EXFO Adds Unprecedented Multiservice
Testing Features to Meet New Market
Requirements
The NetBlazer series, the most innovative and comprehensive tool of its category, further extends its leadership with new CPRI/OBSAI and OTN test functionalities
QUEBEC CITY, CANADA, September 19, 2012 — EXFO Inc. (NASDAQ: EXFO) (TSX: EXF) announced today the addition of common public radio interface (CPRI), open base station architecture initiative (OBSAI) and optical transport network (OTN) test functionalities to its bestselling NetBlazer multiservice testers and powerful FTB-1 portable platform. Already packed with unmatched DSn/PDH, SONET/SDH, Ethernet and Fibre Channel test features, the NetBlazer series now becomes the only multiservice testing solution on the market to provide frontline technicians with such powerful capabilities and simplicity in a single handheld unit. Since NetBlazer modules are housed in the FTB-1 platform, which is compatible with the EXFO Connect environment for automated hardware and data management, the new functionalities can be enabled via a simple on-site software upgrade.
With the ever-increasing demand for over-the-top applications and the stress it generates on the network, operators are forced to rethink their operational processes with three objectives in mind: remaining competitive, optimizing customer satisfaction and maximizing their revenues. One way of doing so is to modernize their infrastructure by introducing new technologies such as fiber-to-the-antenna (FTTA) for greater mobile-network efficiency, and by offering OTN as a service for more network flexibility and performance.
The CPRI/OBSAI standards define the protocols to be used between the eNodeB and the remote radio heads. They remove the obligation to have the base station directly adjacent to the antenna on rooftops or other difficult locations; instead, the base station can be installed in much less challenging locations where size, climate and availability of power are much more easily managed.
OTN technology was designed to combine the advantages of SONET/SDH and the bandwidth-expansion capabilities offered by dense wavelength-division multiplexing (DWDM). OTN benefits include enhanced operation, administration and maintenance processes, a universal container supporting all service types, a standard multiplexing hierarchy, and end-to-end optical transport transparency of customer traffic.
“Bringing leading-edge test functions such as CPRI/OBSAI and OTN into the NetBlazer truly demonstrates EXFO’s leadership position and its focus on making the field technician’s everyday job simpler and more productive,” said Étienne Gagnon, Vice-President of EXFO’s Test and Measurement Division. “By continuously adding new test functionalities and enabling hassle-free software upgrades, EXFO is strongly committed to making the FTB-880 NetBlazer Multiservice Tester the industry’s ultimate future-proof test tool.”
Visit our website for more on the FTB-880 NetBlazer Multiservice Tester.
About EXFO
Listed on the NASDAQ and TSX stock exchanges, EXFO is among the leading providers of next-generation test and service assurance solutions for wireline and wireless network operators and equipment manufacturers in the global telecommunications industry. The company offers innovative solutions for the development, installation, management and maintenance of converged, IP fixed and mobile networks—from the core to the edge. Key technologies supported include 3G, 4G/LTE, IMS, Ethernet, OTN, FTTx, VDSL2, ADSL2+ and various optical technologies (accounting for an estimated 35% of the portable fiber-optic test market). EXFO has a staff of approximately 1800 people in 25 countries, supporting more than 2000 telecom customers worldwide. For more information, visit www.EXFO.com.
