Agilent Technologies' New Integrated GPRS Service Quality OSS Solutions are Industry's First to Manage Entire Service Life Cycle.

Business Editors/High-Tech Writers

3GSM World Congress 2003

CANNES, France--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 17, 2003

Agilent Technologies Inc. (NYSE:A) today introduced three Agilent OSS solutions to help service providers manage the quality of GPRS (General Packet Radio Service) services, and are the industry's first to manage GPRS quality throughout the entire service life cycle.

Agilent's new integrated GPRS service quality OSS solutions include the following:

-- Agilent OSS Wireless QoS Manager, a second-generation solution that monitors content provider services, network connectivity, and IP connectivity through active testing to ensure that end-to-end service quality is provided by the operator and content providers;

-- Agilent OSS GPRS QoS Analyzer, a new solution that monitors overall service quality, as experienced by the actual subscriber, by measuring all network traffic in real time to find problems with infrastructure, content providers, IP connectivity partners, and more; and

-- Agilent OSS GPRS Session Analyzer, which troubleshoots problems reported by customers or fault management alarms by monitoring individual subscriber GPRS sessions, analyzing the data, and then presenting it in easy-to-use visuals that drill down to records on a specific user.

Wireless QoS Manager, GPRS QoS Analyzer, and GPRS Session Analyzer integrate live customer transaction data and test results to provide views of the network-wide quality of a particular service, the service quality for a specific subscriber, and the Quality of Service (QoS) for a planned service on a test network. The solutions maximize uptime and help speed the introduction of new GPRS data services, reduce operating costs and improve customer satisfaction and revenue.

GPRS service providers can use Wireless QoS Manager to ensure that service offerings perform correctly both before and after they are introduced to customers. Active testing performs scheduled, repeatable tests to find potential problems such as voicemail malfunctions, incorrect MMS transactions, and delayed unified messaging notification. After a new service is launched, GPRS QoS Analyzer measures all GPRS transactions in real time to proactively manage service quality problems, and can automatically prioritize repairs based on service level agreement (SLA) contracts. GPRS Session Analyzer enables customer care specialists and network operators to drill down to an individual subscriber's GPRS session information for immediate diagnosis of problems reported by customers or fault management alarms.

Although wireless service providers are experienced in managing voice networks and services, GPRS introduces many complexities, such as new element types, protocols like IP and frame relay, IT infrastructure, and value-added services and content. In addition to these challenges, subscribers hold service providers responsible for the quality of services, both within the provider's network domain and within the domains of their roaming partners.

"As new data services add complexity to the network and the value chain, wireless service providers must implement more comprehensive OSSs to maintain control of service quality," said Tom Walls, vice president and general manager of Agilent's Telecommunication Systems Division. "Carriers can combine Agilent's solutions to discover service problems within both their own networks (on-network) and within partner networks (off-network), a necessity in today's interconnected world."

Additional information about Agilent at 3GSM is available in an on-line press kit at www.agilent.com/comms/3gsmpresskit.

Agilent in Communications

Agilent Technologies is a leading provider of components, test, measurement, monitoring and management solutions for the communications industry. Agilent enables designers, manufacturers and service providers to accelerate the delivery of next-generation devices, networks and services. Agilent's broad set of solutions and services includes optical, wireless, Internet and broadband technologies that span the entire communications life cycle.

About Agilent Technologies

Agilent Technologies Inc. (NYSE:A) is a global technology leader in communications, electronics and life sciences. The company's 35,000 employees serve customers in more than 110 countries. Agilent had net revenue of $6 billion in fiscal year 2002. Information about Agilent is available on the Web at www.agilent.com.

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