Spirent Communications Introduces First Integrated VoIP and PSTN Test System for Mainstream Converged Networks

Business Wire, March 31, 2003

Business Editors/High-Tech Writers

Spring VON 2003

SAN JOSE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 31, 2003

Abacus3 Provides Single Platform for IP

and Traditional Telephony Testing

Voice on the Net (VON) Trade Show and Expo -- Spirent Communications(TM), a wholly owned business group of Spirent plc (NYSE:SPM) (LSE:SPT), today announced the integration of voice and multimedia testing for converged networks in its industry-leading Abacus test product line. The new Abacus3 test system will help customers reduce the costs and risks of integrating data and voice networks by delivering converged test functionality for Voice over IP (VoIP) and traditional telephony on a single platform.

"Our enterprise and service provider customers are leveraging their investment in traditional networks by adding cost-saving VoIP technology to create an integrated, converged network. These customers now have a testing tool that effectively bridges the IP/PSTN gap by providing traditional and VoIP interfaces, protocols and analysis," said Alan Sguigna, vice president of marketing for Spirent Communications. "With this new testing tool, service providers, system integrators and enterprise IT departments can thoroughly test a combined data and voice network prior to deployment of new services."

Spirent's Abacus products are industry-leading solutions for functional and performance testing of voice-enabled devices. Abacus1 is a scalable and modular telephony test system for low- to medium-density traffic generation and switching. The Abacus2 telephony test system handles an unparalleled 10,000 channels of call generation and switching, and generates traffic at the rate of 20 million calls per hour.

The new Abacus3 is a flexible and expandable voice and multimedia test system for converged networks that provides cost savings and shortens the test cycle. Now, testing staffs can quickly locate failure points in a device or network, generate detailed reports on those points and immediately activate the debugging process. In addition, test engineers can avoid management and integration problems resulting from the use of multiple test solutions from multiple vendors, and reduce their reliance on internally developed tools that offer limited user realism and analysis capabilities. Customers can purchase the Abacus3 system based on their current requirements and expand the system, as their test needs change. Additional interfaces and functionality can be added with firmware options.

Specifically, Abacus3 tests analog, TDM, ISDN, Voice over IP (VoIP) and video devices and networks. It provides accurate measurements with synchronization between the VoIP and PSTN sides of the network, enabling testing of stand-alone gateways and sub-networks. Abacus3 tests the capacity, functionality, performance, quality of service, and interoperability of IP phones and PBXs; proxy and registration servers; Internetworking gateways; DNS and application servers; call accounting, voice messaging, and conferencing servers; switches and routers; media gateways; signaling gateways; and media gateway controllers (softswitches). It supports all the major VoIP protocols, including SIP, MGCP, H.323 and Megaco. It also supports real-time voice quality measurements using PESQ and PSQM.

For further information about the Abacus3, see www.spirentcom.com or visit Spirent's booth (#605) for a live demonstration at the VON Trade Show and Expo, March 31 - April 3, in San Jose, CA.

About Spirent Communications

Spirent Communications is a worldwide provider of integrated performance analysis and service assurance systems for next-generation network technologies. Spirent's solutions accelerate the profitable development and deployment of network equipment and services by emulating real-world conditions in the lab and assuring end-to-end performance of large-scale networks. www.spirentcom.com

Spirent Communications is a wholly owned group of Spirent plc (NYSE:SPM; LSE:SPT), an international network technology company. Spirent plc is listed on the London Stock Exchange (ticker: SPT). The company is also listed on the New York Stock Exchange (ticker: SPM; CUSIP number: 84856M209). www.spirent.com

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

This press release may contain forward-looking statements that are based on current expectations or beliefs, as well as assumptions about future events. By their nature, forward-looking statements are inherently predictive, speculative and involve risk and uncertainty because they relate to events and depend on circumstances that will occur in the future. You should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which are not a guarantee of future performance and are subject to factors that could cause Spirent's actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by these statements. These risks include the risks described from time to time in Spirent's SEC periodic reports and filings. We undertake no obligation to update our forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.