Manufacturing Tester Reduces Test Time By Up To 50 Percent,
Increases Production Capacity By 25 Percent

MUNICH, December 10, 2001 - Acterna (NASDAQ: ACTR) today announced the release of the Turbo Option for the Acterna Mobile Production Test System 4400M, the company's testing platform for GSM and GPRS mobile phone production. The Turbo Option helps eliminate potential bottlenecks in handset production flow by increasing production capacity up to 25 percent and reducing test times up to 50 percent, all without compromising measurement accuracy.

The Turbo Option increases production and service throughput by delivering transmitter measurements faster than ever. Because of its fast digital signal processor (DSP) add-on board, the Turbo Option speeds up the transmitter measurements without reducing test measurement accuracy and reliability (based on Acterna lab tests). It installs seamlessly with the existing 4400 platform, ensuring fast installation on the production line.

Revenue can also be impacted. For example, if the overall test time per mobile handset is decreased from 40 seconds to 30 seconds by using the Acterna 4400M and its Turbo Option, a production line manufacturing 100,000 mobile phones per year will then output 125,000 mobile phones per year. This represents a potential revenue increase of 25 percent.

"As profit margins continue to shrink in the production of wireless handsets, manufacturers are seeking solutions that help increase production efficiency without reducing product quality," said Cyrille Damany, general manager and vice president for Acterna's Wireless Networks Division. "Manufacturing engineers can now further improve production efficiency and throughput with the Acterna 4400M and its Turbo Option, saving costs and potentially increasing revenue."

The Acterna 4400 Series is a full-featured test set providing the complete range of GSM and GPRS transmitter and receiver measurements, including bit error rate testing and spectrum analysis, with complementing audio, codec and multi-slot options.

The Turbo Option for the Acterna Mobile Production Test System 4400M is available for shipment.