First to Market With a New Range of EDGE and GPRS Air Interface Monitors and Emulators.

Business Editors & High-Tech Writers

IRVINE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 19, 2001

Racal Instruments is the first to market with a new range of air interface monitoring and emulation products providing EDGE (Enhanced Data Rate for GSM Evolution) and GPRS (General Packet Radio Service) testing for GSM base stations and mobiles.

Available to the industry ahead of the expected explosion in the uptake of GSM mobile phones with data capability, Racal is the first to deliver EGPRS protocol test systems with multi-slot capability supporting Class 14 (4 UL + 4 DL time slots) and full functionality.

Ideal for research and development, evaluation, interoperability testing, regression testing and product support, this extension to the comprehensive ProCLAIME series offers easy to use, fast, accurate and cost-effective solutions to the rapidly increasing demand for testing of the new data enabled GSM and TDMA base stations and mobiles.

Enabling users to monitor message exchanges and also to emulate different scenarios on both layers 2 and 3, these new mobile and BTS protocol testers are script-controlled providing extremely powerful diagnostics and debugging tools for protocol regression testing and fault finding.

Reducing the time required by development and engineering teams to achieve their milestones, the new systems are also capable of the logging of air interface signaling as well as assessing the integrity of the traffic frames on the air interface.

The ProCLAIME systems are available with additional options to enhance their productivity including support for remote control and logging over ethernet as well as the ability to use other script languages.

Consisting of three new models in the range, they include the EGPRS AIME for mobiles, EGPRS AIM for base stations and Two Way EGPRS AIM for mobile and BTS inter-working tests. The Two Way AIM is the only product available in the market today that is capable of monitoring, passively, message exchanges between the mobile and BTS on layers 2 and 3 during proper call environments.

Applicable to 850, E-GSM, 1800 and 1900 radios, these latest additions to the Racal range of digital radio testers retain the comprehensive test and measurement features of their highly successful predecessors.

Racal's radio communications test business unit provides a comprehensive range of award winning radio communications test and protocol analysis equipment for present and new generation communications systems. In addition, it's the world's leading supplier of digital radio base station test systems as well as the world's leading manufacturer of test systems for the new and emerging digital radio satellite communication networks.

The Racal Instruments group is a global manufacturer of precision electronic test and measurement equipment that covers the spectrum from DC to optical wavelengths for use in a wide variety of applications in industries ranging from defense and aerospace to automotive and communications.

Sales contacts:
   Europe -- Anji Metcalf                   Tel:  + 44 (0) 1628 604455
   Americas -- Amir Ghanouni                Tel:  [phone]
   Asia Pacific (Hong Kong) -- Esmond Chan  Tel:  + 852 2405 5500
   Australia -- Steve Clifton               Tel:  + 61 2 9936 7000

Racal Instruments' functional test business unit, awarded Intel's coveted Supplier Continuous Quality Improvement (SCQI) award this year, is a global leader in ATE integration services. The company offers the industry's most extensive range of open architecture chassis and switching cards together with broadband, analog and digital test and instrumentation products, providing complete turnkey automatic test equipment systems and integration services.

Racal Instruments' defense business unit is dedicated to the design and manufacture of automated test and repair facilities and instrumentation in support of a wide range of high-technology electronic systems for the defense industry.

Providing customized maintenance and logistic support solutions, the unit specializes in the definition, design and supply of facilities for mobile or static roles including production testing in the factories of defense contractors.

Representing part of Racal's considerable global investment in customer support, the customer services business unit provides a comprehensive follow-the-sun manned help desk capability.

The unit offers customers around the world cost-effective product support, including calibration, repair and technical support of Racal broad range of radio communications and open architecture integrated ATE and instrumentation systems as well as other third party products.

Visit Racal Instruments on the Web at http://www.racalinstruments.com

Racal Instruments' new range of air interface monitoring and emulation products is the first to provide EDGE (Enhanced Data Rate for GSM Evolution) and GPRS (General Packet Radio Service) testing for GSM base stations and mobiles, and delivers multi-slot capability supporting Class 14 (4 UL + 4 DL time slots) and full functionality.

Note to Editors: Racal Instruments comprises four global business units -- Functional Test, Radio Communications Test, Defense and Customer Services.

Steve Gledhill of Racal Instruments will be at the company's booth No. 2833 at the CTIA show in Las Vegas. He can be reached on his mobile telephone at [phone].