(3,866)
8,840
(3,140,915)
1,527,269
$ 2,751,022

4,732
4,861,182
(9,664)
(448)
2,447
(3,527,432)
1,330,817
$ 2,378,165

CIENA Corporation 10-K / 37

CIENA Corporation
Consolidated Statements of Operations

(in thousands, except per share data)

2001

2002

2003

Year Ended October 31,

Revenue:

Products

Services

Total revenue
Costs:

Products

Services

Excess and obsolete inventory costs (benefit)

Total cost of goods sold

Gross profit (loss)

Operating expenses:

Research and development

Selling and marketing

General and administrative

Deferred stock compensation costs:

Research and development

Selling and marketing

General and administrative

Amortization of goodwill

Amortization of intangible assets

In-process research and development

Restructuring costs
Goodwill and intangible impairment
Provision for doubtful accounts

Total operating expenses

Loss from operations
Interest and other income (expense), net
Interest expense
Loss on equity investments, net

Loss on extinguishment of debt
Loss before income taxes
Provision for income taxes
Net loss
Basic and diluted net loss per common share 
and dilutive potential common share

Weighted average basic common and dilutive 
potential common shares outstanding

$ 1,518,833

84,396

1,603,229

$

304,155

57,000

361,155

$ 240,772

42,364

283,136

720,874

115,264

68,411

904,549

698,680

235,831

146,949

57,865

17,783

8,378

15,206

177,786

4,413

45,900

15,439
1,719,426

(6,579)
2,438,397
(1,739,717)

63,579
(30,591)

—

—
(1,706,729)
87,333

$(1,794,062)

228,074

81,485

286,475

596,034

(234,879)

239,619

130,276

52,612

15,672

3,560

1,092

—

8,972

—

225,429
557,286

14,813
1,249,331
(1,484,210)

61,145
(45,339)
(15,677)

(2,683)
(1,486,764)
110,735

$(1,597,499)

158,898

56,489

(5,296)

210,091

73,045

199,699

103,193

38,478

12,824

2,728

1,225

—

17,870

2,800

31,155
29,596

—
439,568
(366,523)

42,959
(36,331)
(4,760)

(20,606)
(385,261)
1,256

$(386,517)

$

(5.75)

$

(4.37)

$

(0.87)

311,815

365,202

446,696

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.

38 / CIENA Corporation 10-K 

CIENA Corporation
Consolidated Statements of Changes in Stockholders’ Equity

Accumu-
lated
Deferred Receivable Other

Notes

Common Stock

Shares
286,530,631
—

Amount
$2,865
—

Additional
Paid-in-
Capital
$ 541,030
—

Stock
Compen-
sation
$ 16,227
—

from Compre-
hensive
Stock-
Income
holders
(30) $ (903) $
$
—

250,646
— (1,794,062)

Retained
Earnings
(Deficit)

(dollars in thousands)
Balance at October 31, 2000
Net loss
Changes in unrealized gains 
on investments, net
Translation adjustment
Comprehensive loss
Exercise of stock options
Unearned stock compensation
Deferred stock compensation costs
Forfeiture of unearned 
stock compensation
Issuance of common stock, 
net of issuance costs
Tax benefit from the 
exercise of stock options
Repayment of receivables 

from stockholders
Balance at October 31, 2001
Net loss
Changes in unrealized 
gains on investments, net
Translation adjustment
Comprehensive loss
Exercise of stock options
Unearned stock compensation
Deferred stock compensation costs
Issuance of common stock, 
net of issuance costs
Repayment of receivables 
from stockholders
Balance at October 31, 2002
Net loss
Changes in unrealized gains 
on investments, net
Translation adjustment
Comprehensive loss
Exercise of stock options
Unearned stock compensation
Deferred stock compensation costs
Forfeiture of unearned
stock compensation
Issuance of common stock, 
net of issuance costs
Repayment of receivables 

Total 
Stockholders’ 
Equity
(Deficit)
$ 809,835
(1,794,062)

5,804
(59)
$(1,788,317)
35,387
(98,456)
41,367

—

—
—

—
—
—

—

— 3,052,982

—

71,605

—
—
—

—

—

—

—
—
—

—

—
—

4,373,093
—
—

—

—
—

44
—
—

—

—
—

—
—

— 5,804
(59)
—

35,343

—
— (98,456)
— 41,367

(3,489)

3,489

—
—
—

—

37,118,540

371

3,060,396

— (7,785)

—

—

71,605

—

—

—
328,022,264
—

—
$3,280
—

—
$3,704,885
—

— 4,579

—
$(37,373) $(3,236) $ 4,842

—

4,579
$(1,543,416) $ 2,128,982
— (1,597,499) $(1,597,499)

—
—

3,699,493
—
—

—
—

37
—
—

—

—
—

—

— 3,731
267
—

—
—

—
15,103
—
(8,826)
— 21,216

—
—
—

101,120,724

1,011

963,877

— (5,673)

—
432,842,481
—

—
$4,328
—

—
$4,683,865
—

— 5,043

—
$(24,983) $(3,866) $ 8,840
—

—

—

—-
—

4,608,143
—
—

—

—-
—

46
—
—

—

—
—

—
—

— (6,743)
350
—

—
13,752
—
(7,385)
— 17,093

(5,611)

5,611

—
—
—

—

—

—
—
—

—

—

35,764,232

358

169,176

—

—
—

—
—
—

—

3,731
267
$(1,593,501)
15,140
(8,826)
21,216

959,215

—

5,043
$(3,140,915) $ 1,527,269
(386,517)

(386,517)

—
—

—
—
—

—

—

(6,743)
350
$ (392,910)
13,798
(7,385)
17,093

—

169,534

from stockholders
Balance at October 31, 2003

—
473,214,856

—
$4,732

—
$4,861,182

— 3,418

—
$ (9,664) $ (448) $ 2,447

3,418
$(3,527,432) $ 1,330,817

—

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.

CIENA Corporation 10-K / 39

CIENA Corporation
Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows

(in thousands)

Cash flows from operating activities:

Net loss
Adjustments to reconcile net loss to net cash 
provided by (used in) operating activities:
Early extinguishment of debt
Tax benefit related to exercise of stock options and warrants
Non-cash impairment from equity transactions
Non-cash portion of restructuring charges and related asset write-downs
Effect of accumulated translation adjustment
Accretion of convertible notes payable
In-process research and development
Depreciation
Amortization of goodwill, goodwill impairment, other intangibles, 
deferred stock compensation and debt issuance costs
Provision for doubtful accounts
Provision for inventory excess and obsolescence
Provision for warranty and other contractual obligations
Changes in assets and liabilities:

Accounts receivable
Inventories
Deferred income tax asset
Prepaid expenses and other
Accounts payable and accruals
Income taxes payable
Deferred revenue and other obligations

Net cash provided by (used in) operating activities

Cash flows from investing activities:

Additions to equipment, furniture and fixtures
Purchase of available for sale securities
Maturities of available for sale securities
Marketable securities (discount) premium amortization
Acquisition of business, inclusive of intellectual property 
and other intangibles, net of cash acquired
Minority equity investments

Net cash (used in) provided by investing activities

Cash flows from financing activities:

Net proceeds from (repayment of) other obligations
Proceeds from (repayment of) convertible notes payable
Proceeds from issuance of common stock and warrants
Repayment of notes receivable from stockholders

Net cash provided by (used in) financing activities
Net increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents

Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of period
Cash and cash equivalents at end of period
Supplemental disclosure of cash flow information:

Cash paid during the period for:

Interest
Income taxes

Issuance of common stock for notes receivable from stockholders

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.

Year Ended October 31,

2001

2002

2003

$(1,794,062)

$(1,597,499)

$ (386,517)

—
71,605
—
—
(59)
6,183
45,900
100,882

1,948,740
(6,579)
68,411
33,073

(139,534)
(177,482)
(6,631)
(35,640)
8,648
(834)
40,522
163,173

(238,544)
(1,714,077)
420,885
—

54,101
(13,005)
(1,490,640)

1,265
669,300
907,026
4,579
1,582,170
254,703
143,187
$ 397,890

—
—
13,823
113,596
267
12,693
—
122,048

589,610
14,813
250,457
13,271

358,493
(27,807)
186,861
(12,625)
6,275
(7,170)
(65,079)
(27,973)

(66,330)
(1,521,479)
1,547,516
2,469

286,899
(10,000)
239,075

(1,015)
(250,971)
15,140
5,043
(231,803)
(20,701)
397,890
$ 377,189

20,606
—
4,760
37,828
350
6,432
2,800
75,834

70,554
—
(5,296)
9,301

(14,187)
9,216
—
3,977
(78,753)
4,626
(2,689)
(241,158)

(29,544)
(1,049,993)
1,414,808
11,948

(29,668)
(15,000)
302,551

(4,370)
(140,261)
13,798
1,916
(128,917)
(67,524)
377,189
$ 309,665

$
$
$

16,051
1,007
—

$
$
$

36,776
485
—

$
$
$

30,287
1,780
—

40 / CIENA Corporation 10-K 

CIENA Corporation
Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements

(1) The Company and Significant Accounting Policies and Estimates
Description of Business
CIENA is a leading global provider of innovative network solutions to service providers and enterprises worldwide. Our
customers include long distance carriers, local exchange carriers, cable operators, Internet service providers, wireless
and wholesale carriers, resellers, governments, large businesses and non-profit institutions.

CIENA  was  incorporated  in  Delaware  in  November  1992,  and  completed  its  initial  public  offering  on  February 7,

1997. CIENA’s principal executive offices are located at 1201 Winterson Road, Linthicum, Maryland 21090.

Principles of Consolidation
CIENA has 25 wholly owned U.S. and international subsidiaries, which have been consolidated in the accompany-
ing  financial  statements.  On  August  29,  2003,  CIENA  acquired  all  of  the  outstanding  capital  stock  of  Akara
Corporation  (“Akara”),  a  Delaware  company  based  in  Ottawa,  Ontario.  On  June  16,  2003,  CIENA  acquired  by
merger WaveSmith Networks, Inc. (“WaveSmith”), a Delaware company based in Acton, Massachusetts. On June 21,
2002, CIENA acquired by merger ONI Systems Corp. (“ONI”), a Delaware Company, listed on NASDAQ, which was
headquartered in San Jose, California. On March 29, 2001, CIENA acquired all of the outstanding capital stock Cyras
Systems, Inc. (“Cyras”), a Delaware company based in Fremont, California. The Akara, WaveSmith, ONI and Cyras
transactions  were  all  accomplished  as  tax-free  reorganizations,  all  of  which  were  recorded  using  the  purchase
accounting method.

The  accompanying  consolidated  financial  statements  include  the  accounts  of  CIENA  and  its  wholly  owned  sub-

sidiaries. All material intercompany accounts and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation.

Fiscal Year
The Company has a 52 or 53 week fiscal year, which ends on the Saturday nearest to the last day of October in each
year (November 1, 2003, November 2, 2002, and November 3, 2001). For purposes of financial statement presentation,
each fiscal year is described as having ended on October 31. Fiscal 2001 was comprised of 53 weeks. Fiscal 2002 and
2003 were comprised of 52 weeks.

Use of Estimates
The  preparation  of  financial  statements  in  conformity  with  generally  accepted  accounting  principles  requires  the
Company to make estimates, judgments and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities, revenue
and expenses, together with amounts disclosed in the related notes to the financial statements. Actual results could dif-
fer from the recorded estimates.

Cash and Cash Equivalents
The Company considers all highly liquid investments purchased with expected original maturities of three months or less
to be cash equivalents.

Investments
CIENA’s short-term and long-term investments are classified as available-for-sale and are reported at fair value, with unre-
alized gains and losses, net of tax, recorded in accumulated other comprehensive income. Realized gains or losses and
declines in value determined to be other than temporary, if any, on available-for-sale securities will be reported in other
income or expense as incurred.

CIENA Corporation 10-K / 41

CIENA also has certain other minority equity investments in non-publicly traded companies. These investments are
generally carried at cost as CIENA owns less than 20% of the voting equity and does not have the ability to exercise sig-
nificant influence over these companies. As of October 31, 2002 and October 31, 2003, $16.1 million and $21.3 million
of these investments are included in other long-term assets, respectively. These investments are inherently high risk as
the  market  for  technologies  or  product  manufactured  by  these  companies  are  usually  early  stage  at  the  time  of  the
investment by CIENA and such markets may never be significant. CIENA could lose its entire investment in some or all
of these companies. CIENA monitors these investments for impairment and makes appropriate reductions in carrying
values when necessary. During fiscal 2003 and 2002, CIENA recorded a charge of $4.8 million and $16.6 million, respec-
tively, from a decline in the fair values of certain equity investments that were determined to be other than temporary.
No write-downs were recorded during fiscal 2001.

