Bowthorpe Announces Strategic Integration of Communications Companies to Form One Test &Measurement Company Named SPIRENT Communications.

Business Editors

ComNet 2000

WASHINGTON, D.C.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 25, 2000

Market-Leading Companies: Netcom Systems, Adtech, Telecom Analysis

Systems (TAS), Global Simulation Systems (GSS), and

DLS TestWorks have joined to provide solutions for

critical network and communications needs

Bowthorpe plc, a leading international technology group, today announced the formation of a new multimillion-dollar communications test and measurement company named SPIRENT Communications.

SPIRENT Communications is composed of five Bowthorpe companies.

Netcom Systems, whose SmartBits product is the leader in network performance and analysis systems; Adtech Inc., a worldwide leader in broadband test and analysis; and Telecom Analysis Systems (TAS), a leader in cellular/PCS, voiceband and cable modem test solutions are U.S.-based.

DLS, TestWorks who have become the standard for xDSL testing is Canadian-based, and Global Simulation Systems (GSS), the industry leader in the simulation of Global Positioning Satellite networks is based in England.

&uot;As networks continue to grow in size and complexity, so do the penalties of delay in time-to-market, business risks of uninformed purchasing decisions and the threat of costly network failures,&uot; said John Armstrong, chief networking analyst, Dataquest. &uot;Using comprehensive network test and measurement solutions, companies can reduce this risk and predict and optimize network performance.&uot;

The new SPIRENT Communications company will create a single worldwide authority on communications test and measurement for Network and Communications Equipment Manufacturers, Service Providers and Enterprises.

The company has more than 700 employees, with strong engineering resources, located in four countries. A single worldwide sales force, servicing more than 1,000 customers is now in place with offices throughout the United States, in France and the United Kingdom.

&uot;The move to combine our communications group's capabilities into one company marks a significant step in Bowthorpe's strategy of focusing on the needs of high-growth technology markets,&uot; said Nicholas Brookes, chief executive of Bowthorpe.

&uot;The introduction of SPIRENT Communications offers the industry's most comprehensive suite of test solutions -- solutions recognized worldwide as industry standards,&uot; said My Chung, group president, SPIRENT Communications.

&uot;The new company's combination of first-to-market products and industry standard test methodologies make its solutions indispensable to developers and evaluators of next-generation packet based networks.&uot;

SPIRENT Communications will be exhibiting at the ComNet trade show in Washington, D.C., Jan. 25-27 in booth No. 416.

About AdTech Inc. -- Honolulu

AdTech Inc., founded in 1967, is a leading manufacturer of high-performance test systems for the telecommunications industry. Adtech's flagship product, the AX/4000 Broadband Test System, has become a worldwide standard for testing the performance and Quality of Service (QoS) characteristics of high-speed broadband networks and networking equipment.

The AX/4000 is a fully modular, multi-port system that provides real-time traffic generation and full-rate analysis for ATM, Frame Relay, Ethernet and IP and operates at speeds up to 2.488 Gbps. AdTech's SX Series Data Link Simulators are specialized products that create the same error and delay characteristics found in both land-based and satellite data links.

About DLS Testworks -- Ottawa, Canada

DLS TestWorks has been designing and manufacturing xDSL test equipment for over 15 years and have become the industry standard for xDSL test equipment. Their products are designed and manufactured in very strict accordance with national and international telecommunications standards.

DLS TestWorks is committed to providing a xDSL testbed that will allow you not only to test and refine xDSL products, but also to provide you with the reassurance that your results will be internationally accepted.

About Global Simulation Systems (GSS) -- Devon, England

GSS is the industry leader in satellite navigation system testing. The company offers the most powerful solutions available to developers, manufacturers, integrators and evaluators of systems that rely on signals from GPS and GLONASS navigation satellites.

GSS meets testing needs across a broad range of commercial, space and military markets, with solutions that are adaptable, feature-rich and of high performance. GSS plays a key role in allowing most of the world's leading aerospace, automotive, telecommunications, marine and military organizations to maintain their competitive edge in satellite navigation technology.

About Netcom Systems Inc. -- Calabasas, Calif.

Netcom Systems' SmartBits products are the industry's only multi-port network performance analysis systems capable of generating and analyzing traffic, at full wire rate, over hundreds of ports for: 10/100/Gigabit, Gigabit Copper, Packet over Sonet, ATM, Frame Relay, WAN, XDSL, Cable Modem, Voice over IP, Multicast IP and TCP/IP.

SmartBits award-winning hardware and software applications are used by more than 800 of the world's leading network equipment manufacturers, network service providers, corporate enterprises and test laboratories to measure the performance and services of networks and network devices.

About Telecom Analysis Systems -- Eatontown, N.J.

TAS is a leading provider of test instruments and systems for developers, manufacturers and evaluators of advanced wireless and wireline network access equipment.

TAS' line of test solutions enables communication professionals to fully evaluate the transmission performance of their products over a wide range of network conditions. TAS test instruments and systems are used to optimize the development and deployment of PCS and cellular handsets, cable modems, 56K modems, remote access equipment, fax machines, and other communications devices.

TAS supplies customers with cutting-edge test solutions and provides the tools necessary to further the evolution of communication.

About Bowthorpe

Bowthorpe plc is the parent company of a growing international technology group focused on the design, development, manufacture and marketing of specialist electronic products. Customers include leading organizations in markets such as aerospace, automotive, computer, construction and telecommunications.

Bowthorpe provides state-of-the-art electronic solutions in rapidly growing technology areas, such as high-speed digital communications and aerospace information management. Bowthorpe is quoted on the London Stock Exchange, ticker BWTH.L. www.bowthorpe.com.