Westell Announces New ADSL Modem with DMH Technology.

Business Editors/High-Tech Writers

AURORA, Ill.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--July 22, 2003

Westell Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ:WSTL), a leading provider of broadband access solutions, today announced that it has developed an innovative new DSL modem incorporating patent pending DMH(TM) (Dynamic Multi-Hybrid) technology. DMH technology dramatically improves DSL performance by as much as five times on DSL lines with bridged taps. Westell believes that its modems incorporating DMH technology offer DSL service providers the opportunity to reduce their operational expenses, expand their revenue and increase their service availability without any additional network capital investment.

Westell's DMH technology helps solve the service provider's long-standing bridged tap problems. Bridged taps can severely impair DSL service quality, download speed, and in some cases will not allow DSL service to be provisioned.

A recent study performed by Telcordia estimated that approximately 75 percent of all telephone lines have some form of bridged tap. In today's environment, DSL service providers are often either unable to provision DSL service, or in many cases receive customer complaints regarding unreliable service and degraded DSL performance.

Westell believes that its new WireSpeed(TM) model 2200 with DMH technology almost completely eliminates the effects of bridged taps enabling significant improvement in downstream data rates and permits more access lines to deliver DSL service. The new WireSpeed modem can significantly improve signal quality delivering a 300 percent improvement in downstream rate over that of a conventional modem with a typical 250-500 ft. bridged tap. This improvement in signal quality enables service providers to successfully provision DSL services at distances further from the central office than previously obtainable.

According to the Yankee Group, there are approximately 61 million access lines in the United States longer than 12,000 ft. Service providers report that at lengths in excess of 12,000 ft., provisioning DSL service cost effectively proves troublesome using existing modems. With Westell's WireSpeed DHM modems, the availability of DSL service is extended permitting service providers to offer DSL service to a greater number of customers.

DSL lines with bridged taps effects currently present a chronic provisioning and customer support problem for service providers. By helping to eliminate the bridged tap affect, DMH technology dramatically reduces the service provider's need for costly customer support and truck dispatches.

Westell's WireSpeed modem with DMH technology is a single ended modem solution working with standard ADSL central office DSLAMs. Service providers can realize the performance, revenue and operating expense benefits delivered by DMH without any additional network capital investments (e.g. DSLAM upgrade).

"DMH represents a significant technology advancement expanding the service coverage area for our customers while also improving the quality of the DSL broadband service being delivered. With Westell's DMH technology, our service provider customers will improve the service they deliver their customers while simultaneously lowering the cost of delivering that service," said Gordon Reichard, Jr., Vice President, Marketing.

Westell is the only U.S. company engineering and manufacturing modems in the United States. The company has operated a manufacturing facility in Illinois since 1981.

About Westell

Westell Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ:WSTL) headquartered in Aurora, Illinois is a broadband access solutions company that provides leading broadband products, service solutions, and conferencing solutions for carriers, service providers and business enterprises around the world. Westell delivers innovative, open broadband solutions that meet our customers' needs for fast and seamless broadband connection. ConferencePlus, a Westell subsidiary, offers conferencing services including voice, video, and IP data conferencing, to carriers and multi-national corporations throughout the world. For more information visit www.westell.com.

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Certain statements contained herein including, without limitation, statements containing the words "believe," " on track, " "anticipate," "committed" "expect," "estimate", "await," "continue," "intend," "may," "will," "should," and similar expressions are forward looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. These risks include, but are not limited to, product demand and market acceptance risks, need for financing, the economic downturn in the U.S. economy and telecom market, the impact of competitive products or technologies, competitive pricing pressures, product development, excess and obsolete inventory due to new product development, commercialization and technological delays or difficulties (including delays or difficulties in developing, producing, testing and selling new products and technologies), the effect of Westell's accounting policies, the need for additional capital, the effect of economic conditions and trade, legal social and economic risks (such as import, licensing and trade restrictions) and other risks more fully described in Westell's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2003 under the section "Risk Factors". Westell undertakes no obligation to release publicly the result of any revisions to these forward looking statements that may be made to reflect events or circumstances after the date hereof or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events.