Inventories
Inventories are stated at the lower of cost or market, with cost determined on the first-in, first-out basis. The Company
records a provision for excess and obsolete inventory whenever such an impairment has been identified.

Equipment, Furniture and Fixtures
Equipment,  furniture  and  fixtures  are  recorded  at  cost.  Depreciation  and  amortization  are  computed  using  the
straight-line method over useful lives of 2–5 years for equipment, furniture and fixtures and 2–10 years for lease-
hold improvements.

Internal  use  software  and  web  site  development  costs  are  capitalized  in  accordance  with  Statement  of  Position
(SOP)  No.  98-1,  “Accounting  for  the  Costs  of  Computer  Software  Developed  or  Obtained  for  Internal  Use,”  and
Emerging Issues Task Force (“EITF”) Issue No. 00-02, “Accounting for Web Site Development Costs.” Qualifying costs
incurred during the application development stage, which consist primarily of outside services and purchased software
license costs, are capitalized and amortized over the estimated useful life of the asset.

Goodwill and Purchased Intangible Assets
The  Company  has  recorded  goodwill  and  purchased  intangible  assets  as  a  result  of  several  acquisitions.  See  Note  2.
Purchased  intangible  assets  are  carried  at  cost  less  accumulated  amortization.  Amortization  is  computed  using  the
straight-line method over the economic lives of the respective assets, generally three to seven years. It is the Company’s
policy  to  assess  periodically  the  carrying  amount  of  its  purchased  intangible  assets  to  determine  if  there  has  been  an
impairment to their carrying value. Impairments of other intangibles assets are determined in accordance with Statement
Financial Accounting Standards No. 144 “Accounting for the Impairment or disposal of Long-Lived Assets” (“SFAS 144”).
This  statement  is  effective  for  fiscal  2003  and  supersedes  Statement  of  Financial  Accounting  Standard  No.  121,
“Accounting for the Impairment of Long-Lived Assets and for Long-Lived Assets to Be Disposed Of” (“SFAS 121”).

In  July  2001,  the  Financial  Accounting  Standards  Board  issued  Statement  of  Financial  Accounting  Standards 
No. 141 “Business Combinations” (“SFAS 141”) and Statement of Financial Accounting Standards No. 142 “Goodwill and
Other Intangible Assets” (“SFAS 142”). SFAS 141 addresses financial accounting and reporting for business combinations.
This statement requires the purchase method of accounting to be used for all business combinations, and prohibits the
pooling-of-interests method of accounting. It is effective for all business combinations initiated after June 30, 2001 and
supersedes APB Opinion No. 16, “Business Combinations” as well as Financial Accounting Standards Board Statement
of Financial Accounting Standards No. 38, “Accounting for Preacquisition Contingencies of Purchased Enterprises.”

SFAS 142 addresses how intangible assets acquired individually or with a group of other assets should be accounted
for in financial statements upon their acquisition. This statement requires goodwill amortization to cease and for goodwill
to be periodically reviewed for impairment for fiscal years beginning after October 31, 2001. SFAS 142 supersedes APB
Opinion No. 17, “Intangible Assets.” The Company adopted the provisions of this standard for its first quarter of fiscal 2002.

42 / CIENA Corporation 10-K 

The following table presents the impact of SFAS 142 on net loss and net loss per share had SFAS 142 been in effect

for fiscal 2001, 2002 and 2003 (in thousands except per share data):

Fiscal Year Ended October 31,

Net loss

Adjustments:

Amortization of goodwill

Adjusted net loss
Weighted average shares—basic and diluted

Adjusted basic and diluted EPS

Reported basic and diluted EPS

2001

$(1,794,062)

177,786

$(1,616,276)
311,815

$

$

(5.18)

(5.75)

2002

$(1,597,499)

—

$(1,597,499)
365,202

$

$

(4.37)

(4.37)

2003

$(386,517)

—

$(386,517)
446,696

$

$

(0.87)

(0.87)

Concentrations
Substantially  all  of  CIENA’s  cash  and  cash  equivalents,  short-term  and  long-term  investments,  are  custodied  at  three
major U.S. financial institutions. The majority of CIENA’s cash equivalents consist of money market funds and overnight
repurchase  agreements.  Deposits  held  with  banks  may  exceed  the  amount  of  insurance  provided  on  such  deposits.
Generally these deposits may be redeemed upon demand and, therefore, bear minimal risk.

Historically, CIENA has relied on a limited number of customers for a substantial portion of the Company’s revenue.
During fiscal 2003 Qwest and AT&T each accounted for at least 10% of CIENA’s revenue and combined accounted for
24.9%. During fiscal 2002, Sprint and AT&T each accounted for at least 10% of CIENA’s revenue and combined accounted
for 36.8%. During fiscal 2001, Sprint and Qwest Communications each accounted for at least 10% of CIENA’s revenue and,
combined, accounted for 50.5%. CIENA expects that a significant portion of the Company’s future revenue will continue
to be generated by a limited number of customers. The loss of any one of these customers or any substantial reduction
in orders by any one of these customers could materially adversely affect CIENA’s financial condition or operating results.
Additionally, CIENA’s access to certain raw materials is dependent upon single and sole source suppliers. The inabil-
ity of any supplier to fulfill supply requirements of CIENA could affect future results. CIENA relies on a small number of
contract manufacturers to perform the majority of the manufacturing operations for its products. If CIENA cannot effec-
tively manage these manufacturers and forecast future demand, or of they fail to deliver products or components on
time, CIENA’s business may suffer.

Revenue Recognition
CIENA recognizes product revenue in accordance with the terms of the sales contract and where collection is reason-
ably assured. For transactions where CIENA has yet to obtain customer acceptance, revenue is not recognized until the
terms of acceptance are satisfied. Revenue for installation services is recognized as the services are performed unless
the terms of the supply contract combine product acceptance with installation, in which case, revenue from installation
services are recognized when the terms of acceptance are satisfied and installation is completed. Amounts received in
excess of revenue recognized are included as deferred revenue in the accompanying balance sheet. For transactions
involving the sale of software, revenue is recognized in accordance with Statement of Position No. 97-2 (“SOP 97-2”),
“Software Revenue Recognition,” including deferral of revenue recognition in instances where vendor specific objective
evidence for undelivered elements is not determinable. For distributor sales where risks of ownership have not trans-
ferred, CIENA recognizes revenue when the product is shipped through to the end user.

Revenue-Related Accruals
The Company provides for the estimated costs to fulfill customer warranty and other contractual obligations upon the
recognition  of  the  related  revenue.  Such  reserves  are  determined  based  upon  actual  warranty  cost  experience,  esti-
mates of component failure rates, and management’s industry experience. The Company’s sales contracts generally do
not permit the right of return of product by the customer after the product has been accepted.

CIENA Corporation 10-K / 43

Research and Development
The Company charges all research and development costs to expense as incurred.

Advertising Costs
The Company expenses all advertising costs as incurred.

Income Taxes
The  Company  accounts  for  income  taxes  in  accordance  with  Statement  of  Financial  Accounting  Standards  No.  109
(“SFAS 109”), “Accounting for Income Taxes.” SFAS 109 is an asset and liability approach that requires the recognition
of deferred tax assets and liabilities for the expected future tax consequences attributable to differences between the
carrying amounts of assets and liabilities for financial reporting purposes and their respective tax bases, and for operat-
ing loss and tax credit carry forwards. In estimating future tax consequences, SFAS 109 generally considers all expected
future events other than the enactment of changes in tax laws or rates. Valuation allowances are provided if, based upon
the weight of the available evidence, it is more likely than not that some or all of the deferred tax assets will not be real-
ized. Tax savings resulting from deductions associated with stock options and certain stock warrants are credited directly
to additional paid in capital when realization of such benefit is fully assured. See Note 13.

Fair Value of Financial Instruments
The carrying amounts of the Company’s financial instruments, which include short-term and long-term investments, accounts
receivable, accounts payable, and other accrued expenses, approximate their fair values due to their short maturities.

Foreign Currency Translation
The majority of the Company’s foreign branches and subsidiaries use the U.S. dollar as their functional currency, as the
U.S. parent exclusively funds the branches and subsidiaries’ operations with U.S. dollars. For those subsidiaries using
the local currency as their functional currency, assets and liabilities are translated at exchange rates in effect at the bal-
ance  sheet  date.  Resulting  translation  adjustments  are  recorded  directly  to  a  separate  component  of  stockholders’
equity. Where the U.S. dollar is the functional currency, translation adjustments are recorded in other income. The net
gain (loss) on foreign currency re-measurement and exchange rate changes for fiscal 2001, 2002 and 2003 was imma-
terial for separate financial statement presentation.

Computation  of  Basic  Net  Income  (Loss)  per  Common  Share  and  Diluted  Net  Income  (Loss)  per
Common and Dilutive Potential Common Share
The Company calculates earnings per share in accordance with the Statement of Financial Accounting Standards No. 128,
“Earnings per Share” (“SFAS 128”). SFAS 128 simplifies the earnings per share (“EPS”) computation and replaces the
presentation of primary EPS with a presentation of basic EPS. This statement also requires dual presentation of basic and
diluted EPS on the face of the income statement for entities with a complex capital structure and requires a reconciliation
of the numerator and denominator used for the basic and diluted EPS computations. See Note 11.

Software Development Costs
Statement  of  Financial  Accounting  Standards  No.  86,  “Accounting  for  the  Costs  of  Computer  Software  to  be  Sold,
Leased  or  Otherwise  Marketed”  (“SFAS  86”),  requires  the  capitalization  of  certain  software  development  costs
incurred subsequent to the date technological feasibility is established and prior to the date the product is generally
available for sale. The capitalized cost is then amortized over the estimated product life. The Company defines techno-
logical feasibility as being attained at the time a working model is completed. To date, the period between achieving
technological feasibility and the general availability of such software has been short, and software development costs
qualifying for capitalization have been insignificant. Accordingly, the Company has not capitalized any software devel-
opment costs.

44 / CIENA Corporation 10-K 

Accounting for Stock Options
In October 1995, the Financial Accounting Standards Board issued Statement of Financial Accounting Standard No. 123
(“SFAS 123”), “Accounting for Stock-Based Compensation.” SFAS 123 allows companies to account for stock-based
compensation either under the new provisions of SFAS 123 or using the intrinsic value method provided by Accounting
Principles Board Opinion No. 25 (“APB 25”), “Accounting for Stock Issued to Employees,” but requires pro forma dis-
closure in the footnotes to the financial statements as if the measurement provisions of SFAS 123 had been adopted.
In December 2002, the Financial Accounting Standards Board issued Statement of Financial Accounting Standard
No.  148,  “Accounting  for  Stock-Based  Compensation-Transition  and  Disclosure”  (“SFAS  148”).  SFAS  148  amends
SFAS 123, to provide alternative methods of transition for a voluntary change to the fair value based method of accounting
for stock-based employee compensation. In addition, SFAS 148 amends the disclosure requirements of SFAS 123 to
require prominent disclosures in both annual and interim financial statements about the method of accounting for stock-
based employee compensation and the effect of the method used on reported results. SFAS 148 is effective for financial
statements for fiscal years ending after December 15, 2002.

The Company has elected to continue to account for its stock-based compensation in accordance with the provi-
sions  of  APB  25  as  interpreted  by  FASB  Interpretation  No.  44,  “Accounting  for  Certain  Transactions  Involving  Stock
Compensation, an Interpretation of APB Opinion No. 25,” (“FIN 44”) and present the pro forma disclosures required by
SFAS 123 as amended by SFAS 148. See Note 14.

Segment Reporting
In June 1997, the Financial Accounting Standards Board issued Statement of Financial Accounting Standards No. 131
(“SFAS 131”), “Disclosures about Segments of an Enterprise and Related Information.” SFAS 131 establishes annual
and interim reporting standards for operating segments of a company. It also requires entity-wide disclosures about the
products and services an entity provides, the material countries in which it holds assets and reports revenue, and its
major customers. The Company is not organized by multiple operating segments for the purpose of making operating
decisions or assessing performance. Accordingly, the Company operates in one operating segment and reports only cer-
tain enterprise-wide disclosures. See Note 16.

