Ciena posted third quarter profits during today’s earnings report that were driven by demand for the company’s optical and Ethernet network gear.

Ciena posted third quarter earnings of $28.3 million, after reporting a loss of $4.3 million a year ago. Revenue for the third quarter totaled $205 million, representing a 5.9 percent sequential increase from fiscal second quarter revenue of $193.5 million, and an increase of 34.4 percent over the same period a year ago when Ciena reported sales of $152.5 million.

For the nine months ended July 31, Ciena reported revenue of $563.6 million, representing an increase of 39.5 percent over revenue of $404.1 million for the same nine-month year-ago period.

“Consistent execution of our network specialist strategy has enabled Ciena to benefit from two significant industry trends: the demand for increasing network capacity and the transition to Ethernet/IP-based network infrastructures,” said Gary Smith, Ciena president and CEO, in a statement. “At the same time, we continue to drive actions resulting in improved financial performance across the company.”

Among the third quarter highlights, BT deployed Ciena’s optical Ethernet and switching products at more than 100 sites across the United Kingdom.