Tektronix Unveils Innovative Technology for Performing Optical Communications Test

NFOEC 2000, Denver, August 28, 2000 - Tektronix, Inc.(NYSE: TEK), a leading developer of test, measurement and monitoring equipment, today introduced Digital Phase Analysis (DPA), an innovative, best-in-market jitter and synchronization testing technology for telecommunications networks. By introducing DPA technology into its easy-to-use, cost-effective OTS9000 family of optical test systems, Tektronix enables manufacturers and network operators to meet and perform the 10 gigabit per second (Gb/s) test requirements needed to address the ever expanding global communications infrastructure.

Jitter is the rapid phase shift of digital pulses over the transmission medium (in this case fiber optic cable). Excessive jitter causes errors when the data is recovered. Synchronization is the coordination of communication equipment by clock signals. When the phase shift between clock signals is excessive, service quality degrades and data is lost. For consumers, this means a dropped call or poor quality of service. With the development of today's faster and more complex telecommunications networks, management of jitter and synchronization is increasingly critical.

"Our customers in the Zone - specifically the telecommunications industries - have reached a point in the evolution of their networks where they must be able to perform jitter testing on 10 Gb/s SONET/SDH systems, which are among the fastest, most complex network architectures being deployed globally today," said Scott Bausback, vice president, Communications Business Unit, Tektronix, Inc. "We continue to enable the success of our customers by introducing products and technology such as DPA - the only 10 Gb/s all-digital jitter testing solution on the market at the forefront of innovation."

Jitter Testing at 10 Gb/s
The DPA technology enables jitter and synchronization analysis critical to equipment manufacturers and network operators because it allows them to perform 10 Gb/s jitter testing on data - not just on clocks ¾ with low intrinsic noise, high jitter accuracy, wide dynamic range, flexible jitter bandwidths and fast settling. Today, jitter testing has become a crucial part of 10 Gb/s testing because at this high data rate, bits are spaced more closely together, so conforming to international jitter standards becomes critical to ensuring error-free data transmission and reception over global communications networks.

New Technology Utilizes Silicon Germanium Technology
The new DPA technology also capitalizes on the Silicon Germanium (SiGe) technology developed by IBM. SiGe semiconductors provide high performance and less power consumption at a lower cost over standard silicon, helping to usher in new breeds of applications and communications devices. In June 2000, Tektronix announced it was the first test and measurement company to employ SiGe technology with the introduction of the TDS7000 series Digital Phosphor Oscilloscope.

About The OTS9000 Optical Test System
The OTS9000 series of products, announced earlier this year, is the first optical test system designed to test dense wavelength-division multiplexing (DWDM) systems at 10 Gb/s. Based on a modular, common-platform concept, the OTS9000 platform and the field-transportable OTS9010 platform, share the same modules and the same, Windows-based, easy-to-use graphical user interface (GUI). These platforms, along with the 10 Gb/s transmission test module, decrease test time, manufacturing and deployment costs and time-to-market by providing user-configurable multi-channel and accelerated bit error rate testing capabilities for DWDM applications. The 10 Gb/s module allows selection of SONET and SDH through the GUI, provides OC192c/STM64c payloads and a variety of other payload structures, performs Section, Line and Path Overhead analysis, and offers overhead editing, error injection and intrusive or non-intrusive through modes. The platforms are cost effective, in that they accept new modules, such as the 10 Gb/s jitter and synchronization module, as test requirements grow and change. In addition to providing test support for equipment manufacturers and network operators, the OTS9000 series is a solution for customers' research, design, and product development labs.

Price and Availability
The 10 Gb/s jitter and synchronization module for SONET/SDH testing for the OTS9000 and OTS9010 platforms from Tektronix will be available in early 2001. The same module will be able to analyze wander at 10 Gb/s as well as jitter and wander at 2.5 Gb/s, 622 Mb/s and 155 Mb/s, through a software upgrade, which will be available for purchase at a later date. Prices depend on configurations. For more information about this product, or other measurement solutions from Tektronix, please visit www.tektronix.com. Or, call (800) 426-2200 (code 1204), fax (503) 222-1542, or write to Tektronix, Inc., P.O. Box 3960, Portland, OR 97208-3960.

About Tektronix
Tektronix, Inc. is a test, measurement, and monitoring company providing measurement solutions to the semiconductor, computer, and telecommunications industries. With over 50 years of experience, Tektronix enables its customers to design, build, deploy and manage next-generation global communications networks and Internet technologies. Headquartered in Beaverton, Oregon, Tektronix has operations in 25 countries worldwide.

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Tektronix is a registered trademark of Tektronix, Inc. All other trade names referenced are the service marks, trademarks, or registered trademarks of their respective companies.