Newly Issued Accounting Standards
In  November  2002,  the  FASB  issued  FASB  Interpretation  No.  45  (“FIN  45”),  “Guarantor’s  Accounting  and  Disclosure
Requirements for Guarantees, Including Indirect Guarantees of Indebtedness of Others.” FIN 45 requires that a liability
be recorded in the guarantor’s balance sheet upon issuance of a guarantee. In addition, FIN 45 requires disclosures about
the guarantees that an entity has issued, including a reconciliation of changes in the entity’s product warranty liabilities.
The initial recognition and initial measurement provisions of FIN 45 are applicable on a prospective basis to guarantees
issued or modified after December 31, 2002, irrespective of the guarantor’s fiscal year end. The disclosure requirements
of FIN 45 are effective for financial statements of interim or annual periods ending after December 15, 2002. The adop-
tion of this standard did not have a material impact on CIENA’s financial statements.

In November 2002, the Emerging Issues Task Force (“EITF”) reached a consensus on Issue No. 00-21, “Revenue
Arrangements with Multiple Deliverables.” EITF Issue No. 00-21 provides guidance on how to account for arrangements
that involve the delivery or performance of multiple products, services and/or rights to use assets. The provisions of EITF
Issue No. 00-21 will apply to revenue arrangements entered into in fiscal periods beginning after June 15, 2003. The
Company does not expect that the adoption of this standard will have a material effect on its financial position or results
of operations.

In  January  2003,  the  FASB  issued  FASB  Interpretation  No.  46  (“FIN  46”),  “Consolidation  of  Variable  Interest
Entities, an Interpretation of Accounting Research Bulletin No. 51.” FIN 46 requires certain variable interest entities to
be consolidated by the primary beneficiary of the entity if the equity investors in the entity do not have the characteristics

CIENA Corporation 10-K / 45

of a controlling financial interest or do not have sufficient equity at risk for the entity to finance its activities without
additional subordinated financial support from other parties. FIN 46 is effective for all new variable interest entities cre-
ated or acquired after January 31, 2003. For variable interest entities created or acquired prior to February 1, 2003, the
provisions  of  FIN  46  must  be  applied  for  the  first  interim  or  annual  period  beginning  after  December  15,  2003.  The
Company does not expect that the adoption of this standard will have a material effect on its financial position or results
of operations.

In April 2003, the FASB issued Statement of Financial Accounting Standard No. 149 (“SFAS 149”), “Amendment
of Statement 133 on Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities.” SFAS 149 amends and clarifies accounting for
derivative instruments, including certain derivative instruments embedded in other contracts, and for hedging activities
under SFAS 133. The statement requires that contracts with comparable characteristics be accounted for similarly and
clarifies  when  a  derivative  contains  a  financing  component  that  warrants  special  reporting  in  the  statement  of  cash
flows. SFAS 149 is effective for contracts entered into or modified after June 30, 2003, except in certain circumstances,
and for hedging relationships designated after June 30, 2003. The Company does not expect that the adoption of this
standard will have a material effect on its financial position or results of operations.

In May 2003, the FASB issued Statement of Financial Accounting Standard No. 150 (“SFAS 150”), “Accounting for
Certain Financial Instruments with Characteristics of both Liabilities and Equity.” This Statement establishes standards
for how an issuer classifies and measures in its statement of financial position certain financial instruments with charac-
teristics of both liabilities and equity. It requires that an issuer classify a financial instrument that is within its scope as
a liability (or an asset in some circumstances) because that financial instrument embodies an obligation of the issuer.
This  Statement  is  effective  for  financial  instruments  entered  into  or  modified  after  May  31,  2003,  and  otherwise  is
effective at the beginning of the first interim period beginning after June 15, 2003, except for mandatory redeemable
financial instruments of nonpublic entities. The FASB has defined implementation of SFAS 150 indefinitely for certain
non-controlling interests, the provisions of which are currently not applicable to the Company. The Company does not
expect that the adoption of this standard will have a material effect on its financial position or results of operations.

Reclassification
Certain prior year amounts have been reclassified to conform to current year consolidated financial statement presentation.

(2) Business Combinations
In fiscal 2003, the Company acquired Akara and WaveSmith. In fiscal 2002, and 2001, the Company acquired ONI and
Cyras, respectively. As a result of these acquisitions, the Company, has recorded charges for in-process research and
development and recorded intangible assets related to existing technology.

In-process research and development represents in-process technology that, as of the date of the acquisition, has
not reached technological feasibility and has no alternative future use. Based on valuation assessments, the value of
these projects is determined by estimating the resulting net cash flows from the sale of the products resulting from the
completion of the projects, reduced by the portion of the revenue attributable to developed technology and the percent-
age of completion of the project. The resulting cash flows are then discounted back to their present values at appropri-
ate discount rates.

Existing technology represents purchased technology for which development had been completed as of the date of
acquisition. This amount is determined using the income approach. This method consisted of estimating future net cash
flows attributable to existing technology for a discrete projection period and discounting the net cash flows to their pres-
ent value. The existing technology will be amortized its useful life.

The  purchase  price  for  the  Company’s  acquisitions  have  been  based  on  the  average  closing  price  of  CIENA’s
common  stock  for  two  trading  days  prior  to,  the  date  of,  and  the  two  trading  days  after  the  announcement  of 
the acquisition.

46 / CIENA Corporation 10-K 

The following table summarizes the estimated fair values of the assets acquired and liabilities assumed at the date

of the acquisitions (in thousands):

Akara at
August 29, 
2003

WaveSmith 
at June 16, 
2003

Cash, cash equivalents, long and short-term investments

$ 1,232

$ 4,159

Inventory

Equipment, furniture and fixtures

Other tangible assets
Existing technology

Non-compete agreements

Contracts and purchase orders

Goodwill

Deferred stock compensation

Other assumed liabilities

CIENA initial investment

Unfavorable lease commitments

Promissory notes and loans

Convertible subordinated notes payable
In-process research and development

Total purchase price

ONI at
June 21, 
2002

$ 623,559

14,705

40,759

25,847
13,000

1,000

1,100

590,895

8,826

(43,336)

—

(80,183)

—

(218,013)
—

Cyras at 
March 29, 
2001

$

68,891

4,618

4,597

47,591
47,700

11,600

—

2,059,899

98,456

(35,914)

—

—

—

(167,700)
45,900

909

282

1,542
9,300

3,100

2,100

34,275

—

(2,658)

—

(541)

(6,099)

—
1,300

983

793

472
54,300

—

5,400

89,264

7,385

(2,405)

(5,000)

—

—

—
1,500

$44,742

$156,851

$ 978,159

$2,185,638

Akara Corporation
On  August  29,  2003,  CIENA  completed  the  acquisition  by  merger  of  Akara  Corporation,  a  privately  held  corporation
headquartered  in  Ottawa,  Ontario  that  provides  SONET/SDH  based  storage  extension  devices  for  storage  area  net-
works. Pursuant to the terms of the acquisition agreement, Akara became a wholly owned subsidiary of CIENA, and
the outstanding shares of Akara common and preferred stock were exchanged for $30.6 million in cash and approxi-
mately 2,343,015 shares of CIENA common stock. The aggregate purchase price was $44.7 million, which included
CIENA common stock valued at $13.8 million, and transaction costs of $0.3 million.

The $2.1 million assigned to the contracts and purchase orders will be amortized over five years. The $6.1 million
assigned to the value of the promissory notes and loans was based upon the present value of the notes at the time of
the  acquisition.  CIENA  paid  $3.1  million  of  these  obligations  in  full  during  the  fourth  quarter  of  fiscal  2003,  and  the
remaining $3.0 million payable to CIENA was eliminated during the consolidation.

The amount of goodwill allocated to the purchase price was $34.3 million and is not deductible for tax purposes. The
Company operates in one operating segment and reports only certain enterprise-wide disclosures. Accordingly, the good-
will from this transaction is not part of a reportable segment. The operations of Akara are not material to the consolidated
financial statements of the Company and, accordingly, separate pro forma financial information has not been presented.

WaveSmith Networks
On June 16, 2003, CIENA completed the acquisition by merger of WaveSmith, a privately held corporation headquar-
tered in Acton, Massachusetts that is a leading innovator of multiservice switching equipment. Pursuant to the terms
of  the  acquisition  agreement,  WaveSmith  merged  into  CIENA,  and  the  outstanding  shares  of  WaveSmith  common
and preferred stock were exchanged for approximately 33,421,217 shares of CIENA common stock. The aggregate
purchase  price  was  $156.8  million,  which  included  CIENA  common  stock  valued  at  $142.7  million,  CIENA  options,
warrants and restricted stock valued at $7.9 million, transaction costs of $1.2 million and an initial CIENA investment
of $5.0 million.

The $5.4 million assigned to the contracts and purchase orders will be amortized over a range of two months to

five years.

CIENA Corporation 10-K / 47

The amount of goodwill allocated to the purchase price was $89.3 million and is not deductible for tax purposes.
The Company operates in one operating segment and reports only certain enterprise-wide disclosures. Accordingly, the
goodwill from this transaction is not part of a reportable segment. The operations of WaveSmith are not material to the
consolidated  financial  statements  of  the  Company  and,  accordingly,  separate  pro  forma  financial  information  has  not
been presented.

ONI Systems
On June 21, 2002, CIENA completed the acquisition by merger of ONI Systems Corp. (“ONI”), a NASDAQ-listed corpo-
ration headquartered in San Jose, California. ONI is a provider of optical networking equipment specifically designed to
address bandwidth and service limitations of regional and metropolitan networks. Under the terms of the agreement,
each outstanding share of capital stock of ONI was exchanged for 0.7104 shares of CIENA common stock, and CIENA
assumed all ONI outstanding options and warrants as well as the ONI outstanding convertible debt. The stockholders
of  ONI  received  101,120,724  shares  of  CIENA  common  stock  of  which  1,039,429  shares  are  restricted  and  subject 
to repurchase.

Additionally, CIENA converted options and warrants to purchase approximately 18,193,345 ONI shares into options
and warrants to purchase 12,924,552 shares of CIENA common stock. The aggregate purchase price was $978.2 mil-
lion, including CIENA common stock valued at $875.7 million, CIENA options, warrants and restricted stock valued at
$89.2 million and transaction costs of $13.3 million.

The $2.1 million assigned to the other intangible assets, non-compete agreements and contracts, will be amortized

over a range of two months to one year.

During  the  quarter  ended  July  31,  2002,  CIENA  and  ONI  reduced  their  combined  workforce  by  approximately
283 employees. Approximately $3.8 million of costs associated with the ONI workforce reduction qualify for treatment
under EITF 95-3 “Recognition of Liabilities in Connection with a Purchase Combination” and were recorded as an ele-
ment of the acquisition.

The $80.2 million assigned to the value of the unfavorable lease commitments was based upon the present value
of the assumed lease obligations based upon current rental rates at the time of the acquisition. These unfavorable lease
commitments will be paid over the respective lease terms through fiscal 2011. The $218.0 million assigned to the value
of the ONI $300.0 million principal amount of 5.0% convertible subordinated notes due October 15, 2005 was based
upon the present value of the notes at the time of the acquisition. CIENA is accreting the difference between the pres-
ent value of the notes and the outstanding principal value over the remaining period to October 15, 2005, such that the
carrying value of the notes equals the principal value at the time the notes become due.

The amount of goodwill allocated to the purchase price was $590.9 million and is not deductible for tax purposes.
The Company operates in one operating segment and reports only certain enterprise-wide disclosures. Accordingly, the
goodwill from this transaction is not part of a reportable segment.

The following unaudited pro forma data summarizes the results of operations for the period indicated as if the ONI
acquisition had been completed as of the beginning of the periods presented. The unaudited pro forma data gives effect
to actual operating results prior to the June 21, 2002 acquisition, adjusted to include the pro forma effect of amortiza-
tion  of  intangibles,  deferred  stock  compensation  costs,  and  the  tax  effects  to  the  pro  forma  adjustments.  These  pro
forma amounts do not purport to be indicative of the results that would have actually been obtained if the acquisition
occurred as of the beginning of the periods presented or that may be obtained in the future (in thousands, except per
share data).

Revenue

Net loss

Diluted net loss per common share 

and dilutive potential common share

Year Ended October 31,

2001

$ 1,798,909
$(2,157,621)

2002

$
431,495
$(1,702,866)

$

(5.14)

$

(3.93)

48 / CIENA Corporation 10-K 

Cyras
On March 29, 2001, CIENA acquired all of the outstanding capital stock, and assumed the options of Cyras Systems,
Inc. (“Cyras”), a privately held provider of next-generation optical networking systems based in Fremont, California. The
purchase  price  was  approximately  $2.2  billion  and  consisted  of  the  issuance  of  approximately  26.1  million  shares  of
CIENA common stock, the assumption of stock options of approximately 1.9 million shares and the indirect assumption
of $150 million principal amount of Cyras’ convertible subordinated indebtedness.

