Acterna Introduces New Features to Powerful Optical Fiber Mapping (OFM) Software

OFM-500 s open arc!itecture software now pro"ides auto#atic deter#ination of best fiber route$ duct #anage#ent

Germantown, MD., January 18, 2005 Acterna, the largest provider of test and management solutions to telecommunications network operators, today announced that its Optical Fiber Mapping (OFM) software can now help determine the best fiber optic route to connect two points as well as manage inner duct connections and usage Acterna!s industry"leading OFM software is already able to hone in on the e#act location of faults, outages, affected nodes, and customer sites, as well as shed light on the entire fiber optic network $ith OFM software, users from different divisions within an organi%ation can also generate customi%ed reports or displays and get the specific information they need Acterna is the only company offering a comprehensive portfolio addressing all the needs of service providers delivering voice, data and video over F&&# &he OFM"'((!s new features are powerful solutions for both telecommunications and cable operators, both of which utili%e ne#t"generation fiber optic networks )y identifying the best fiber optic route according to criteria specified by the user such as the lowest attenuation, the shortest length, or the minimum number of connections, the software saves a significant amount of work for both sales as well as provisioning personnel by eliminating countless hours finding spare fibers in each cable and virtually splicing the fibers Additionally, in the case of a fiber fault, OFM"'(( software finds, in matter of minutes, other optical fiber routes that can be used as a backup &he software also manages ducts and inner ducts, which is significant for operators who want to limit their up"front investment for access networks by installing inner ducts that will be filled with cables at a later date when demand increases For each section of the access network, Acterna!s OFM"'(( software indicates information regarding the usage of ducts and inner ducts, the cables inside the ducts and inner ducts, and the customers served by those cables $hen it is necessary to modify the network for maintenance tasks, the user will know which customers or services are likely to be affected *Acterna!s OFM"'(( software is already ahead of the competition because it can import and view O&+, traces measured in the field, allowing the user to compare the network description recorded in the database with the actual measurements of the network elements &his ensures that what the telecommunications or cable operator sees in its network map is the same as what is actually in the network,- said .n%o di /uigi, general manager for Acterna!s Fiber Optics )ecause of the high fiber density in metro networks, the e#plosion of high"bandwidth, data" intensive traffic re0uires connections to be fre0uently modified &his re0uires operators to have up" to"date documentation that includes original schematics created by a designer in paper or electronic formats, maps, photos, plant assets, and network element data Although installers may make modifications, the documentation is rarely updated because technicians performing regular operation and maintenance (O1M) procedures do not have access to the original files $ith minimal information on the as"built network, much of the e#isting documentation is rendered useless when the network goes down )ased on Acterna!s heritage of fiber optic technology innovation, the Acterna OFM software can be used as a standalone software package installed on any desktop 23 or deployed as a multi"users architecture accessing to centrali%ed database on a server OFM can also be integrated with Acterna!s ,emote Fiber &est 4ystem (,F&4) to form the complete Acterna Optical 5etwork Management 4ystem (O5M4) $ith O5M4, continuous monitoring, trouble" ticketing, alarm reporting, and complete performance management with data analysis, statistics, performance, and 0uality reports are provided &he system is +$+M ready and its open architecture provides scalability within the O5M4 platform as well as easy integration with other applications About Acternas Optical etwor! "er#ormance an$ Monitorin% &ystem 'O M&( ,esiding on a server or desktop, Acterna!s OFM software enables customers to address the state of

the network from their fingertips &his powerful automated mapping, facilities management, and geographic information system (AM6FM6784) application consolidates data entered manually or through other applications All fiber optic network documentation including fiber route maps, distribution panel graphics, O&+, traces can be easily retrieved, cross"referenced, and shared among multiple users 5etwork operators have access to all of their networks! geographic and functional components and can track, document, and monitor an unlimited number of circuit wavelengths for each physical fiber path while O1M staff can initiate 0ueries from any physical point in the network, including the field &he Acterna ,F&4 offers network operators significant commercial advantage through increased productivity, reduced network down time and easier, faster network provisioning &he ,F&4 monitors the network continuously, alerting operators and managers to faults as they occur &he O5M4 also provides real"time network status and performance with efficient preventative maintenance schedules, faster, low"cost service provisioning with efficient management of the cable installation and commissioning process, and rapid detection and accurate location of fiber and +$+M degradation About Acterna Acterna is the world!s largest provider of communications test solutions for telecommunications and cable network operators A trusted communications test partner for more than eight decades, Acterna offers an unmatched portfolio of award"winning instruments, systems, software and services that help its customers reduce network costs while improving performance and reliability 9ead0uartered in 7ermantown, Maryland, :4A with .uropean and Asia"2acific operations based in .ningen, 7ermany and 9ong ;ong Acterna serves nearly every ma<or communications service provider and e0uipment manufacturer around the world through a skilled sales and support organi%ation in => countries ??? All Acterna company or product names mentioned in this press release are trademarks or registered trademarks of Acterna Inc. or one of its subsidiary companies.