New Acterna DSL Tester Will Help Meet Accelerated Broadband Growth in Europe

London --November 19, 2001--Acterna (NASDAQ: ACTR) today announced the handheld Acterna DSL Copper and Services Tester (370), the only tool on the market that offers comprehensive copper qualification and two user-changeable modems for DSL services testing in a single unit. The tester will allow operators to save money on technician dispatches, while also enabling them to deliver DSL service to subscribers more quickly and efficiently. The Acterna tester also will help service providers ensure high standards of DSL performance after the service is installed.

The new Acterna tester simplifies and streamlines DSL deployment by instantly "qualifying" copper lines to determine if the connection between the customer and the central office can carry DSL service. Results are clearly displayed and can be conveniently stored and uploaded to a PC for documentation. The tester supports ADSL, the most popular "flavor," or type, of DSL, as well as G.SHDSL, an emerging type of DSL that permits two-way information flow up to 2.3 Mbps, making it the ideal choice for service providers offering both types of DSL. Because the tester can accommodate two modems, it enables analysis of both types of DSL service via a single instrument.

Acterna's DSL solution comes at a time when consumers are turning to DSL for its always-on connectivity and low prices. A recent Strategy Analytics* survey forecasts that DSL growth in Europe will increase from 3.3 percent today to 24.2 percent in 2005. Meanwhile, the popularity of ISDN, the long-time technology of choice for broadband services, is declining throughout Europe.

"Dramatic DSL growth throughout Europe underscores the need for fast service delivery because customers should not have to wait for service," said John Goehrke, Acterna's general manager for access networks. "Acterna answers this need by providing solutions that help remove the barriers that impede service delivery, allowing carriers to react quickly to meet customer demand."

The Acterna DSL Copper and Services Tester (370) will be available in the first quarter of 2002 and is priced from USD 5,500.

About Acterna Access Network Solutions
Acterna is the global market leader in access network test and management equipment, systems, software and services. With an unmatched product portfolio, Acterna provides more than 100 solutions for testing access networks and services that help carriers bridge the "last mile" to businesses and residential customers. Acterna's solutions are used to manufacture, deploy, manage and optimize networks to carry high-speed broadband services, including DSL. An industry pioneer, Acterna was the first to introduce a portable ADSL test solution.

About Acterna
Acterna is the world's largest provider of test and management solutions for optical transport, access and cable networks, and the second largest communications test company overall. Focused entirely on providing equipment, software, systems and services, Acterna helps customers develop, install, manufacture and maintain their optical transport, access, cable, data/IP and wireless networks. The company serves customers in more than 80 countries. Acterna is a subsidiary of Acterna Corporation (NASDAQ: ACTR). Information about Acterna can be found on the Web at www.acterna.com.

Acterna, 20400 Observation Drive, Germantown, MD 20876-4023. Tel: 301-353-1560; Fax: 301-353-9380.