Agilent Technologies Licenses acticom Robust Header Compression Technology for Verifying VoIP Functionality on 1xEV-DO Wireless Devices

Agilent Technologies Inc. (NYSE: A) and acticom announced today that Agilent has licensed acticom’s Robust Header Compression (RoHC) protocol stack, further expanding Agilent’s VoIP test capabilities in 1xEV-DO. Integrating acticom’s protocol stack gives Agilent customers early RoHC test capability, enabling them to test designs in the earliest development stages.

The stack is now part of Agilent’s Enhanced Multi-Flow Packet Application functionality and is available in the 1xEV-DO Lab Application running on the 8690 Wireless Communications Test Set. With this capability, the test set can emulate a network that supports efficient VoIP transmission using the RoHC stack -- a capability that is important for R&D engineers verifying VoIP performance or testing battery life during VoIP connections.

RoHC is a standardized (RFC 3095) method of compressing the IP, UDP, RTP and TCP protocol headers of Internet packets. It compresses header information in data packets from 40 bytes to 1-3 bytes, greatly increasing the efficiency of VoIP packet transportation through packet data networks. RoHC is now a mandatory feature in 3G networks and may also one day be included in WiMAX(tm).

“As a leader in the measurement industry, Agilent is fully committed to supporting the needs of engineers working on advanced wireless communication networks like 1xEV-DO,” said Niels Faché, vice president and general manager of Agilent’s Mobile Broadband Division. “Providing early test solutions for enhancements such as RoHC provides engineers with the tools they need to ensure quality in the early phases of design -- reducing time-consuming re-work and overall design time.”

“Being allowed to work with Agilent is a breakthrough for acticom and our Robust Header Compression technology,” said Gerrit Schulte, managing director at acticom. “We are pleased to have been chosen by such a reputable partner and are thankful to add Agilent to our customer list. The Agilent and acticom teams worked tightly together, finishing the integration of the RoHC stack in just a couple of weeks, with minimum support incidents, making this project a success for both Agilent and acticom.”

The Agilent 1xEV-DO Lab Applications work with Agilent’s 8960 Wireless Communications Test Set to create a cost-effective, desktop test solution for real-world throughput analysis and network emulation. The lab application supports test of Multi-Flow Packet Application and Enhanced Multi-Flow Packet Application with multiple, simultaneous IP flows (16 forward and 16 reverse), each with their own quality of service parameters. These flows can be low-latency flows, which are required for near real-time applications such as video telephony and gaming. The 8960 Test Set can be used for wireless device development, manufacturing and repair of all major 2G, 2.5G, 3G and 3.5G wireless technologies. It provides test solutions for mobile devices across the entire lifecycle on a single platform.

U.S. Pricing and Availability

The Agilent E6706B/U 1xEV-DO Lab Application with the acticom RoHC protocol stack is currently available via subscription to the E6720A 1xEV-DO Lab Application Annual Contract. This contract, priced at $10,400 for a one-year subscription, offers existing customers early access to the newest product enhancements and is available at www.agilent.com/find/E6720A.