Optical transport provider Ciena has been expanding its business in recent years, into broadband access and routing and into software-defined architectures. Now it has made two acquisitions to strengthen its play in distributed and virtualized networks – virtual edge software developer Benu Networks and Tibit, maker of passive optical network (PON) technology for FTTx. “Individually and together, Tibit and Benu will complement Ciena’s existing portfolio of solutions for broadband access use cases, including residential broadband, enterprise business services, and fixed wireless access, which represent a significant addressable market for Ciena,” said the company in its statement. It will also gain over 60 new engineers with experience in access technologies. The two deals show Ciena accelerating its expansion from metro and…