World Wide Packets

About World Wide Packets

World Wide Packets (WWP) was a communications equipment manufacturer established in 2000 by the seasoned technology entrepreneur Bernard Daines. Daines, a notable figure in computer networking, had previously founded and successfully exited two other networking companies: Grand Junction Networks, sold to Cisco, and Packet Engines Inc., sold to Alcatel. His experience in the sector was foundational to WWP's focus on the emerging Carrier Ethernet market. The company was started in Spokane Valley, Washington, and Daines led it as CEO until 2002, after which he departed for a role in Utah, and Dave Curry took the helm.

World Wide Packets specialized in designing and selling network access products that enabled the delivery of combined voice, data, and video services to both business and residential customers. The company operated in the high-speed data networking technology sector, concentrating on Carrier Ethernet for wide-area networks that could span a neighborhood, a campus, or an entire metropolitan area. Its business model revolved around the production and sale of this specialized network equipment to telecommunications companies, cable-TV operators, and government entities. By the time of its acquisition, the company had reported revenues of approximately $30 million in 2007.

The company's flagship product line was the LightningEdge® portfolio. This suite included a range of hardware such as service aggregation, concentration, and delivery switches, all powered by the proprietary LightningEdge operating system and managed by a suite of tools called the Ethernet Services Manager. These products were designed to address the "last mile" bottleneck, providing a cost-effective solution for service providers to deliver high-demand Ethernet services over both fiber and copper infrastructure. A key achievement was securing a multi-year contract with AT&T to supply its technology, a deal that validated the product line and boosted Ciena's confidence in the acquisition. In March 2008, World Wide Packets was acquired by Ciena Corporation for approximately $296 million in cash and stock, becoming a wholly-owned subsidiary. At that point, WWP had shipped over 70,000 systems to more than 100 customers across 25 countries.