The amortization period for the goodwill and intangibles, based on management’s estimate of the useful life of the
acquired technology, was three to seven years. As a result of the issuance of SFAS 142, amortization related to good-
will will no longer be recorded in subsequent fiscal years.

The following unaudited pro forma data summarizes the results of operations for the period indicated as if the Cyras
acquisition had been completed as of the beginning of the periods presented. The unaudited pro forma data gives effect
to actual operating results prior to the acquisition, adjusted to include the pro forma effect of amortization of intangibles,
deferred stock compensation costs, the elimination of the charge for acquired in-process research and development, the
tax effects to the pro forma adjustments and the recognition of the tax benefits arising from Cyras’ net operating loss
carry forwards. These pro forma amounts do not purport to be indicative of the results that would have actually been
obtained if the acquisition occurred as of the beginning of the periods presented or that may be obtained in the future
(in thousands, except per share data).

Revenue

Net loss

Diluted net loss per common share 

and dilutive potential common share

Year Ended October 31,

2000

$ 858,750

$(274,330)

2001

$ 1,603,229

$(1,890,627)

$

(0.90)

$

(6.06)

CIENA Corporation 10-K / 49

(3) Restructuring Costs and Impairment Charges
Restructuring
The following table displays the activity and balances of the restructuring reserve account for the year ended October 31,
2003 (in thousands):

Balance at October 31, 2001
Additional reserve recorded

Non-cash charges

Cash payments

Balance at October 31, 2002

Additional reserve recorded
Adjustment to previous estimates

Non-cash charges

Cash payments

Balance at October 31, 2003

Current restructuring liabilities

Non-current restructuring liabilities

Workforce 
Reduction

$

—

32,929(b)

(893)

(26,837)

5,199

12,240(d)
(523)(d)

(1,913)

(12,154)

$ 2,849

$ 2,849

$

—

Consolidation 
of Excess
Facilities

$ 15,439(a)
192,500(b)

(113,596)

(6,498)

87,845
19,748(d)

(310)(d)

(28,485)

(15,105)

$ 63,693

$ 11,529

$ 52,164

Liabilities Recorded
in Connection
with Purchase 
Combination

$ —

3,792(c)

—

(3,671)

121
430(e)

—

—

(551)

$ —

$ —

$ —

Total

$ 15,439
229,221

(114,489)

(37,006)

93,165
32,418

(833)

(30,398)

(27,810)

$ 66,542

$ 14,378

$ 52,164

(a) During the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2001, CIENA recorded a restructuring charge of $15.4 million relating to consolidation of excess facilities. The
consolidation of excess facilities included the closure of certain manufacturing warehouse facilities and the consolidation of certain operational cen-
ters related to business activities that were restructured. The charge included $7.0 million primarily related to lease terminations and non-cancelable
lease costs and also included an $8.4 million write-down related to property and equipment consisting primarily of leasehold improvements and pro-
duction equipment.

(b) During the first quarter of fiscal 2002, CIENA had a workforce reduction of approximately 380 employees concentrated in manufacturing operations

staff. CIENA recorded a restructuring charge of $6.8 million associated with this action.

During the second quarter of fiscal 2002, CIENA had a workforce reduction of approximately 400 employees largely concentrated in manufacturing
operations and research and development activities associated with the closure of CIENA’s Marlborough, Massachusetts research and development
facility. On March 26, 2002, CIENA had a company-wide workforce reduction of approximately 650 employees. CIENA recorded a restructuring charge
of $121.4 million associated with the workforce reductions, lease terminations, non-cancelable lease costs and the write-down of certain property,
equipment and leasehold improvements associated with this action.

As a result of the CIENA and ONI Systems Corp. integration and restructuring activities, CIENA recorded a charge of $11.0 million during the third quar-
ter of fiscal 2002 associated with workforce reductions of approximately 66 employees, lease terminations, non-cancelable lease costs and the write-
down  of  certain  property,  equipment  and  leasehold  improvements.  Also  during  the  third  quarter  of  fiscal  2002,  CIENA  recorded  an  additional
restructuring charge of approximately $7.6 million to increase the estimated cost of the net lease expense for previously restructured facilities.

During the fourth quarter of fiscal 2002, CIENA had a company-wide workforce reduction of approximately 450 employees. CIENA recorded a restruc-
turing charge of $78.7 million associated with the workforce reductions, lease terminations, non-cancelable lease costs and the write-down of certain
property, equipment and leasehold improvements associated with this action.

(c) During  the  third  quarter  of  fiscal  2002,  CIENA  and  ONI  Systems  Corp.  reduced  their  combined  workforce  by  approximately  283  employees.
Approximately $3.8 million of costs associated with the ONI workforce reduction qualify for treatment under EITF 95-3 “Recognition of Liabilities in
Connection with a Purchase Combination” and were recorded as an element of the acquisition.

(d) During the second quarter of fiscal 2003, CIENA reduced its workforce by approximately 75 employees. CIENA recorded a restructuring charge of

$2.7 million associated with the workforce reduction.

During the third quarter of fiscal 2003, CIENA recorded a restructuring charge of $15.5 million associated with a workforce reduction of approximately
84 employees, lease terminations, non-cancelable lease costs and the write-down of certain property, equipment and leasehold improvements.

During the fourth quarter of fiscal 2003, CIENA recorded a restructuring charge of $12.9 million associated with a workforce reduction of approximately
231 employees, lease termination, non-cancelable lease costs and the write-down of certain property, equipment and leasehold improvements.

(e) During the third quarter of fiscal 2003, CIENA and WaveSmith reduced their combined workforce by 8 employees. Approximately $0.4 million of cost
associated with the WaveSmith workforce reduction qualify for treatment under EITF 95-3 “Recognition of Liabilities in Connection with a Purchase
Combination” and were recorded as an element of the acquisition.

50 / CIENA Corporation 10-K 

Goodwill Impairment Charges
The Company adopted SFAS 142 effective November 1, 2001 and upon adoption ceased to amortize goodwill. On adop-
tion of SFAS 142, the Company determined that its operations represent a single reporting unit. The Company completed
an impairment review of the goodwill associated with its reporting unit during the three months ended January 31, 2002.
The Company compared the fair value of its reporting unit at November 1, 2001 to the carrying value including goodwill
for the unit at November 1, 2001, and determined that the carrying value, including goodwill, did not exceed the unit’s
fair value. As a result, no impairment charge was required on adoption.

In accordance with SFAS 142, which requires annual testing to determine and measure goodwill impairment on a
reporting  unit  basis,  and  with  the  assistance  from  independent  valuation  experts  management  performed  an  assess-
ment of the fair value of the Company’s single reporting unit and its intangible assets as of September 30, 2003 and
2002, respectively. The Company compared its fair value to its carrying value including goodwill and determined that its
carrying value, including goodwill, did not exceed fair value as of September 30, 2003 but did exceed fair value as of
September 30, 2002. As a result, during fiscal 2002 the Company assessed the fair value of its assets, including identi-
fied intangible assets, and liabilities and derived an implied fair value for its goodwill. Since the carrying amount of good-
will was greater than its implied fair value, an impairment loss of $557.3 million was recognized in fiscal 2002.

During fiscal 2003 the fair value of the Company was determined using the average market price of the Company’s com-
mon stock over a 10-day period before and after September 27, 2003 and a control premium of 25%. During fiscal 2002 fair
value of the Company was determined using the average market price of the Company’s common stock over a 10-day period
before and after September 27, 2002 and a control premium of 25%. The Company determined the estimated fair value of
identified intangible assets and non-goodwill intangible assets and liabilities using discounted cash flows. The cash flow peri-
ods used were eight years, applying annual growth rates of 10% to 86%. The Company used discount rates of 10% to 32%
based of the specific risks and circumstances associated with the identified intangible asset or other non-goodwill assets or
liability being evaluated. The assumptions supporting the estimated cash flows for identified intangible assets and other non-
goodwill assets and liabilities, including the discount rate, reflects management’s estimates. The discount rate was based
upon the Company’s weighted average cost of capital as adjusted for the risks associated with its operations.
The changes in the carrying amount of goodwill for fiscal 2002 and 2003 are as follows (in thousands):

Balance as of November 1, 2002
Goodwill acquired during fiscal 2002
Impairment losses
Balance as of October 31, 2002
Goodwill acquired during fiscal 2003
Balance as of October 31, 2003

$ 178,891
590,895

(557,286)

212,500
123,539
$ 336,039

As part of CIENA’s review of financial results for fiscal 2001, CIENA performed an assessment of the carrying value of the
Company’s long-lived assets including significant amounts of goodwill and other intangible assets recorded in connection with
the acquisition of Cyras. The assessment was performed pursuant to SFAS 121 because of the significant negative industry
and economic trends affecting both the Company’s current operations and expected future sales of MetroDirector K2 as well
as the general decline of technology valuations. The conclusion of that assessment was that the decline in market conditions
within the Company’s industry was significant and other than temporary. As a result, the Company recorded a charge of
$1.7 billion to reduce goodwill during the fourth quarter of 2001 based on the amount by which the carrying amount of these
assets exceeded their fair value. The write down is related to the goodwill associated with the Cyras transaction. Fair value was
determined based on discounted future cash flows for the operating entity, which had separately identifiable cash flows. The
cash flow periods used were six years, applying annual growth rates of 25% to 100%. The discount rate used was 11.3%, and
the  terminal  value  was  estimated  based  upon  terminal  growth  rates  of  4%.  The  assumptions  supporting  the  estimated
future cash flows, including the discount rate and estimated terminal values reflect management’s best estimates. The discount
rate was based upon the Company’s weighted average cost of capital as adjusted for the risks associated with its operations.

CIENA Corporation 10-K / 51

Other Intangible Impairment Charges
As part of CIENA’s review of financial results for fiscal 2003, CIENA performed an assessment of the carrying value of the
Company’s long-lived assets, including other intangible assets. The assessment was performed pursuant to SFAS 144.
As a result, the Company recorded a charge of $29.6 million during fiscal 2003, related to the impairment of MetroDirector
K2 technology acquired in the Cyras transaction. This charge was based on the amount by which the carrying amount of
the  developed  technology  exceeded  its  fair  value.  Fair  value  was  determined  based  on  discounted  future  cash  flows
derived from the developed technology, which had separately identifiable cash flows. The cash flow periods used were
five years, applying a first year growth rate of 5% with subsequent declines of between 10% and 20% in the following
years. The discount rate used was 21.0%. The assumptions supporting the estimated future cash flows, including the dis-
count rate reflect management’s best estimates. The discount rate was based upon the Company’s weighted average
cost of capital as adjusted for the risks associated with its operations.

(4) Marketable Debt and Equity Securities
Cash, short-term and long-term investments are comprised of the following (in thousands):

Corporate bonds

Asset backed obligations

Municipal bonds

Commercial paper

US government obligations

Money market funds

Included in cash and cash equivalents
Included in short-term investments

Included in long-term investments

Corporate bonds

Asset-backed obligations
Municipal bonds
Commercial paper
US obligations

Money market funds

Included in cash and cash equivalents
Included in short-term investments

Included in long-term investments

Amortized
Cost

$ 617,837

161,474

5,024

10,487

518,609

309,994

$1,623,423

309,665
793,807

519,953

$1,623,423

Amortized
Cost
$ 669,699

109,755

20,745
98,215

793,327

377,189

$2,068,930
$ 377,189
1,126,733

565,008

$2,068,930

October 31, 2003

Gross
Unrealized
Gains

$ 787

322

7

2

2,095

—

$3,213

—
3,012

201
$3,213

Gross
Unrealized
Losses

$163

—

—

28

229

—

$420

—
10

410
$420

October 31, 2002

Gross
Unrealized
Gains
$ 2,639
625

92
119
6,580

—
$10,055
—
$

4,202

5,853
$10,055

Gross
Unrealized
Losses
$521
—

—
—
—

—
$521
$ —

521

—
$521

Estimated
Fair
Value

$ 618,461

161,796

5,031

10,461

520,475

309,994

$1,626,218

309,665
796,809

519,744
$1,626,218

Estimated
Fair
Value
$ 671,817
110,380

20,837
98,334
799,907

377,189
$2,078,464
$ 377,189

1,130,414

570,861
$2,078,464

52 / CIENA Corporation 10-K 

The  following  table  summarizes  maturities  of  debt  investments  (including  restricted  investments)  at  October  31,

2003 (in thousands):

Less than one year

Due in 1–2 years

Due in 2–5 years

Amortized
Cost

$ 793,807

467,262

52,691

$1,313,760

Estimated
Fair Value

$ 796,809

466,962

52,782

$1,316,553

(5) Accounts Receivable
As of October 31, 2003, the trade accounts receivable, net of allowance for doubtful accounts, included three customers
who each accounted for 23.6%, 12.5%, and 10.1% of the net trade accounts receivable, respectively. As of October 31,
2002,  the  trade  accounts  receivable,  net  of  allowance  for  doubtful  accounts,  included  three  customers  who  each
accounted for 19.3%, 15.0%, and 12.8% of the net trade accounts receivable, respectively.

