TRADE NEWS: Agilent Technologies N2X Multiservices Test Solution First to Offer MEF 14 Conformance Test Suite; N2X Strengthens Carrier Ethernet Solution by Enabling Comprehensive Testing of New MEF 14 UNI Specifications.

PALO ALTO, Calif. -- Agilent Technologies Inc. (NYSE:A) today announced the industry's first conformance test suite for the Metro Ethernet Forum (MEF) technical specification 14. Network equipment manufacturers and service providers can now use the Agilent N2X MEF 14 conformance test suite (CTS) together with Agilent's existing N2X MEF 9 CTS to verify that E-LAN and E-Line services carried by their Carrier Ethernet equipment comply with the Ethernet services attributes specified by the MEF.

MEF 14, Abstract Test Suite for Traffic Management, is the second test specification to be officially ratified by the MEF. It incorporates bandwidth profile and Ethernet virtual-service attributes test cases to ensure time-sensitive triple-play services can be delivered with high quality of service using Carrier Ethernet.

The Agilent N2X MEF 14 CTS incorporates 170 individual test cases, saving test engineers hundreds of hours of programming needed to comprehensively verify Carrier Ethernet service attributes. Equipment manufacturers and service providers that already use the Agilent N2X MEF 9 CTS to verify the performance of their Carrier Ethernet equipment can now quickly and easily check conformance to MEF 14, thereby accelerating the equipment certification process. The N5591A MEF 14 CTS seamlessly integrates with the N5590A MEF 9 CTS in an easy-to-use GUI environment, making it an ideal solution for pre-qualifying equipment for MEF certification.

"MEF 14 is another key industry specification for verifying service compliance at the User Network Interface (UNI)," said Bob Mandeville, president of Iometrix, the MEF-endorsed certification lab. "To use a metaphor, MEF 9 was the UNI testing door-handle, and MEF 14 is the key. The news that tools designed specifically for MEF 14 compliance testing are already available will be welcomed by the testing, equipment vendor, service provider and user communities alike."

The N2X N5591A MEF 14 CTS provides fine-grain test cases for Frame Delay, Frame Delay Variation, Frame Loss Ratio, and Bandwidth Profile Rate Enforcement, verifying service attributes that must be met for a device to comply with the cornerstone MEF 10 specification. The N5591A enhances user productivity by:

--Saving test engineers many months of engineering effort required to develop and maintain their own test applications.

--Providing a high-quality, independent validation tool. Test engineers can focus on resolving implementation problems in the network equipment instead of debugging the test setup.

--Enabling rapid completion of complex test plans for faster problem resolution and further regression testing as users' products evolve.

"Testing conformance to MEF 14 is an important step in enabling service providers to offer SLAs with well-defined metrics for service assurance," said Dave Bass, vice president and general manager of Agilent's Data Networking Division. "Service providers can then offer SLAs for Carrier Ethernet services carrying time-sensitive applications such as multicast and VoIP. The N2X MEF 14 conformance test suite significantly reduces the cost and time needed to verify new service capabilities in a complex, multivendor environment."

U.S. Pricing and Availability

The Agilent N2X multiservices solution is available starting at $20,000. For a limited time, Agilent is offering a special introductory price on the leading Carrier Ethernet testing solutions. More information is available at www.agilent.com/comms/n2x. Product photos are available at www.agilent.com/find/n2x_image.

About Agilent Technologies

Agilent Technologies Inc. (NYSE:A) is the world's premier measurement company and a technology leader in communications, electronics, life sciences and chemical analysis. The company's 21,000 employees serve customers in more than 110 countries. Agilent had net revenue of $5.1 billion in fiscal 2005. Information about Agilent is available on the Web at www.agilent.com.

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