Spirent Communications Simplifies Wireless Receiver Testing; New Noise Option for Wireless Channel Emulator Enhances Test Capabilities.

Business Editors/High-Tech Writers

ROCKVILLE, Md.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 29, 2004

Spirent Communications(TM) (NYSE:SPM)(LSE:SPT) announced today a major enhancement to its SR5500 Wireless Channel Emulator. Spirent has added a cost-effective Additive White Gaussian Noise (AWGN) option to the SR5500 which will greatly simplify wireless receiver test setups. This option reduces the complexity and time required to fully qualify receiver performance against industry standards and representative real-world scenarios. The benefits of this enhancement include reduced time-to-market for deploying mobile handsets, reduced costs for field trials, and increased end-user satisfaction.

Spirent's SR5500 is considered one of the leading fading emulators in the industry. It is proof of how Spirent is enabling 3G success for its customers through the introduction of innovative wireless testing technologies. The SR5500, packed with more than a decade of development expertise, is a critical element for thorough performance testing of current and next-generation air interface technologies, including WCDMA, HSDPA, CDMA2000 1X, 1xEV-DO, 1xEV-DV and WLAN. The addition of the new AWGN option eliminates the need for external noise generators. AWGN is added digitally to assure the highest levels of test accuracy and repeatability.

"By adding AWGN to the already feature-rich SR5500, we've made it even easier for our customers to simplify and accelerate their test programs," said Rob VanBrunt, vice president of product marketing at Spirent Communications. "At Spirent we continually strive to enable our customers to bring their products to market faster, with better performance. The SR5500 is a great example of the powerful, dynamic, yet easy-to-use solutions Spirent provides."

Spirent's SR5500 Wireless Channel Emulator accurately emulates complex wideband radio channel characteristics such as time-varying multi-path delay spread, fading, and channel loss. The SR5500 replicates real-world deployment conditions using powerful digital signal processing techniques that make it possible to isolate wireless receiver performance issues early in the development and design verification cycle. Digital integration of AWGN gives the highest degree of accuracy and repeatability for C/N, C/No, and Eb/No ratios.

Spirent Communications' wireless test solutions aid in all phases of mobile handset development and deployment for the world's leading chipset, handset and infrastructure manufacturers and mobile service providers. Spirent is considered by the industry the "one-stop-shop" for CDMA handset performance and certification testing. Among its accomplishments, Spirent has introduced the first and only integrated solution available to test location-capable CDMA phones, a critical element of assisting manufacturers in meeting the U.S. FCC E911 requirements. Spirent has leveraged its success in mobile performance and certification testing in the CDMA market to also bring comprehensive performance analysis to the GSM and WCDMA market.

About Spirent Communications

Spirent Communications (www.spirentcom.com) is a global provider of integrated performance analysis and service assurance systems that enable the development and deployment of next-generation networking technology such as Internet telephony, broadband services, 3G wireless, global navigation satellite systems, and network security equipment. Spirent's solutions are used by more than 1,500 customers in 30 countries, including the world's largest equipment manufacturers, service providers, enterprises and governments.

Based in Rockville, Maryland, Spirent Communications reported 2002 revenue of $476 million and has 1,800 employees worldwide. The company is the largest business group of Spirent plc, traded on the London and New York Stock Exchanges (LSE: SPT; NYSE: SPM; CUSIP number: 84856M209). www.spirent.com. Spirent Communications' sales to the United States government are made through Spirent Federal Systems. www.spirentfederal.com.

Spirent Communications, Spirent and the Spirent logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Spirent plc. All other trademarks or registered trademarks are held by their respective companies. All rights reserved.

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