Agilent Technologies Showcases BERT Leadership at OFC/NFOEC Conference with New Test Solutions

Agilent Technologies Inc. (NYSE: A) today introduced test solutions that showcase its BERT (bit error ratio tester) industry leadership. The devices feature capabilities for conducting in-depth analyses and characterisation, dramatically lowering the cost of test for 3G devices and enabling researchers to explore the feasibility of 100 Gb communications.

The Agilent N5980A 3 Gb/s BERT, the N4903A J-BERT’s tunable clock data recovery (CDR), and the new 100 Gb/s ParBERT set new industry standards in cost of test, measurement accuracy and speed.

“Agilent understands the importance of developing innovative technologies for researchers and designers that keep them abreast of market needs and trends,” said Werner Huettemann, vice president and general manager of Agilent’s Computing and Networking Solutions business unit. “We are determined to continue to expand our range of innovative BERT products and applications in order to open new frontiers, help maximise productivity and provide cost savings.”

In the R&D and characterisation segment, Agilent has developed a built-in tunable loop bandwidth Clock Data Recovery (CDR) option with compliant CDR settings library for the award winning J-BERT N4903A high-performance serial Bit Error Ratio Tester (BERT). The CDR covers today’s serial gigabit bus standards and enables engineers in characterisation and validation labs to perform signal analysis of clockless devices on a BERT. The integrated CDR reduces the need for extra cabling and connections, which cause signal degradation. At data rates above 10 Gb/s, for instance, extra cabling can cause up to 5 percent of a unit interval extra jitter. The CDR’s tunable loop bandwidth adapts to proprietary devices and standard compliant instruments. Furthermore, CDR settings for PCI Express®, SATA, CEI, fiber channel, 10GbE and other standards are included. The press release about this product is available at www.agilent.com/find/n4903a_pr. More information is available at www.agilent.com/find/J-BERT.

The N5980A 3 Gb/s BERT is targeted for transceiver manufacturers. It includes simple setup and high throughput, lowering the cost of test to one sixth of the previous cost. The BERT also features the generation and the receiving of standard Pseudo Random Bit Sequence (PRBS) data polynomials, generation of sub-rate clocks, electrical and optical (small form factor pluggable) interfaces, and full programmability. It is operated from an easy-to-use graphical user interface running on a Windows® XP PC connected via a USB port to a small device. The press release about this product is available at www.agilent.com/find/n5980A_pr. More information is available at www.agilent.com/find/manufacturing_BERT.

The industry-first Agilent E4898A 100 Gb/s BERT offers exceptional data range, standard measurements and multiple patterns for researchers to analyze and develop the next generation of optical transceivers. The press release about this product is available at www.agilent.com/find/E4898A_pr. More information is available at www.agilent.com/find/100G.

Agilent Events at OFC/NFOEC

o Greg LeCheminant, of Agilent’s Digital Verification Solutions division, will offer a course on test and measurement of high-speed communications signals. The workshop will emphasise measurement tools and techniques to characterise signal quality and how well it is maintained when transmitted through an optical system.

SC178 Monday, March 6, 9 a.m. - noon

o Peter Schweiger, business development engineer, and Karl Merkel and Michael Kelly, application specialists for Agilent’s Photonic Measurement division, will conduct a hands-on workshop on fibre optic measurements and component testing. The short course will cover four different set-ups: basic component testing; DWDM component and optical amplifier testing; OTDR’s and fibre link characterisation; and polarisation dependence of fibre optic components.

SC101-A Monday, March 6, 1:30 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.

For additional information about the test solutions on display at OFC/NFOEC 2006, and for background on Agilent’s computing and networking test business, see the virtual press kit at www.agilent.com/find/ofc_vpk.

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