CIENA performs ongoing credit evaluations of its customers and generally has not required collateral or other forms
of  security  from  its  customers.  CIENA  maintains  an  allowance  for  potential  losses  on  a  specific  identification  basis.
CIENA’s allowance for doubtful accounts as of October 31, 2003 and October 31, 2002 was $1.5 million and $9.5 mil-
lion,  respectively.  In  fiscal  2001,  CIENA  received  payment  for  approximately  $15.4  million  of  the  gross  outstanding
accounts  receivable  balance  due  from  iaxis  Limited  primarily  through  the  Company’s  sales  agreement  with  Dynegy.
Accordingly, CIENA recognized a reduction in the provision for doubtful accounts of $6.6 million during fiscal year 2001.
CIENA recorded a provision for doubtful accounts of approximately $14.8 million during fiscal 2002. This provision relates
to the estimated losses of $18.1 million from three customers, each of whom filed for bankruptcy protection during fis-
cal 2002, offset by a payment of $3.3 million of the gross outstanding accounts receivable balance due from iaxis Limited
through  the  Company’s  sales  agreement  with  Dynegy.  CIENA  did  not  record  any  additional  provision  for  doubtful
accounts during fiscal 2003.

The following table summarizes the activity in the Company’s allowance for doubtful accounts (in thousands):

Year Ended
October 31

2001
2002
2003

Balance at 
Beginning of Period
$29,581
$ 1,491
$ 9,473

Provisions
$ (6,579)
$14,813

$

—

(6) Inventories
Inventories are comprised of the following (in thousands):

Raw materials
Work-in-process
Finished goods

Reserve for excess and obsolescence

October 31,

2002

$ 34,025
12,658

48,485

95,168

(48,145)
$ 47,023

Deductions
$21,511
$ 6,831

$ 7,975

2003

$ 16,121
5,904
46,063

68,088

(23,093)
$ 44,995

Balance at 
End of Period
$1,491
$9,473

$1,498

The Company writes down its inventory for estimated obsolescence or unmarketable inventory equal to the dif-
ference between the cost of inventory and the estimated market value based on assumptions about future demand
and market conditions. As a result of the decline in capital spending by the Company’s customers and a further decline

CIENA Corporation 10-K / 53

in forecasted revenue of existing products in fiscal 2002, the Company recorded a provision for excess inventory and
purchase commitments of $286.5 million, which included charges of $250.5 million for excess inventory and obsoles-
cence  and  $36.0  million  for  excess  inventory  purchase  commitments.  During  fiscal  2003,  the  Company  recorded  a
benefit  for  excess  inventory  of  $5.3  million,  primarily  related  to  the  realization  of  sales  from  previously  reserved
excess inventory.

The following table summarizes the activity in the Company’s reserve for excess and obsolete inventory (in thousands):

Balance at
End of Period
$53,804

$48,145

$23,093

Year Ended
October 31
2001

2002

2003

Balance at 
Beginning of Period
$18,238

$53,804

$48,145

Provisions
(Benefits)
$ 68,411

$250,457

$ (5,296)

(7) Equipment, Furniture and Fixtures
Equipment, furniture and fixtures are comprised of the following (in thousands):
October 31,

Equipment, furniture and fixtures

Leasehold improvements

Accumulated depreciation and amortization

Construction-in-progress

2002

$ 380,316

78,761

459,077

(266,501)

4,375

$ 196,951

(8) Other Intangible Assets
Other intangible assets are comprised of the following (in thousands):

Deductions
$ 32,845

$256,116

$ 19,756

2003

$ 332,843

70,145

402,988

(288,170)

112

$ 114,930

Developed technology
Patents and licenses
Covenants not to compete, 
outstanding purchase 
orders and contracts

2002
Gross
Intangible
$60,700
14,155

Accumulated
Amortization
$(11,409)
(1,989)

Net
Intangible
$49,291
12,166

2003
Gross
Intangible
$ 94,704
36,655

Accumulated
Amortization
$(22,975)
(8,984)

Net
Intangible
$ 71,729
27,671

2,100

$76,955

(1,100)

1,000

$62,457

12,700

$144,059

(3,692)

9,008

$108,408

In January 2003, CIENA reached a settlement agreement with Nortel. Under the agreement, CIENA made a one-
time payment of $25 million to Nortel, and Nortel granted CIENA a license under the patents in suit and certain related
patents.  CIENA  accounted  for  the  $25.0  million  liability  by  recording  an  expense  of  $2.5  million  in  first  quarter  2003
related to the settlement of the litigation, and recording the remaining $22.5 million as an intangible asset that will be
amortized over eight years based upon the expected life of the patent rights acquired in the settlement.

As a result of the WaveSmith acquisition, we recorded $54.3 million in developed technology and $5.4 million in
other intangibles related to contracts and outstanding purchase orders. As a result of the Akara acquisition, we recorded
$9.3 million in developed technology and $5.2 million in other intangibles related to noncompete agreements and cus-
tomer relationships.

As a result of the impairment of intangible assets, we recorded a charge against gross developed technology of

$29.6 million.

54 / CIENA Corporation 10-K 

The aggregate amortization expense of other intangible assets was $21.2 million, $9.0 million and $4.4 million for fis-
cal 2003, 2002 and 2001, respectively. Expected future amortization of other intangible assets is as follows (in thousands):
Year Ended October 31,

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008
Thereafter

(9) Other Balance Sheet Details
Other long-term assets (in thousands):

Maintenance spares inventory, net

Deferred debt issuance costs

Investments in privately held companies

Other

Accrued liabilities (in thousands):

Warranty and other contractual obligations

Accrued compensation, payroll related tax and benefits
Accrued excess inventory purchase commitments
Accrued interest payable
Accrued Pirelli settlement

Other

$ 17,452

17,453

17,452

17,453

16,107
22,491

$108,408

2002

$27,170

15,897

16,052

11,477

$70,596

2002

$ 45,498

37,466
1,892

6,981
11,000

29,751

$132,588

October 31,

October 31,

2003

$26,206

12,869

21,292

9,274

$69,641

2003

$37,380

33,206
1,405

6,583
—

20,352

$98,926

The following table summarizes the activity in the Company’s accrued warranty and other contractual obligations (in thousands):

Year Ended
October 31

Balance at 
Beginning of Period

2001
2002

2003

$27,605

$39,846
$45,498

Deferred revenue (in thousands):

Products

Services

Less current portion

Long-term deferred revenue

Provisions
$33,073

$13,271
$ 9,301

2002

$ 8,175

22,657

30,832

(15,388)

$ 15,444

October 31,

Settlements
$(20,832)

$ (7,619)
$(17,419)

2003

$ 4,772

24,248
29,020

(14,473)

$ 14,547

Balance at 
End of Period
$39,846

$45,498
$37,380

CIENA Corporation 10-K / 55

(10) Convertible Notes Payable
On February 9, 2001, CIENA completed a public offering of 3.75% convertible notes, in an aggregate principal amount
of $690 million, due February 1, 2008. Interest is payable on February 1 and August 1 of each year beginning August 1,
2001. The notes may be converted into shares of CIENA’s common stock at any time before their maturity or their prior
redemption or repurchase by CIENA. The conversion rate is 9.5808 shares per each $1,000 principal amount of notes,
subject to adjustment in certain circumstances. On or after the third business day after February 1, 2004, CIENA has the
option to redeem all or a portion of the notes that have not been previously converted at the following redemption prices
(expressed as percentage of principle amount):

Period

Beginning on the third business day after 

February 1, 2004 and ending on January 31, 2005

Beginning on February 1, 2005 and ending on January 31, 2006

Beginning on February 1, 2006 and ending on January 31, 2007

Beginning on February 1, 2007 and ending on January 31, 2008

Redemption 
Price

102.143%

101.607%

101.071%

100.536%

On June 21, 2002, CIENA assumed the outstanding ONI 5.00% convertible subordinated notes, in an aggregate
principal amount of $300 million, due October 15, 2005. Interest is payable on April 15 and October 15 of each year. The
ONI convertible subordinated notes were initially recorded at a value of $218.0 million based upon the fair value of the
outstanding notes at the time of the acquisition.

During the fourth quarter fiscal 2002, CIENA purchased on the open market $97.1 million of the $300 million out-
standing ONI convertible subordinated notes. The Company paid $75.2 million for notes with a cumulative accreted book
value of $72.5 million, which resulted in a loss on early extinguishment of debt of $2.7 million.

During the first quarter fiscal 2003, CIENA purchased $154.7 million of the remaining $202.9 million outstanding ONI
convertible subordinated notes pursuant to a tender offer. The Company paid $140.3 million related to the tender offer
for notes with a cumulative accreted book value of $119.7 million, which resulted in a loss on early extinguishment of
debt of $20.6 million.

The  remaining  outstanding  ONI  convertible  subordinated  notes  have  a  carrying  value  of  $40.4  million  and  a  face
value of $48.3 million. CIENA is accreting the difference between the values over the remaining period to October 15,
2005, such that the carrying value of the outstanding notes equals the principal value at the time the notes become due.
Accretion of the principal was $8.2 million for the period of June 21, 2002 to October 31, 2002. Accretion of the princi-
pal was $6.4 million for fiscal 2003.

The remaining ONI convertible subordinated notes may be converted into shares of CIENA’s common stock at any
time before their maturity. The conversion rate is 7.7525 shares per each $1,000 principal amount of notes, subject to
adjustment in certain circumstances. On or after October 16, 2003, CIENA has the option to redeem all or a portion of
the notes that have not been previously converted at the following redemption prices (expressed as percentage of prin-
cipal amount):

Period

October 16, 2003

October 15, 2004

Redemption 
Price

102%
101%

On November 18, 2003, CIENA announced a full redemption of all of the outstanding ONI 5.00% convertible sub-

ordinated notes due October 15, 2005. See note 17.

56 / CIENA Corporation 10-K 

(11) Earnings (Loss) Per Share Calculation
Basic EPS is computed using the weighted average number of common shares outstanding. Diluted EPS is computed
using the weighted average number of common shares outstanding, stock options and warrants using the treasury stock
method. Approximately 34.6 million, 41.5 million and 16.4 million options and restricted stock were outstanding during
fiscal 2003, 2002, and 2001 respectively, but were not included in the computation of diluted EPS as the effect would
be anti-dilutive.

(12) Stockholders’ Equity
Authorized Shares
On March 12, 2001, the shareholders of the Company approved an increase to the number of authorized shares of com-
mon stock from 460 million to 980 million shares.

Stockholder Rights Plan
In December 1997, the Company’s Board of Directors adopted a Stockholder Rights Plan. This plan is designed to deter
any potential coercive or unfair takeover tactics in the event of an unsolicited takeover attempt. It is not intended to pre-
vent  a  takeover  of  the  Company  on  terms  that  are  favorable  and  fair  to  all  shareholders  and  will  not  interfere  with  a
merger approved by the Board of Directors. Each right entitles shareholders to buy a “unit” equal to one one-thousandth
of  a  share  of  Preferred  Stock  of  the  Company.  The  rights  will  be  exercisable  only  if  a  person  or  a  group  acquires  or
announces  a  tender  or  exchange  offer  to  acquire  15%  or  more  of  the  Company’s  common  stock  or  if  the  Company
enters into certain other business combination transactions not approved by the Board of Directors.

In the event the rights become exercisable, the rights plan allows for CIENA shareholders to acquire stock of the
surviving corporation, whether or not CIENA is the surviving corporation, having a value twice that of the exercise price
of the rights. The rights were distributed to shareholders of record in January 1998. The rights will expire in December
2007 and are redeemable for $0.001 per right at the approval of the Company’s Board of Directors.

Public Offerings
On February 9, 2001, CIENA completed a public offering of 11,000,000 shares of common stock at a price of $83.50 per
share  less  underwriters’  discounts  and  commissions.  Net  proceeds  from  the  public  offering  were  approximately
$878.5 million, after deducting underwriting discounts, commissions and offering expenses. Pending use of the net
proceeds, the Company has invested them in interest bearing, investment grade securities.

