Argogroup Scoops 2004 Frost & Sullivan Excellence in Technology Award.

Business Editors/High-Tech Writers

LONDON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--June 8, 2004

For its sharp understanding of market requirements and using that knowledge to develop pioneering testing platforms for the wireless test solutions space, Technical Insights, a Frost & Sullivan division, presents Argogroup with the 2004 European Excellence in Technology Award. Argogroup's Monitor Master (MM), which not only enables operators to monitor networks but also simulates various user scenarios, has become the first choice of wireless operators in Europe.

A spate of technological developments in the wireless communications market created a need for reliable testing platforms. MM met this requirement by not only providing the platform but also helping mobile operators deliver the best possible user experience for their value-added services.

"MM was built on a proprietary, scalable modular technology architecture called Ubiquinox," says Technical Insights analyst Jagan Ramaswami. "The Ubiquinox architecture combines the advantages of network interoperability with the ability to simulate varied payload, device and testing conditions, making MM a flexible, integrated and modular system."

MM is unique in its ability to accurately simulate numerous operational conditions for testing service development, network monitoring, handset validation and other network management/development functions. MM uses a device database combined with a test toolkit, reporting engine and management console to enable network operators to simulate the use of a particular device with value-added services under specified network conditions.

Argogroup has also made MM compatible with several applications including wireless application protocol, iMode, interactive voice response and wireless fidelity, apart from location-based services, video streaming, voice over IP, video teleconferencing and micro-payment services. As it is fully automated, it is 300 times faster than independent modules used for manual testing.

"It is not surprising that MM shows the potential to be a ground-breaking technology in this field with 30 operators across the globe already having embraced this testing platform," notes Mr. Ramaswami. "Argogroup's technology has revolutionised the wireless test sector and for its exceptional pioneering technology, it richly deserves the Frost & Sullivan Excellence in Technology Award."

About Frost & Sullivan

Frost & Sullivan, a global leader in international strategic growth consulting and training, bestows industry awards on companies demonstrating exceptional market share leadership skills in the increasingly competitive marketplace.

Frost & Sullivan rigorously analyses specific criteria to determine Market Engineering Award recipients in a variety of regional and global market landscapes. Founded in 1961, Frost & Sullivan is headquartered in San Jose, Calif., with offices located worldwide. For further information, visit http://www.frost.com.

About Argogroup

Argogroup specialises in optimizing user experience for mobile services, a discipline that focuses on the interaction between network, service and handset. The company's two software products -- Monitor Master and Device Master -- help handset manufacturers and mobile operators test, monitor and develop products and services so that users spend more time and money on them.

Monitor Master is the world's leading User Experience Optimization platform, in use in over 40 mobile operators and equipment manufacturers worldwide. Device Master automatically creates detailed handset profiles so that all device data is held in a central knowledge base.

Argogroup is backed by Apax Partners and 3i. Its headquarters are near Guildford, UK, with offices in Seattle, Paris and Stockholm. For more information, visit: http://www.argogroup.com/