Acterna Announces Agreement With CTC Communications Group, Inc., for Centralized Test and Monitoring System.

Business Editors

GERMANTOWN, Md.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 13, 2001

Acterna's Total Testing Solutions Package Improves Trouble Shooting

for CTC

Acterna (NASDAQ:ACTR), the world's second-largest provider of products that test and manage communications networks, today announced an agreement with CTC Communications Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:CPTL) for Acterna's centralized test and monitoring system to support the Company's IP+ATM PowerPathSM Network.

CTC, one of the nation's fastest growing competitive local exchange carriers (CLEC), delivers voice, data, video and Internet services across its next generation network. CTC's network, branded the PowerPathSM Network, utilizes a 100-percent packet based IP+ATM broadband architecture and extends from Maine to Virginia. CTC purchased Acterna's total testing solutions package, which includes NetAnalyst test and management OSS software, and T3AS remote network test and monitoring hardware, for service assurance and service fulfillment. The tools are already being utilized by CTC to provision, trouble shoot and monitor local connections to its network.

"Providing quality uninterrupted service is our core commitment to our customers," said Dave Charbonneau, CTC's Associate Vice President of Engineering. "We selected Acterna's integrated test and monitoring solution because it enables us to isolate and trouble shoot problems on the LEC side of our local loops without interrupting our customer's network applications. We were looking for this capability along with other tools in managing local connections to our PowerPathSM Network and we were able to get them all from Acterna."

"The CTC Agreement represents a landmark achievement for Acterna," said Jim Shea, Acterna Vice President of Marketing, Systems and Software Group. "By integrating multiple products from our portfolio into a comprehensive testing package, Acterna is able to leverage network test and measurement solutions that are unmatched in the industry. We look forward to helping CTC meet their objectives of accelerated provisioning and reduced mean-time-to-repair."

Acterna's solutions enable automated service fulfillment and service assurance for ILECs, CLECs, IXCs and wireless carriers globally. Capabilities afforded by Acterna's solution include integrated test and monitoring; performance, quality of service (QoS)/service level agreement (SLA) management; network provisioning and service activation, and traffic management. Each OSS provides open, standard CORBA-based interfaces to external order management, order entry, trouble-ticketing systems and databases.

About CTC Communications

CTC is a rapidly growing "next generation" Integrated Communications Carrier utilizing next generation technology and providing its customers with converged voice, data, Internet and video services on a broadband, packet-based network. The Company serves medium and larger business customers from Virginia to Maine, which includes the most robust telecommunications region in the world--the Washington D.C. to Boston corridor. CTC was managing more than 453,300 access lines as of December 31, 2000.

The Company's Cisco Powered IP+ATM packet network and its 435 member sales and service teams, provide contiguous marketing and technology coverage throughout the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic States. The Company, through its dedicated commitment to exceptional customer service, has achieved an industry-leading market share in the Northeast and an industry-leading line retention rate in excess of 99 percent. CTC can be found on the worldwide web at www.ctcnet.com.

About Acterna

Acterna is the world's second largest communications test company, focused entirely on providing test and management equipment, software, systems and services. With presence in 80 countries, Acterna helps customers develop, install and maintain their optical, cable, data/IP, access and wireless networks. Acterna is the world leader in optical and cable networks. The company was formed by the May 2000 merger of TTC and Wavetek Wandel Goltermann, produces annualized revenue of more than $1 billion, and serves customers with 4,700 employees. Acterna is a subsidiary of Acterna Corporation (NASDAQ: ACTR).

Information about Acterna can be found on the Web at www.acterna.com.

Note: All company or product names mentioned in this press release may be trademarks or registered trademarks of the respective companies. Customer and product-related inquiries should be directed to [phone]. Glossary: ATM - asynchronous transfer mode; CORBA - common object request broker architecture; DS - digital signal; DSL - digital subscriber line; ILEC - incumbent local exchange carrier; IP - Internet protocol; IXC - interexchange carrier; OC - optical carrier; OSS - operations support systems, SONET - synchronous optical network.