Accumulated Comprehensive Income
The components of accumulated comprehensive income (loss) are as follows (in thousands):

Net loss
Changes in net unrealized gains on investments

Change in accumulated translation adjustments
Total comprehensive loss

2001
$(1,794,062)

5,804

(59)
$(1,788,317)

October 31,
2002
$(1,597,499)

3,731

267
$(1,593,501)

2003
$(386,517)

(6,743)

350
$(392,910)

CIENA Corporation 10-K / 57

(13) Income Taxes
Loss before income taxes and the provision for income taxes consists of the following (in thousands):

Loss before income taxes

Provision (benefit) for income taxes:

Current:

Federal
State

Foreign

Total current

Deferred:

Federal

State
Foreign

Total deferred

Provision for income taxes

2001

$(1,706,729)

77,705
(500)

133

77,338

9,595

400
—

9,995

$

87,333

October 31,

2002

$(1,486,764)

(16,168)
—

989

(15,179)

116,802

9,112
—

125,914

$ 110,735

2003

$(385,261)

—
—

1,256

1,256

—

—
—

1,256

1,256

$

The tax provision reconciles to the amount computed by multiplying income before income taxes by the U.S. fed-

eral statutory rate of 35% as follows:

Provision at statutory rate

Non-deductible purchased research and development

Research and development credit

Foreign sales corporation benefit
Non-deductible goodwill and other

Valuation allowance

2001

35.0%

(0.9)

0.3

0.2
(39.7)

—

(5.1)%

October 31,

2002

35.0%

—

0.4

—
(13.6)

(29.2)

(7.4)%

2003

35.0%

(0.3)

1.3

—
(1.6)

(34.7)

(0.3)%

The significant components of deferred tax assets and liabilities were as follows (in thousands):

October 31,

2002

2003

Deferred tax assets:

Reserves and accrued liabilities
Depreciation and amortization
NOL and credit carryforward
Convertible notes

Other
Gross deferred tax assets

Valuation allowance

Net deferred tax asset

Deferred tax liabilities:

Depreciation and other

Deferred long-term tax liabilities

$

$ 118,817
15,715

616,178
(18,068)

6,976

739,618

(739,618)
—

$
$

—

—
—

$ 84,530
1,371

803,407
(2,875)

7,765

894,198

(894,198)
—

$

$

$

—

—
—

58 / CIENA Corporation 10-K 

During fiscal 2002, the Company established a valuation allowance against its deferred tax assets. The Company

intends to maintain a valuation allowance until sufficient positive evidence exists to support its reversal.

As of October 31, 2003, the Company had a $2.0 billion net operating loss carry forward and a $68.4 million income
tax credit carry forward which begin to expire in fiscal year 2020 and 2012 respectively. The Company’s ability to use net
operating losses and credit carry forwards may be subject to limitations pursuant to the ownership change rules of the
Internal Revenue Code Section 382.

The income tax provision does not reflect the tax savings resulting from deductions associated with the Company’s
stock. The tax benefit on deductions of approximately $92.6 million associated with the Company’s stock will be cred-
ited to additional paid-in capital when realized.

Approximately  $184.1  million  of  the  valuation  allowance  as  of  October  31,  2003  was  attributable  to  deferred  tax
assets associated with the acquisitions of ONI, WaveSmith and Akara, that when realized, will first reduce goodwill, then
other non-current intangibles of the acquired companies, and then income tax expense.

The  IRS  is  currently  examining  the  Company’s  federal  income  tax  returns  for  fiscal  1999  through  fiscal  2002.
Management does not expect the outcome of these examinations to have a material effect on the Company’s consoli-
dated financial position, results of operations or cash flow.

(14) Employee Benefit Plans
Active Equity Incentive Plans
The Company maintains four active equity incentive plans under which it grants stock options, restricted stock, or other
forms of equity-based compensation: the 1999 Non-Officer Incentive Stock Plan (the “1999 Plan”); the Third Amended
and Restated 1994 Stock Option Plan (the “1994 Plan”); the 1996 Outside Directors Stock Option Plan (the “1996 Plan”);
and the CIENA Corporation 2000 Equity Incentive Plan (the “2000 Plan”).

The 1999 Plan authorizes the issuance of non-qualified options to employees of the Company who are not execu-
tive officers or directors. The exercise price for each option is established by the Board of Directors at not less than 85%
of fair market value of the Common Stock at the time of grant. Options issued under the plan vest over four years. As
of October 31, 2003, there were 57,175,278 shares in the plan.

The 1994 Plan authorizes the issuance of either qualified or non-qualified options to directors, employees or consult-
ants. In general, the Company uses the 1994 Plan to grant options to executive officers. The exercise price for options
under the plan is established by the Board of Directors at not less than the fair market value of the Common Stock at
the time of grant. The Board determines the terms of vesting of options issued under the plan. The Company’s current
practice is for options to vest over a four-year period. As of October 31, 2003, there were 55,354,872 shares in the plan.
Under the terms of the plan, this number will increase by 0.75% of the number of issued and outstanding shares of the
common stock on the last day of fiscal 2004.

The 1996 Plan provides for the issuance of non-qualified options to non-employee directors of the Company. The
plan provides automatic grants of (i) an initial option at the time of a director’s election to the Board and (ii) annual options
on the day following the Company’s annual meeting of shareholders. The exercise price is equal to the fair market value
of  the  stock  at  the  time  of  grant.  Initial  options  vest  over  three  years,  and  annual  options  vest  after  one  year.  As  of
October 31, 2003, there were 1,500,000 shares in the plan.

The 2000 Plan was assumed by the Company as a result of its merger with ONI. It authorizes the issuance of stock
options, restricted stock, and stock bonuses to employees, officers, directors, consultants, independent contractors and
advisors. The terms of awards under the plan are established by the Board of Directors or its Compensation Committee.
The exercise price of options may not be less than 85% of the fair market value of the stock at the date of grant (100%
of the fair market value for qualified options). The Board of Directors (or the Compensation Committee) has broad dis-
cretion to establish the terms and conditions for grants of restricted stock and stock bonuses. As of October 31, 2003,
there were 45,211,839 shares in the plan. Under the terms of the plan, this number will increase by 5.0% of the num-
ber of issued and outstanding shares of the company each January 1st, unless the Compensation Committee reduces
the  amount  of  the  increase  in  any  year.  By  action  of  the  Compensation  Committee,  the  amount  of  the  increase  on

CIENA Corporation 10-K / 59

January 1, 2004 will be only 2.0% of the issued and outstanding shares of the Company. In addition, any shares subject
to options or other awards under the ONI 1997 Stock Plan, ONI 1998 Equity Incentive Plan, or ONI 1999 Equity Incentive
Plan that are forfeited upon cancellation of the option or award are available for grant and issuance under the 2000 Plan.

Other Equity Incentive Plans
As a result of its acquisitions of Lightera, Omnia, Cyras, ONI, WaveSmith and Akara, the Company has assumed obliga-
tions under various equity incentive plans previously maintained by those companies, including the obligation to honor
grants made under these plans prior to the acquisitions. The Company will issue CIENA Common Stock upon the exer-
cise of options outstanding under these plans, and restricted stock issued under these plans has been converted into
restricted shares of CIENA Common Stock. The Company does not intend to issue any further grants under these plans.

These inactive plans include:

• The WaveSmith 2000 Stock Option and Incentive Plan
• The ONI 1997 Stock Option Plan
• The ONI 1998 Equity Incentive Plan
• The ONI 1999 Equity Incentive Plan
• The Cyras 1998 Stock Plan
• The Omnia 1997 Stock Plan
• The Lightera 1998 Stock Plan

Stock Option Activity
The following table is a summary of the Company’s stock option activity (shares in thousands):

Balance at October 31, 2000

Granted and assumed

Exercised

Canceled
Balance at October 31, 2001

Granted and assumed
Exercised

Canceled

Balance as of October 31, 2002
Granted and assumed
Exercised

Canceled

Balance as of October 31, 2003

Shares

30,721

23,715

(3,987)
(3,517)

46,932
26,620
(2,118)

(28,959)
42,475
22,382

(2,004)

(13,995)

48,858

Weighted Average 
Exercise Price

$44.72

41.35

6.07
54.62

45.56
12.07
2.30

56.63
19.20
4.83

1.75

30.17
$10.10

At October 31, 2003, approximately 1.3 million shares of Common Stock subject to repurchase by the Company had
been issued upon the exercise of options and restricted stock purchase agreements, and 22.6 million of the total out-
standing options were vested and not subject to repurchase by the Company upon exercise. As of October 31, 2003,
approximately 83.3 million shares are available for issuance under these plans.

In May 2002, CIENA commenced a registered exchange offer pursuant to which it offered eligible employees the
opportunity to exchange outstanding certain stock options for new options with an exercise price to be established in
November 2002. The stock options included in the offer had an exercise price greater than $12.00 per share and were
outstanding under the 1994 Plan, the 1999 Plan or the Cyras Systems, Inc. 1998 Plan (“the Cyras Plan”). New options
exchanged for options issued under the 1994 Plan and the 1999 Plan were to be issued under the 1999 Plan, and the new
options exchanged for options tendered under the Cyras Plan were to be issued under the Cyras Plan. Except for options

60 / CIENA Corporation 10-K 

issued after October 16, 2001, the new options were to be exercisable for one half the number of shares covered by the
old options tendered for exchange. With respect to options issued after October 16, 2001, the new options were to be
exercised  for  the  same  number  of  shares  as  the  old  options  tendered  for  exchange.  Eligible  employees  tendered  for
exchange in the offer options to purchase a total of 15.1 million shares. On November 19, 2002, CIENA completed the
exchange offer and issued new options for approximately 6.4 million shares at an exercise price of $4.53 per share.

The following table summarizes information with respect to stock options outstanding at October 31, 2003 (shares

in thousands):

Range of Exercise Price

$ 0.01–$ 3.92

$ 3.93–$ 4.50

$ 4.51–$ 4.53

$ 4.54–$ 6.97

$ 6.98–$ 11.88

$11.89–$ 16.13

$16.14–$ 19.88

$19.88–$149.50

$ 0.01–$149.50

Options Outstanding

Number
Outstanding
at Oct. 31, 2003

Weighted Average Weighted
Average
Exercise
Price

Remaining
Contractual
Life (Years)

5,101

3,924

12,754

9,038

5,065

3,469

7,267

2,240

48,858

4.30

8.75

9.05

8.89

7.41

6.04

7.86

6.88

7.84

$ 1.01

4.30

4.53

6.08

9.58

14.94

16.55

61.54

$10.10

Vested Options Not Subject
to Repurchase upon Exercise

Number
at Oct. 31, 2003

4,817

1,173

1,734

2,573

3,164

3,372

3,970

1,782

22,585

Weighted 
Average 
Exercise 
Price

$ 0.97

4.30

4.53

6.65

9.38

14.97

16.59

60.09

$12.74

Employee Stock Purchase Plan
In March 1998, the shareholders approved the Corporation’s 1998 Employee Stock Purchase Plan (“1998 ESPP”) under
which 5.0 million shares of common stock had been reserved for issuance. Eligible employees may purchase a limited
number  of  shares  of  the  Company’s  stock  at  85%  of  the  market  value  at  certain  plan-defined  dates.  Approximately
1,339,000, 1,927,000 and 424,000 shares of common stock have been issued for $4.7 million, $10.0 million, and
$7.8 million during fiscal 2003, 2002 and 2001, respectively. In March 2003 the 1998 ESPP terminated by its own terms
due to the issuance all remaining shares of the Company’s common stock available for issuance under this plan.

In March 2003, the shareholders approved the Corporation’s 2003 Employee Stock Purchase plan (“2003 ESPP”)
under which 20.0 million shares of common stock had been reserved for issuance. Eligible employees may purchase a
limited  number  of  shares  of  the  Company’s  stock  at  85%  of  the  market  value  at  certain  plan-defined  dates.
Approximately 1,487,000 shares of common stock have been issued for $6.2 million during fiscal 2003. As of October 31,
2003 approximately 18.5 million shares are available for issuance under this plan.

CIENA Corporation 10-K / 61

Pro Forma Stock-Based Compensation
Had compensation cost for the Company’s stock option plans and employee stock purchase plan been determined based
on the fair value at the grant date for awards in fiscal years 2003, 2002 and 2001 consistent with the provisions of SFAS
123  as  amended  by  SFAS  148,  the  Company’s  net  loss  and  net  loss  per  share  for  fiscal  2003  and  2001  would  have
increased and the Company’s net loss and net loss per share for fiscal 2002 would have decreased to the pro forma
amounts indicated below (in thousands, except per share):

The below pro forma disclosures are not necessarily representative of the effects on reported net income or loss

for future years.

