Acterna's NetOptimize OSS is Chosen to Support Verizon's National Voice Network.

Business Editors/High-Tech Writers

GERMANTOWN, Md.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 20, 2003

Building on a successful partnership of more than twenty years as the underlying Operations Support System (OSS) for Verizon's Telecommunications Data Collection System (TDCS), Acterna today announced a contract win that will extend the deployment of its NetOptimize(TM) OSS to support traffic engineering, operations, and capacity management across Verizon's National Voice Network. NetOptimize will enable Verizon to replace legacy systems and to standardize on an OSS platform, providing the needed flexibility to support traditional and next generation network technologies, thereby driving additional cost savings and operational efficiency.

Under the terms of the agreement, Verizon will expand the use of Acterna's industry leading NetOptimize(TM) OSS (formerly TDC&E), to provide coverage across their entire national voice network footprint spanning both east (legacy Bell Atlantic) and west (legacy GTE) regions. The deployment of NetOptimize will not only standardize the management of telecommunications data from all of Verizon's Central Office (CO) switches, but also help drive significant cost savings in the management of Verizon's voice network.

"We are proud to be part of a strong and long-standing partnership with Verizon," said Bruce Hembree, general manager, WorkFlow Solutions, for Acterna. "Acterna has a unique ability to offer solutions that help our customers improve business processes and operate more efficiently. Through the use of NetOptimize, based on the results it has already delivered across multiple divisions, Verizon has saved millions of dollars through reduced inventory assets, improved capacity management, as well as improved operational and network efficiency. Reducing operational costs and driving network efficiency are a premium in today's market, and that's what NetOptimize delivers."

Acterna's NetOptimize, a carrier-class, customer-proven OSS, has attracted interest across the industry for its effectiveness when addressing customers' needs for traffic engineering, capacity management and planning, inventory reconciliation and performance management across multi-vendor, multi-technology traditional and next generation networks. As part of Acterna's WorkFlow Solutions portfolio, NetOptimize also has a proven track record for effectively monitoring network health, performance, and utilization, all of which support increased effectiveness in reducing operating costs, and maximizes equipment investment, increases revenue and ensures network efficiency.

Specifically, with its ability to provide continuous data collection, thresholding, and reporting, NetOptimize enables service providers, like Verizon, to further reduce operations and capital expenditures, improve operational efficiency and reduce costs by monitoring the network at regular intervals. Engineering, operations, capacity management and planning, marketing and sales all benefit from improved traffic engineering, network/switch performance, capacity management, focused customer studies and exception reporting to enable more informed and accurate decisions by service providers and their customers. NetOptimize also gives service providers the assurance that the quality, performance, availability and reliability of their communications network is being monitored 24x7.

"Verizon selected Acterna to support its national network from coast-to-coast based on the trust they have in our ability to deliver tangible, bottom-line results when ensuring the quality, performance, and availability of their voice, data, and long distance networks," added Bruce Hembree. "With thousands of network elements deployed throughout the country, the OSS that Verizon selects is an integral part of the services and the reliability Verizon delivers to its customers. From NetOptimize's ability to provide centralized data collection and reporting for complete traffic engineering, capacity management, creating and maintaining an accurate view of the network inventory system, as well as equipping Verizon with the ultimate tools to ensure complete network awareness, Acterna delivers what it takes to help guarantee network integrity and reliability."

During a long-term partnership, Acterna has provided Verizon with portable test instruments, centralized test systems, network management software and services. In May 2001, Verizon selected Acterna's NetOptimize for its National Data Network, which provided Verizon with a unified, real-time solution to accomplish the day-to-day task of keeping its network clean and free from congestion. Additional elements of the Acterna product and service portfolio tapped by Verizon include the T-BERD 209A, still one of the industry's most respected test instruments, the TestPad 2000, the HST-3000 for field deployment, the CENTEST and T3AS centralized test and monitoring systems, and the NetOptimize OSS which supports the Verizon national voice, data, and long distance network. Verizon utilizes NetOptimize today to ensure the quality, performance, and availability of its traditional network and next generation pack-based softswitches and voice gateways. In addition, NetOptimize is used for network discovery and reconciliation for Verizon's Layer 1 transport network, including Digital Cross-Connect (DCS) and SONET ADM systems.

About Acterna

Acterna is the world's largest provider of communications test solutions for telecommunications and cable network operators. A trusted communications test partner for more than eight decades, Acterna offers an unmatched portfolio of award-winning instruments, systems, software and services that help its customers reduce network costs while improving performance and reliability. Headquartered in Germantown, Maryland, USA - with European and Asia-Pacific operations based in Eningen, Germany and Hong Kong - Acterna serves nearly every major communications service provider and equipment manufacturer around the world through a skilled sales and support organization in 31 countries.