Agilent Technologies and Anite Announce Strategic Partnership to Deliver 3GPP LTE Test Solutions for Wireless R&D
SANTA CLARA, Calif., and FLEET, Hampshire, U.K., Nov. 12, 2007 -- Agilent Technologies Inc. (NYSE: A) and Anite plc (LSE: AIE) today announced that they have entered into a strategic partnership to deliver industry-leading 3GPP Long Term Evolution (LTE) test solutions to wireless R&D engineers designing next-generation mobile communications products. Under the terms of this partnership, Agilent and Anite will provide a broad, comprehensive portfolio of solutions that address the entire UE lifecycle -- from early development through production test. The 3GPP LTE standard is intended to provide a framework for the evolution of 3G toward a high-data-rate, low-latency and packet-optimized radio-access technology. Its aim is to achieve a peak downlink cell data rate of greater than 100 Mbps, and an increase in capacity of three to five times compared with HSDPA (in the same bandwidth), with sub 5-ms latency for small IP packets. While LTE has the potential to enhance 3G networks and enable significant new service opportunities in relation to mobile TV and video, its commercial success requires the early availability of testing solutions that parallel the standard’s development. Through its strategic partnership, Agilent and Anite are well positioned to comprehensively address this need, while also better servicing customer requirements across the entire development lifecycle. “As a leader in the measurement industry, Agilent is fully committed to helping today’s engineers create the best products for the LTE market by providing them with the tools they need from early development through production test,” said Ron Nersesian, vice president of Agilent’s Wireless Business Unit. “This new strategic partnership with Anite reinforces this commitment and demonstrates our dedication to remain at the forefront of the LTE R&D market by providing a broad portfolio of solutions for functional, parametric and protocol test to advance this fast-evolving technology.” “Featuring industry-leading performance and functionality, Agilent’s existing LTE solutions help R&D engineers speed the early development of their LTE designs,” said Niels Faché, vice president and general manager of Agilent’s Mobile Broadband Division. “Our future LTE offerings will further support all phases of R&D with scalable solutions, thereby ensuring customers meet their aggressive time to market needs, while managing development costs and R&D productivity goals.” “This is an exciting and strategic step for both Anite and Agilent, and builds upon an already successful partnership,” said Steve Rowley, chief executive officer, Anite. “As two of the industry’s most respected technology providers, this relationship supports our long-term strategy of offering innovative solutions for the wireless test market. Our combined expertise to provide an industry-leading and scalable solution that addresses all phases of the UE development will drive development of LTE UE’s to market faster and more efficiently. We look forward to strengthening our partnership with Agilent to remain at the forefront of the global testing industry.”