The weighted average fair value of each option granted under the various stock option plans for 2001, 2002 and
2003 is $27.92, $4.88 and $3.32 respectively. The fair value of each option grant is estimated on the date of grant using
the Black-Scholes Option Pricing Model with the following weighted average assumptions for fiscal years 2001, 2002
and 2003:

Expected volatility

Risk-free interest rate

Expected life (years)

Expected dividend yield

Employee Stock Option Plans

Employee Stock Purchase Plan 

October 31,

October 31,

2001

131%

3.6%

2.6

0.0%

2002

92%

2.6%

4.5

0.0%

2003

71%

3.2%

4.5

0.0%

2001

131%

3.6%

0.5

0.0%

2002

92%

1.3%

0.5

0.0%

2003

71%

1.3%

0.5

0.0%

Net loss applicable to common stockholders as reported

$(1,794,062)

Compensation (expense) benefit, net of tax

Net loss applicable to common stockholders pro forma

Basic and diluted net loss per share—as reported
Basic and diluted net loss per share—pro forma

(324,660)

$(2,118,722)

$
$

(5.75)
(6.79)

2001

October 31,

2002

$(1,597,499)

40,068

$(1,557,431)

$
$

(4.37)
(4.26)

2003

$(386,517)

(22,776)

$(409,293)

$
$

(0.87)
(0.92)

The Black-Scholes option-pricing model was developed for use in estimating the fair value of traded options that
have no vesting restrictions and are fully transferable. In addition, option-pricing models require the input of highly sub-
jective assumptions including the expected stock price volatility. The Company uses projected volatility rates, which are
based upon historical volatility rates, trended into future years. Because the Company’s employee stock options have
characteristics significantly different from those of traded options, and because changes in the subjective input assump-
tions can materially affect the fair value estimate, in management’s opinion, existing models, including the Black-Scholes
option-pricing model, do not necessarily provide a reliable single measure of the fair value of the Company’s options.

Employee 401(k) Plan
The Company has a 401(k) defined contribution profit sharing plan. The plan covers all full-time employees who are not
covered by a collective bargaining agreement where retirement benefits are subject to good faith bargaining. Participants
may contribute up to 60% of pre-tax compensation, subject to certain limitations. The Company may make discretionary
annual  profit  sharing  contributions  of  up  to  the  lesser  of  $30,000  or  25%  of  each  participant’s  compensation.  The
Company has made no profit sharing contributions to date. The plan also includes an employer matching contribution
equal to 50% of the first 3% of participating employee contributions each pay period. During fiscal 2003, 2002, and 2001
the Company made matching contributions of approximately $2.0 million, $4.1 million and $3.7 million respectively.

62 / CIENA Corporation 10-K 

(15) Commitments and Contingencies
Operating Lease Commitments
The Company has certain minimum obligations under non-cancelable operating leases expiring on various dates through
2019 for equipment and facilities. Future annual minimum rental commitments under non-cancelable operating leases
at October 31, 2003 are as follows (in thousands):

Year Ended October 31,

2004
2005

2006

2007

2008

Thereafter

$ 37,810
36,902

35,226

28,982

27,089

84,996

$251,005

Rental expense for fiscal 2003, 2002, and 2001 was approximately $16.6 million, $24.7 million and $19.5 million,
respectively. In addition the Company paid approximately $22.7, $7.2 and $0.0 million during fiscal 2003, 2002 and 2001,
respectively,  related  to  rent  costs  for  restructured  facilities  and  unfavorable  lease  commitments,  which  was  offset
against the Company’s restructuring liabilities and unfavorable lease obligations, respectively.

Purchase Commitments with Contract Manufacturers and Suppliers
The Company relies on a small number of contract manufacturers to perform the majority of the manufacturing opera-
tions for its products. In order to reduce lead times and ensure adequate component supply, the Company enters into
agreements with these suppliers that allow them to procure inventory for the Company’s forecasted future demands.
As of October 31, 2003, the Company has purchase commitments of $33.3 million.

Litigation
On October 3, 2000, Stanford University and Litton Systems filed a complaint in the United States District Court for the
Central District of California alleging that optical fiber amplifiers incorporated into CIENA’s products infringe U.S. Patent
No. 4,859,016  (the  “016  Patent”).  The  complaint  seeks  injunctive  relief,  royalties  and  damages.  We  believe  that  we
have valid defenses to the lawsuit and intend to defend it vigorously. On October 10, 2003, the court stayed the case
pending final resolution of matters before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (the “PTO”), including a request for and
disposition  of  a  reexamination  of  the  016  Patent.  On  October  16,  2003,  the  PTO  granted  reexamination  of  the  016
Patent, thus resulting in a continuation of the stay of the case.

On July 19, 2000, CIENA and CIENA Properties, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of CIENA, filed a complaint in the
United  States  District  Court  for  the  District  of  Delaware  requesting  damages  and  injunctive  relief  against  Corvis
Corporation (“Corvis”). The suit charged Corvis with infringing four patents relating to CIENA’s optical networking com-
munication systems and technology. A jury trial to determine whether Corvis is infringing these patents commenced on
February 10, 2003. On February 24, 2003, the jury decided that Corvis was infringing one of the patents and not infring-
ing two others. The jury was deadlocked with respect to infringement on the fourth patent. This trial was immediately
followed by a trial on Corvis’ affirmative defenses based on the validity of two of the patents. On February 28, 2003, the
jury in this trial determined that the patents were valid. In April 2003, following a third trial, another jury decided that
Corvis had infringed the fourth patent on which the previous jury had deadlocked. Based on these favorable verdicts col-
lectively holding that Corvis is infringing two valid CIENA patents, CIENA has moved for an injunction to prohibit the sale
by Corvis of the infringing products. The court has not yet ruled on this motion.

CIENA Corporation 10-K / 63

As a result of the merger with ONI, we became a defendant in a securities class action lawsuit. Beginning in August
2001, a number of substantially identical class action complaints alleging violations of the federal securities laws were filed
in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York. These complaints name ONI, Hugh C. Martin,
ONI’s former chairman, president and chief executive officer; Chris A. Davis, ONI’s former executive vice president, chief
financial officer and administrative officer; and certain underwriters of ONI’s initial public offering as defendants. The com-
plaints were consolidated into a single action, and a consolidated amended complaint was filed on April 24, 2002.  The
amended complaint alleges, among other things, that the underwriter defendants violated the securities laws by failing
to disclose alleged compensation arrangements (such as undisclosed commissions or stock stabilization practices) in the
initial public offering’s registration statement and by engaging in manipulative practices to artificially inflate the price of
our common stock after the initial public offering. The amended complaint also alleges that ONI and the named former
officers violated the securities laws on the basis of an alleged failure to disclose the underwriters’ alleged compensation
arrangements and manipulative practices. No specific amount of damages has been claimed. Similar complaints have
been filed against more than 300 other issuers that have had initial public offerings since 1998, and all of these actions
have been included in a single coordinated proceeding. Mr. Martin and Ms. Davis have been dismissed from the action
without prejudice pursuant to a tolling agreement. In July 2002, ONI and other issuers in the consolidated cases filed
motions to dismiss the amended complaint for failure to state a claim, which was denied as to ONI on February 19, 2003.
CIENA has participated, together with the other issuer defendants in these cases, in mediated settlement negotiations
that have led to a preliminary agreement among the plaintiffs, the issuer defendants and their insurers. The settlement,
which is subject to court approval, would result in the dismissal of the plaintiffs’ cases against the issuers. CIENA has
agreed in principle to the terms of this settlement. Draft settlement documents were circulated for preliminary review
in October 2003.

As  a  result  of  the  merger  with  ONI,  we  also  became  a  defendant  in  two  substantially  identical  purported  class
actions on behalf of ONI security holders originally brought against ONI and members of its board of directors. The com-
plaints allege that the director defendants breached their fiduciary duties to ONI in approving the merger with CIENA
and seek declaratory, injunctive and other relief permitted by equity. The plaintiffs failed to obtain an injunction against
completion of the merger. The first of these cases was filed on February 20, 2002, in the Superior Court of the State
of  California,  County  of  San  Mateo,  and  is  encaptioned  K.W.  Sams,  On  Behalf  of  Himself  and  All  Others  Similarly
Situated v. ONI Systems Corporation, et al. The second case was brought on March 19, 2002, in the Superior Court of
the State of California, County of Santa Clara, and is encaptioned Steven Myeary, On Behalf of Himself and All Others
Similarly  Situated  v.  ONI  Systems  Corporation.  On  April  14,  2003,  the  plaintiffs  in  these  cases  filed  a  consolidated
amended  complaint  and  named  four  additional  defendants:  CIENA  Corporation,  James  F.  Jordan,  Kleiner  Perkins
Caufield  &  Byers  and  Mohr  Davidow  Ventures.  CIENA  and  the  other  defendants  subsequently  filed  a  demurrer  and
served  a  motion  for  sanctions  on  plaintiffs  based  on  factual  inaccuracies  in  the  consolidated  amended  complaint.  In
response, the plaintiffs filed a corrected consolidated amended complaint, the demurrer to which is scheduled to be
heard by the court in December 2003. We believe that these lawsuits are without merit and will continue to defend
them vigorously.

(16) Segment Reporting
In June 1997, the Financial Accounting Standards Board issued Statement of Financial Accounting Standards No. 131
(SFAS 131), “Disclosures about Segments of an Enterprise and Related Information.” SFAS 131 establishes annual and
interim reporting standards for operating segments of a company. It also requires entity-wide disclosures about the prod-
ucts and services an entity provides, the material countries in which it holds assets and reports revenue, and its major
customers. The Company is not organized by multiple operating segments for the purpose of making operating deci-
sions or assessing performance. Accordingly, the Company operates in one operating segment and reports only certain
enterprise-wide disclosures.

64 / CIENA Corporation 10-K 

CIENA’s geographic distributions of revenue are the following (in thousands):

Domestic

International

Total

2001

$1,220,742

382,487

$1,603,229

%

76.1

23.9

100.0

Fiscal Years

2002

$232,524

128,631

$361,155

%

64.4

35.6

100.0

CIENA’s revenue derived from products and services are the following (in thousands):

Products

Services

Total

2001

$1,518,833

84,396

$1,603,229

%

94.7

5.3

100.0

Fiscal Years

2002

$304,155

57,000

$361,155

%

84.2

15.8

100.0

2003

$178,564

104,572

$283,136

2003

$240,772

42,364

$283,136

%

63.1

36.9

100.0

%

85.0

15.0

100.0

Historically,  CIENA  has  relied  upon  on  a  limited  number  of  customers  for  a  majority  of  the  Company’s  revenue.
During the following fiscal years customers who each accounted for at least 10% of CIENA’s revenue during the respec-
tive periods are as follows (in thousands):

Sprint

Qwest

AT&T

Total

2001

$463,078

347,083

n/a

$810,161

%*

28.9

21.6

—

50.5

Fiscal Years

2002

$ 58,739

n/a

74,111

$132,850

%*

16.3

—

20.5

36.8

2003

$

n/a

31,148

39,444

$70,592

%*

—

11.0

13.9

24.9

*—Denotes % of total revenue.
n/a —-Denotes revenue recognized less than 10% for the period.

(17) Subsequent Events
On November 18, 2003, CIENA announced a full redemption of all of the outstanding ONI 5.00% convertible subordi-
nated notes due October 15, 2005. The principal amount of the notes outstanding is $48.3 million. On the redemption
date  of  December  19,  2003,  CIENA  will  pay  holders  102%  of  the  outstanding  principal  amount  of  the  notes  plus
accrued interest.

Item 9. Changes in and Disagreements with Accountants 

on Accounting and Financial Disclosure

None.

Item 9A. Controls and Procedures
The Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer of CIENA have evaluated the effectiveness of the disclosure con-
trols and procedures (as defined in Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended
(the “Exchange Act”), as required by paragraph (b) of Rules 13a-15 and 15d-15 under the Exchange Act, and have con-
cluded that as of the end of the period covered by this report the disclosure controls and procedures were effective.

There was no change in CIENA’s internal control over financial reporting identified in connection with the evaluation
required  by  paragraph  (d)  of  Rules  13a-15  and  15d-15  under  the  Exchange  Act  during  CIENA’s  last  fiscal  quarter  that
materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, CIENA’s internal control over financial reporting.

CIENA Corporation 10-K / 65

PART III

Item 10. Directors and Executive Officers of the Registrant
Information relating to the directors and executive officers of the Company is set forth in Part I of this report under the
caption Item 1. “Business—Directors and Executive Officers.”

Additional information on compliance with Section 16(a) of the Exchange Act is incorporated herein by reference to

the Company’s definitive 2004 Proxy Statement.

