New four-slot FTB-500 provides a powerful, yet compact solution to
everyday ROADM/PTN/CWDM turn-up and multiservice test challenges

QUEBEC CITY, July 9 /CNW Telbec/ - EXFO Electro-Optical Engineering Inc. (NASDAQ: EXFO, TSX: EXF) announced today the launch of the four-slot version of its FTB-500 portable test platform, which is intended for installation, maintenance and troubleshooting applications on today's most advanced telecommunication networks.

The FTB-500 four-slot platform brings the term compactness to another level, as it boasts the industry's highest capability/size ratio for advanced telecom applications, thanks to a seamlessly integrated portfolio of versatile, powerful test modules. This latest field-optimized platform covers a wide array of applications, from which three critical applications are emerging: ROADM and packet transport network (PTN) turn-up, CWDM turn-up and multiservice testing.

For ROADM and PTN network turn-up, the four-slot FTB-500 simultaneously runs an optical spectrum analyzer (FTB-5240S-P-InB) and a SONET/SDH, OTN, Ethernet and Fibre Channel analyzer (FTB-8130NGE Power Blazer), a combination that delivers multiple software-based test capabilities, including in-band OSNR measurement for qualifying newly commissioned OTN links, standard and over-clocked OTN functionalities for commissioning the transport layer, and SONET/SDH, Ethernet and Fibre Channel functionalities for qualifying all ROADM-supported interfaces. In addition, the FTB-500 offers battery operation, remote management and integrated optical tools, making it the industry's leading ROADM-based network testing solution.

CWDM turn-up and multiservice testing configurations feature a mix of high-performance modules, ranging from CWDM-dedicated OTDRs and high-power optical spectrum analyzers, to 1 gigabit/10 gigabit Ethernet test modules and 10 gigabit next-generation SONET/SDH analyzers. Combining these modules for specific applications truly maximizes the amount of interfaces that can be tested at once, providing faster network turn-ups in a format optimized for portability.

Offering the same processing power, ease of use and highly ergonomic design as its eight-slot counterpart, the new four-slot FTB-500 provides network technicians with enhanced portability for field applications. Built to secure past and future investments, the FTB-500 platform can house any of EXFO's FTB modules - both the 30 000 that are already deployed in the market and any new module released in the future for optical, transport and datacom testing. Plus, its open architecture allows for frequent software and hardware upgrades, enabling the platform to evolve with operators' testing needs and help them make the most of their investment.

"Last March, we introduced the FTB-500, a new flagship platform that offers unlimited test possibilities for next-generation, high-speed networks, including DWDM, OTDR, 100G Ethernet, as well as 43G SONET/SDH and OTN testing. Today, we are introducing a smaller, field-optimized version of the FTB-500, which delivers the same processing power, the same drive, in a unit whose compactness is unrivaled in the industry," said Etienne Gagnon, EXFO's Vice-President of Product Management and Marketing. "The four-slot FTB-500 provides technicians with an extremely powerful, yet highly portable solution to their everyday ROADM/PTN/CWDM turn-up and multiservice test challenges."

For further information about the FTB-500 platform, please visit www.EXFO.com.

About EXFOEXFO is a leading provider of test and service assurance solutions for network service providers and equipment manufacturers in the global telecommunications industry. The Telecom Division offers a wide range of innovative solutions extending across the full technology lifecycle - from design to technology deployment and onto service assurance - and covering all layers on a network infrastructure to enable triple-play services and next-generation, converged IP networking. The Life Sciences and Industrial Division offers solutions in medical device and opto-electronics assembly, fluorescence microscopy and other life science sectors. For more information, visit www.EXFO.com.