Acterna and Tollgrade Form Strategic Alliance to Improve DSL Services Worldwide.Business Editors GERMANTOWN, Md. & PITTSBURGH, Pa.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 18, 2001 Acterna (NASDAQ NASDAQ in full National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotations U.S. market for over-the-counter securities. Established in 1971 by the National Association of Securities Dealers (NASD), NASDAQ is an automated quotation system that reports on :ACTR ACTR American Council of Teachers of Russian ACTR Actuator ACTR Association for Canadian Theatre Research ACTR A Christmas To Remember ACTR Assistant Contract Technical Representative (NMCI liaison) ) and Tollgrade (NASDAQ:TLGD), two leading communications industry communications industry, broadly defined, the business of conveying information. Although communication by means of symbols and gestures dates to the beginning of human history, the term generally refers to mass communications. test and management companies, have formed a new strategic alliance to help improve the installation, deployment and management of digital subscriber line See DSL. (communications, protocol) Digital Subscriber Line - (DSL, or Digital Subscriber Loop, xDSL - see below) A family of digital telecommunications protocols designed to allow high speed data communication over the existing copper telephone lines between end-users and (DSL DSL in full Digital Subscriber Line Broadband digital communications connection that operates over standard copper telephone wires. It requires a DSL modem, which splits transmissions into two frequency bands: the lower frequencies for voice (ordinary ) services worldwide. Under the terms of their original equipment manufacturing agreement (OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) The rebranding of equipment and selling it. The term initially referred to the company that made the products (the "original" manufacturer), but eventually became widely used to refer to the organization that buys the products and ), Acterna and Tollgrade will jointly develop and market DSL remote test solutions for provisioning and maintenance of service provider networks worldwide. Although DSL is highly touted as one of the most promising new broadband access technologies, its growth has been hampered by the challenges service providers face in quickly and affordably installing the service. Delivered over the traditional copper phone lines that connect homes and small businesses, DSL is often the most viable method for customers to receive high-speed, high-bandwidth services. "Broadband to the home starts with DSL at the doorstep," said John Peeler, Acterna president and CEO (1) (Chief Executive Officer) The highest individual in command of an organization. Typically the president of the company, the CEO reports to the Chairman of the Board. . "As industry leaders, we need to make DSL services as easy to install and as reliable as ordering a second phone line. By aligning with Tollgrade, Acterna can offer customers integrated solutions that will significantly ease the deployment and management of DSL service." "Service providers routinely spend between $600 and $1,000 for new DSL service activation, while their customers must often wait weeks before service is up and running," said Chris Allison, chairman and CEO of Tollgrade. "By lowering the cost and increasing the speed of DSL installations, Acterna and Tollgrade will allow carriers to increase profits. Customers, in turn, will receive reliable DSL service more quickly." Acterna provides solutions for testing access networks, ranging from handheld DSL field instruments to centralized monitoring systems and software, that help service providers bridge the "last mile" to businesses and residential customers. Tollgrade offers a variety of proven solutions, including its DigiTest next-generation test platform, for everything from DSL, POTS and DLC (1) (Data Link Control) See data link and OSI. (2) (Data Link Control) The data link layer protocol (layer 2) that is used in IBM's SNA networking. See SNA, data link protocol and Microsoft DLC. (digital loop carrier In telephone communications, a technology that increases the number of channels in the local loop by converting analog signals to digital and multiplexing them back to the end office. ) systems. The first joint offering is expected to be available in the first quarter of 2002. About Acterna Acterna is the world's largest provider of test and management solutions for optical transport, access and cable networks, and the second largest communications test company overall. Focused entirely on providing equipment, software, systems and services, Acterna helps customers develop, install, manufacture and maintain their optical transport, access, cable, data/IP and wireless networks. The company produces annualized annualized Of or relating to a variable that has been mathematically converted to a yearly rate. Inflation and interest rates are generally annualized since it is on this basis that these two variables are ordinarily stated and compared. revenue of more than $1 billion and serves customers in more than 80 countries. Acterna is a subsidiary of Acterna Corporation (NASDAQ: ACTR). Information about Acterna can be found on the Web at www.acterna.com. About Tollgrade Tollgrade Communications, Inc. (NASDAQ: TLGD), designs, engineers, markets and supports test system, test access and status monitoring products for the telecommunications and cable television industries. Tollgrade, which is headquartered in a suburb of Pittsburgh, Pa., recorded 2000 revenues of $114.4 million. The company maintains a presence in regions across the United States and in the United Kingdom. Tollgrade's World Wide Web address is www.tollgrade.com. Note to editors: All company or product names mentioned in this press release may be trademarks or registered trademarks of the respective companies with which they are associated. Additional market fact sheet is available upon request. Please contact Rachel Hunt, 301/353-1560 ext. 4371 (rachel.hunt@acterna.com) for more informaiton. |
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