As part of our system of corporate governance, our board of directors has adopted a code of ethics that is specifi-
cally applicable to our chief executive officer and senior financial officers. This code of ethics is available on our web site
at http://www.ciena.com/investors/corpgovernance.htm.

Item 11. Executive Compensation
The information is incorporated herein by reference to the Company’s definitive 2004 Proxy Statement.

Item 12. Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners 

and Management

The information is incorporated herein by reference to the Company’s definitive 2004 Proxy Statement.

Item 13. Certain Relationships and Related Transactions
The information is incorporated herein by reference to the Company’s definitive 2004 Proxy Statement.

Item 14. Principal Accounting Fees and Services
The information is incorporated herein by reference to the Company’s definitive 2004 Proxy Statement.

66 / CIENA Corporation 10-K 

PART IV

Item 15. Exhibits, Financial Statement Schedules and Reports 

on Form 8-K

(a) 1. The information required by this item is included in Item 8 of Part II of this Form 10-K.
2. The information required by this item is included in Item 8 of Part II of this Form 10-K.
3. Exhibits: See Index to Exhibits on page 68. The Exhibits listed in the accompanying Index to Exhibits are filed

or incorporated by reference as part of this report.

(b) Reports on Form 8-K:

Form 8-K (Item 5 and Item 7 reported) filed on August 21, 2003.
Form 8-K (Item 5 and Item 7 reported) filed on September 3, 2003.
Form 8-K (Item 5 and Item 7 reported) filed on November 18, 2003.
Form 8-K (Item 12 reported) filed on December 11, 2003.

CIENA Corporation 10-K / 67

SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the Registrant has duly
caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, in the City of Linthicum,
County of Anne Arundel, State of Maryland, on the 11th day of December 2003.

CIENA CORPORATION
By: /s/ Gary B. Smith
Gary B. Smith
President, Chief Executive Officer
and Director

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, this report has been signed below by the fol-

lowing persons on behalf of the Registrant and in the capacities and on the date indicated.
Signatures

Title

/s/ Patrick H. Nettles, Ph.D.
Patrick H. Nettles, Ph.D.

/s/ Gary B. Smith
Gary B. Smith
(Principal Executive Officer)

/s/ Joseph R. Chinnici
Joseph R. Chinnici
(Principal Financial Officer)

/s/ Andrew C. Petrik
Andrew C. Petrik
(Principal Accounting Officer)

/s/ Stephen P. Bradley, Ph.D.
Stephen P. Bradley, Ph.D.

/s/ Harvey B. Cash
Harvey B. Cash

/s/ Don H. Davis, Jr.
Don H. Davis, Jr.

/s/ John R. Dillon
John R. Dillon

/s/ Lawton W. Fitt
Lawton W. Fitt

/s/ Judith M. O’Brien
Judith M. O’Brien

/s/ Gerald H. Taylor
Gerald H. Taylor

Executive Chairman
of the Board of Directors

President, Chief Executive Officer
and Director 

Sr. Vice President, Finance 
and Chief Financial Officer 

Vice President, Controller
and Treasurer 

Director

Director

Director

Director

Director

Director

Director

Date

December 11, 2003 

December 11, 2003 

December 11, 2003 

December 11, 2003 

December 11, 2003 

December 11, 2003 

December 11, 2003 

December 11, 2003 

December 11, 2003 

December 11, 2003 

December 11, 2003 

68 / CIENA Corporation 10-K 

INDEX TO EXHIBITS

Exhibit
Number

Description

3.1(1)

3.2(1)

3.3(1)

3.5(10)

3.6(10)

3.7(13)
4.1(1)

4.2(3)

4.3(17)

4.4(11)

4.5(4)

4.6(12)

Certificate of Amendment to Third Restated Certificate of Incorporation

Third Restated Certificate of Incorporation

Amended and Restated Bylaws

Certificate of Amendment to Third Restated Certificate of Incorporation dated March 23, 1998

Certificate of Amendment to Third Restated Certificate of Incorporation dated March 16, 2000

Certificate of Amendment to Third Restated Certificate of Incorporation dated March 13, 2001
Specimen Stock Certificate

Rights Agreement dated December 29, 1997

Amendment to Rights Agreement dated June 2, 1998

Amendment No. 2 to Rights Agreement dated September 13, 1998

Amendment No. 3 to Rights Agreement dated October 19, 1998

Indenture dated February 9, 2001 between CIENA Corporation and First Union National Bank for 3.75% convertible sub-

4.11(18)

ordinated notes due February 1, 2008
Indenture dated October 27, 2000 between ONI Systems Corp. and State Street Bank and Trust Company for 5% con-

vertible notes due October 15, 2005

4.12(21)

First Supplemental Indenture dated June 21, 2002 to the Indenture dated October 27, 2000 between ONI Systems Corp.

and State Street Bank and Trust Company for 5% convertible subordinated notes due October 15, 2005

10.1(1)

10.2(14)

10.3(1)

10.4(1)

10.5(1)

10.13(1)

10.18(5)
10.19(6)

10.20(7)

10.21(9)
10.22(9)

10.24(13)

10.25(15)

10.26(16)
10.27(16)

10.28(19)

10.29(19)

10.30(19)

10.34(22)

Form of Indemnification Agreement for Directors and Officers

Third Amended and Restated 1994 Stock Option Plan

Form of Employee Stock Option Agreements

1996 Outside Directors Stock Option Plan

Forms of 1996 Outside Directors Stock Option Agreement

Employment Agreement dated April 9, 1994 between the Company and Patrick Nettles

Form of Transfer of Control/Severance Agreement
Lightera 1998 Stock Option Plan and Form of Stock Option Agreement
Omnia Communications, Inc. 1997 Stock Plan and Form of Agreements
Employment Agreement dated August 18, 1999 between the Company and Gary B. Smith
1999 Non-Officer Stock Option Plan and Form of Stock Option Agreement
Cyras Systems, Inc. 1998 Stock Plan as amended and Form of Stock Option Agreement
Amendment No. 1 to 1999 Non-Officer Stock Option Plan
Form of Amendment 1 to Transfer of Control/Severance Agreement for named executive officers (other than Gary B. Smith)
Transfer of Control/Severance Agreement between CIENA Corporation and Gary B. Smith

ONI 1997 Stock Plan

ONI 1998 Equity Incentive Plan

ONI 1999 Equity Incentive Plan
CIENA Corporation 2003 Employee Stock Purchase Plan

CIENA Corporation 10-K / 69

Exhibit
Number

10.35(23)

10.36(24)

10.37(25)

21

23.1
31.1

31.2

32.1

32.2

(1)

(3)

(4)

(5)

(6)

(7)

(9)

Description

CIENA Corporation Nonqualified Management Deferred Compensation Plan

WaveSmith Networks, Inc. 2000 Stock Option and Incentive Plan

CIENA Corporation 2000 Equity Incentive Plan (Amended and Restated ONI Systems Corp. 2000 Equity Incentive Plan)

(Filed herewith)

Subsidiaries of registrant (filed herewith)

Consent of Independent Accountants (filed herewith)
Certification of Chief Executive Officer Pursuant to Rule 13a-14(a) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 as Adopted

Pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (filed herewith)

Certification of Chief Financial Officer Pursuant to Rule 13a-14(a) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 as Adopted

Pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (filed herewith)

Certification of Chief Executive Officer Pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350 as Adopted Pursuant to Section 906 of the

Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (filed herewith)

Certification of Chief Financial Officer Pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350 as Adopted Pursuant to Section 906 of the

Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (filed herewith)

Incorporated by reference from the Company’s Registration Statement on Form S-1 (333-17729).

Incorporated by reference from the Company’s Form 8-K filed December 29, 1997.

Incorporated by reference from the Company’s Form 8-K filed October 19, 1998.

Incorporated by reference from the Company’s Form 10-K filed December 10, 1998.

Incorporated by reference from the Company’s Form 10-Q filed May 21, 1999.

Incorporated by reference from the Company’s Form 10-Q filed August 19, 1999.

Incorporated by reference from the Company’s Form 10-K filed December 10, 1999.

(10)

Incorporated by reference from the Company’s Form 10-Q filed May 18, 2000.

(11)

Incorporated by reference from the Company’s Form 8-K filed September 14, 1998.

(12)

Incorporated by reference from the Company’s Form 10-Q filed February 15, 2001.

(13)

Incorporated by reference from the Company’s Form 10-Q filed May 17, 2001.

(14)

Incorporated by reference from the Company’s Form S-8 filed October 30, 2001.

(15)

Incorporated by reference from the Company’s Form 10-K filed December 13, 2001.

(16)

Incorporated by reference from the Company’s Form 10-Q filed February 21, 2002.

(17)

Incorporated by reference from the Company’s Form 8-K filed June 3, 1998.

(18)

Incorporated by reference from ONI Systems Corp.’s Form 10-Q filed November 14, 2000.

(19)

Incorporated by reference from ONI Systems Corp.’s Form S-1 filed March 10, 2000 (333-32104).

(21)

Incorporated by reference from the Company’s Form 10-K filed December 12, 2002.

(22)

Incorporated by reference from the Company’s Form S-8 filed February 19, 2003.

(23)

Incorporated by reference from the Company’s Form 10-Q filed February 20, 2003.

(24)

Incorporated by reference from the Company’s Form 10-Q filed August 21, 2003.

(25) Effective August 19, 2003, the Company’s compensation committee of the board of directors amended the ONI 2000 Equity Incentive Plan to

change the name of this plan to the CIENA Corporation 2000 Equity Incentive Plan.

70 / CIENA Corporation 10-K 

CORPORATE INFORMATION

Corporate Headquarters
CIENA Corporation
1201 Winterson Road
Linthicum, MD 21090-2205
Telephone: (800) 921-1144 or 
(410) 865-8500
www.CIENA.com

Annual Meeting
CIENA’s annual shareholder meeting will be 
held at 3:00 p.m. on Wednesday, March 10, 2004, 
at the BWI Airport Sheraton Hotel, Baltimore, MD.

Independent Certified Public Accountants
PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP
McLean, VA

General Counsel
Hogan & Hartson
Baltimore, MD

Transfer Agent
EquiServe Trust Company, NA 
P.O. Box 43023
Providence, RI 02940-3023
Shareholder Inquiries: (781) 575-4593
www.EquiServe.com

Common Stock Market Data
Since its initial public offering on February 7, 1997, 
the Company’s Common Stock has traded on the 
Nasdaq Stock Market under the symbol CIEN and 
appears in most daily newspaper stock tables as CIEN. 
As of January 20, 2004, there were approximately 
2,422 shareholders of record and 476,185,987 shares 
of Common Stock Outstanding.

Investor Relations
For additional copies of this report or other financial 
information, contact:
Investor Relations
CIENA Corporation
1201 Winterson Road
Linthicum, MD 21090-2205
IR Hotline: (888) 243-6223 or
(410) 865-8500

Additional information is available on CIENA’s website 
at www.CIENA.com 

Executive Officers
PATRICK H. NETTLES, PH.D.
Executive Chairman of the Board of Directors

GARY B. SMITH
President, Chief Executive Officer and Director

STEPHEN B. ALEXANDER
Senior Vice President, Chief Technology Officer

STEVE W. CHADDICK
Senior Vice President, Corporate Strategy and Marketing

JOSEPH R. CHINNICI
Senior Vice President, Finance and Chief Financial Officer

JAMES F. COLLIER III
Senior Vice President, Corporate Development

NICHOLAS S. JEFFERY
Senior Vice President, World Wide Sales

JESÚS LEÓN
Senior Vice President, Chief Development Officer

EDWARD A. OGONEK
Senior Vice President, General Manager of Metro 
and Enterprise Solutions

ROBERT A. O’NEIL
Senior Vice President, General Manager of Data Networking

ARTHUR SMITH, PH.D.
Senior Vice President, Global Operations

RUSSELL B. STEVENSON, JR.
Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary

ANDREW C. PETRIK
Vice President, Controller and Treasurer

Outside Board Members
PROFESSOR STEPHEN P. BRADLEY
William Ziegler Professor of Business Administration
Harvard Business School

HARVEY B. CASH
General Partner
InterWest Partners

DON H. DAVIS, JR.
Chairman of the Board
Rockwell Automation

JOHN R. DILLON
Retired CFO
Cox Enterprises

LAWTON W. FITT
Secretary (Chief Executive)
Royal Academy of Arts

JUDITH M. O’BRIEN
Managing Director
INCUBIC L.L.C.

GERALD H. TAYLOR 
Independent Communications Consultant

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CIENA Corporation 1201 Winterson Road, Linthicum, Maryland 21090-2205

CIE-AR-04

410.865.8500

800.921.1144

www.CIENA.com