Altera SOPC Solutions Help Spirent Communications Deliver First 10 Gigabit Ethernet Product.

Business Editors/High-Tech Writers

SAN JOSE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--June 18, 2001

Altera Corporation (Nasdaq:ALTR) announced today that its system-on-a-programmable-chip (SOPC) products were used to bring to market the world's first 10 Gigabit Ethernet (10GbE) product, the SmartBits LAN 3710A. This product, which was introduced in January of this year, was developed by Spirent Communications, a world leader in performance analysis solutions. The SmartBits LAN 3710A utilizes an APEX(TM) EP20K1500E device, the highest density programmable logic device (PLD) generally offered by Altera, and is the first 10GbE test system that generates and analyzes traffic that implements the 10GBASE-ER. This capability allows customers to test and develop high-performance communication products for local, metropolitan, and wide-area networks that provide end users with greater bandwidth, faster data transfers, and access to more services.

"Our goal of developing the first 10 GbE product was made considerably easier by Altera's participation," stated Nick Luong, architect for Spirent Communications' SmartBits division. "The phased-locked loops (PLLs) in the APEX EP20K1500E device allowed us to achieve an amazing operating speed of 161 MHz. Also, towards the end of our development cycle, our compilation times with Altera's Quartus(R) II development tool shrank to less than an hour despite high device utilization, which meant that we could complete entire design revisions in a relatively short time. It's clear to me that Altera's stellar APEX 20KE device combined with excellent support were critical to the success of this project."

"The SmartBits LAN3710A provides Ethernet traffic generation and analysis at full line-rate speed of 10 Gbps, allowing large-scale testing of new 10GbE devices that route or switch between 10/100/1000 Mbps Ethernet, OC3 - OC192 PoS, ATM, and WAN in a single system," explained Manoj Samanta, vice president of engineering at Spirent Communications' SmartBits division. "In order to achieve this level of performance, we needed a device solution to format receive and transmit data at the 10 Gbps rate. We were skeptical that a high-capacity PLD would be able to operate at the speed we required, but the Altera APEX EP20K1500E device delivered, despite the fact that it was over 70 percent utilized."

"Altera's vital role in the development of the world's first 10GbE product further underscores our position of enabling leading-edge communications technology," said Hiro Higuma, director of communications segment marketing at Altera.

About Spirent Communications

Spirent Communications unites the best in performance analysis technology with network operations expertise. Its solutions enable customers to accelerate the development, deployment, and assurance of next-generation network equipment and services worldwide.

Spirent Communications designs and manufactures the award-winning Adtech, DLS, Edgcumbe, GSS, Hekimian, Net-HOPPER, SmartBits, TAS, and Zarak products. More than 2,500 of the world's leading network and terminal equipment manufacturers, network service providers, corporate enterprises, and test laboratories rely on its first-to-market products to verify and measure the performance and services of networks and communications devices. For more information on Spirent Communications visit www.spirentcom.com.

Spirent plc is the parent of Spirent Communications. Spirent is quoted on the London Stock Exchange, ticker SPT. The company operates at Level 1 American Depository Receipt program (ticker: SPNUY; CUSIP number: 84856M100). For information, contact Brian Heston, The Bank of New York, American Depository Receipts, 101 Barclay St., 22 West, New York, N.Y. 10286, phone [phone], fax [phone], e-mail: [e-mail], www.aadrbny.com.

About Altera

Altera Corporation, The Programmable Solutions Company(R), was founded in 1983 and is a leading supplier of programmable logic devices (PLDs). Altera's CMOS-based PLDs are user-programmable semiconductor chips that enhance flexibility and reduce time-to-market for companies in the communications, computer peripheral, and industrial markets. By using high performance devices, software development tools, and sophisticated intellectual property cores, system-on-a-programmable-chip (SOPC) solutions can be created with embedded processors, memory, and other complex logic together on a single PLD. Altera common stock is traded on The Nasdaq Stock Market under the symbol ALTR. More information on Altera is available on the Internet at http://www.altera.com.

Note to Editors: Altera, The Programmable Solutions Company, the stylized Altera logo, specific device designations and all other words that are identified as trademarks and/or service marks are, unless noted otherwise, the trademarks and service marks of Altera Corporation in the U.S. and other countries. SmartBits is a registered trademark of Spirent Communications. All other product or service names are the property of their respective holders.