Agilent Technologies Announces 2.5 Gb/s Transceivers to Alleviate Bottlenecks in Metropolitan Area Networks; OC-48 Small-Form-Factor Transceivers to be Available in High Volumes

Business Wire, March 12, 2001

Business Editors/High-Tech Writers

PALO ALTO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 12, 2001

Agilent Technologies Inc. (NYSE: A) today announced new 2.5 Gb/s small-form-factor (SFF) fiber-optic transceivers for SONET/SDH short reach (SR) and intermediate reach (IR) links. The new transceivers, Agilent's first SFF devices at this speed, are important elements in relieving the networking bandwidth bottleneck currently experienced in metropolitan area networks (MANs).

The advent of Gigabit Ethernet products (led by Agilent as the world's leading provider of Gigabit Ethernet transceivers) has eased much of the bandwidth crunch inside local area network (LAN) enterprises. In the core of the wide area network (WAN), dense wave division multiplex (DWDM) solutions have provided significant bandwidth. The bottleneck is now centered in metro networks that ring cities and lead to the network core. Users have found it difficult to procure sufficient numbers of the OC-48 transceivers needed in this application. Agilent's new transceivers, designed to be produced in very high-volume, are intended to break open the MAN bottleneck.

"Agilent is the leader in SFF fiber-optic transceivers; we recently shipped our 2.5-millionth SFF unit," said David Knights, manager of Agilent's Fiber Optics Business Unit. "We are now applying our competency in high-volume manufacturing to an area of market need, and our customer base has shown great enthusiasm for this initiative."

Product Features

Agilent's new OC-48 transceivers are offered with LC connectors, which are popular in Metro applications. They provide extremely low jitter generation of typically 50 mUI peak-to-peak and 5 mUI(1) RMS(2), improving network reliability by reducing errors and data loss. The low jitter also provides design engineers with margin to meet the Bellcore jitter specifications. The new products are fully Bellcore-qualified, and also support the OC-12 standard for compatibility with currently installed equipment. For more information, visit www.agilent.com/view/sff.> First in a Family of Agilent Metro Transceivers

Agilent's new OC-48 transceivers are the first in a family of products addressing the MAN. Over the coming months, Agilent plans to introduce short- and intermediate-range SFF products for both the OC-12 (622 Mb/s) and OC-3 (155 Mb/s) standards.

U.S. Pricing and Availability

The HFCT-5942L short-range transceiver (up to 2 km transmission range) is sampling today, and is expected to be available in high volumes by mid-year. The HFCT-5942TL intermediate range transceiver (up to 15 km) is also sampling today, with full production expected in the third quarter of this year. Pricing in 5000-unit quantities is expected to be $400 for the HFCT-5942L and $550 for the HFCT-5942TL.

About Agilent Technologies

Agilent Technologies Inc. (NYSE: A) is a global technology leader in communications, electronics, life sciences and healthcare. With 48,000 employees serving customers in more than 120 countries, Agilent had net revenue of $10.8 billion in fiscal year 2000. Information about Agilent can be found on the Web at www.agilent.com.

This news release contains forward-looking statements (including, without limitation, plans to introduce short- and intermediate-range SFF products for both the OC-12 (622 Mb/s) and OC-3 (155 Mb/s) standards) that involve risks and uncertainties that could cause the results of Agilent Technologies to differ materially from management's current expectations. These and other risks are detailed in Agilent's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended October 31, 2000, as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

(1) Milli-unit intervals

(2) Root-mean square