Birmingham Cable Selects the TTC 2230 Communications Analyzer for Major Build-out TTC's.

GERMANTOWN, Md.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 5, 1998--

Handheld Tester Cited for All-in-One WAN Transmission

Analysis and Troubleshooting Capabilities

TTC Monday announced that Birmingham Cable, one of the U.K.'s leading providers of advanced communication services, has chosen the TTC 2230 communications analyzer for a major network build out.

TTC's new handheld tester will support the deployment of an $850 million-plus fiber optic network for information and entertainment services in Birmingham and Solihull in England. Birmingham Cable serves more than 165,000 commercial and residential customers.

Introduced last month by TTC as the next generation of field testing, the TTC 2230 communications analyzer is a rugged and easy-to-use instrument that offers one-touch physical layer testing and protocol analysis in a single lightweight, handheld platform.

Ideally suited to the field technician dispatched to the customer premises, the TTC 2230's superior transmission-test capability facilitates analysis and troubleshooting.

"During trials, we found that the TTC 2230 met a wider range of needs than any other single unit we have come across," said Tony Sharpe, Birmingham Cable's business operations manager.

"Our technicians have to deal with a wide range of services, protocols and transmission media. The great benefit of the TTC 2230 is that it combines several testers in one unit thus dispensing with the need to buy quantities of dedicated test equipment and minimizing travelling time at the same time as speeding up the faulting process.

"Other benefits include an easier upgrade path for new protocols, instead of buying new test equipment each time, and a unit that is easy to use with a front end that is familiar to technicians. Finally, we were impressed with TTC's customer care and service, and because TTC took the time and trouble to find out what we, the customer, wanted, and followed up with significant support."

With nearly 25 years of experience in test equipment design, TTC understands field testing needs. The TTC 2230's mechanical enclosure is protected by a rubber overmold to absorb the impact of unexpected falls. TTC also has engineered a custom mounting to house the TTC 2230's VGA LCD and touch screen digitizer to protect against unavoidable impacts and mechanical twist.

Every instrument is durability-tested to withstand heat, cold and vibrations. TTC guarantees the performance of the TTC 2230 with an industry-leading three-year warranty. With ten modes of operation and summary statistics for BERT, voice, CAS and PRI ISDN, technicians gain insight into protocol-based problems without having to carry or operate a protocol analyzer.

Push-button troubleshooting made possible by the TTC 2230 empowers the field technician with enhanced, software-assisted problem resolution without the complexity and overhead of a high-end analyzer.

In just eight years, Birmingham Cable, which operates in the U.K.'s largest single cable franchise, has grown to be one of the U.K.'s leading providers of advanced communication services. During this time, the company has invested several hundred million dollars to build a state-of-the-art optical network.

The main network build is now complete, and over 400,000 properties have access to its telecommunication, information and entertainment services. Currently, more than 160,000 residential customers and 4,000 businesses are enjoying these services. Customers include The Rover Group, NatWest, Cadbury, the University of Birmingham, Birmingham Children's Hospital and Britannic Assurance.

TTC, a Dynatech company (OTC-BB:DYNA), is a global leader in the design, manufacture and marketing of test products, test systems, software and support services that enable communications providers and users to more efficiently install and maintain successful networks. Known for its T-BERD and FIREBERD analyzers and CENTEST centralized test systems, TTC provides testing solutions for ATM, ISDN, frame relay, wireless, SDH and SONET technologies.

TTC also meets customer needs through extensive training programs, technical assistance and consulting services. Headquartered near Washington, D.C., in Germantown, TTC has offices and distributors worldwide, and is accessible via the Internet at www.ttc.com or 301/353-1550.

TTC, T-BERD and FIREBERD are registered trademarks of TTC. CENTEST is a trademark of TTC.

Glossary: ATM - asynchronous transfer mode; BERT - bit error rate testing; CAS - channel associated signaling; ISDN - integrated services digital network; LCD - liquid crystal display; PRI - primary rate interface; SDH - synchronous digital hierarchy; SONET - synchronous optical network; VGA variable graphics array. Customer and product-related inquiries should be directed to 301/353-1550.

Inquiries from the media and industry analysts should be directed to Alice Ducq ([e-mail]) at 301/353-1560 ext. 3153.