Acterna HST-3000 Handheld Services Test Platform is Tier 1 Network Service Providers' Field Tester of Choice Throughout North America, Europe.

GERMANTOWN, Md. -- Deployments include triple-play modules used to test IP Video and ADSL2+

Acterna, the leader in test and management solutions for consumer and business broadband communications, today announced that it delivered over 3,000 of its HST-3000 handheld service testers to more than six Tier 1 carriers in North America and Europe during the past six months. Widespread adoption of the HST includes the world's first delivery, well ahead of the rest of the industry, of handheld field testers designed specifically to enable the rollout of IP Video service. The HST-3000, first introduced in late-2002, has been approved by nearly every major U.S. telecommunications provider and is quickly gaining widespread acceptance in Europe and the Asia Pacific region. The HST-3000 IP Video test suite is the industry's first specifically designed to meet the all-in-one test support needs of field technicians.

Because it is also designed to meet the full depth and breadth of test applications required by technicians responsible for access network service installation and maintenance, the HST-3000 is ideally suited for field use with powerful automation features that improve work force efficiency.

"These milestones are important for Acterna and our field services division because they tell us that we are delivering the right field solutions to our customers at a critical time for them, for us, and for the industry," said Jerry Gentile, general manager for Acterna's telecommunication field services (TFS). "Intense competition and the need to drive growth while reducing operating costs make test and network management a vital component for all providers seeking the reliable delivery of voice, video and data, and the HST-3000 is proving to be their handheld field service tester of choice."

As telecommunications operators deploy voice, video and data services, IP Video becomes an enabling technology and is forecasted for rapid growth. Answering the demand by carriers worldwide, the Acterna HST-3000 IP Video test suite provides set-top box (STB) emulation, including signaling for both broadcast video (IGMP) and Video-on-Demand (VoD) (RTSP), offers detailed analysis of the video transport stream (including PID discovery, packet loss, and jitter), and enables PCR jitter analysis. The test access includes both an Ethernet interface and an ADSL interface.

ADSL2+, which will begin wide-scale development this year, is a new technology and a key enabler for the deployment of new voice, data and video over copper access networks. The ADSL2+ option for the Acterna HST-3000 provides ATU-R emulation supporting ADSL1, ADSL2, and ADSL2+ in one module, supports new modes of operation including Reach Extended mode and All Digital mode, and enhances the full suite of HST data features over this new copper loop technology.

The HST-3000 IP Video and VoIP test suites support the planned deployments of packet-based voice and video service networks specially targeted at FTTx and video-over-DSL networks.

About the Acterna HST-3000

The Acterna HST-3000 is a modular, hand-held test tool that scales to address a broad spectrum of different access network technology testing needs, from the physical layer to the application layer. It was the first hand-held field test tool to provide basic turn-up and troubleshooting of VoIP deployment, supporting physical layer analysis through packet metrics, signaling analysis and voice quality determination. HST-3000 capabilities allow packet capture of live VoIP calls, including VoIP call storage and an integrated FTP capability to send captured VoIP calls to be analyzed by Acterna's PVA-1000 software. The HST was created to improve efficiency and lower the costs of installing, maintaining, and troubleshooting business and residential services and networks. The HST-3000 combines copper, voice and data service testing features with unparalleled process automation capabilities in a lightweight, battery-operated unit.

By adding ADSL2+ and IP Video test options, the HST-3000 breaks new ground in test support for triple-play service deployments and extends its capabilities for installation and maintenance crews who will be responsible for turn-up and troubleshooting these new services. The Acterna HST-3000 VoIP Tester was named Product of the Year for 2002 by INTERNET TELEPHONY(R) magazine.

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.

All Acterna company or product names mentioned in this press release are trademarks or registered trademarks of Acterna Inc. or one of its subsidiary companies.