Teradyne Announces New Wireless/RF Option, Frequency Hopping for the MicroWAVE6000 Instrumentation Suite

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 3, 2000--

Frequency Hopping Boosts Bluetooth Wireless Device Testing Capability

SPECIAL TO THE INTERNATIONAL TEST CONFERENCE. Teradyne (NYSE: TER) announced today that it will introduce and demonstrate its new Frequency Hopping option, enhancing its third generation of wireless/RF and Microwave instrumentation -- the MicroWAVE6000(TM) suite, available on both Catalyst Family and the A5 Family of Test Systems -- at the International Test Conference. (See Booth 903.)

Teradyne has extended its lead in Bluetooth(TM) wireless device testing with the new Frequency Hopping option. When utilized with MicroWAVE6000, Frequency Hopping provides complete SOC or SOM (system-on-a-module) test capabilities of Bluetooth(TM) wireless devices. While MicroWAVE6000 offered hopping capabilities, the new option allows for free running operation of integrated Bluetooth wireless devices.

And because Frequency Hopping provides complete synchronization to other device signals, including modulation and digital events, users test devices as they function in the real world. Frequency Hopping is controlled by the digital pattern, giving the user the maximum flexibility he or she enjoys with other AC instrumentation.

According to David Derian, Wireless Product Manager, "The wireless market, specifically the Bluetooth(TM) segment, is evolving rapidly. Whether it's new communication standards and the drive to the third generation (WCDMA) wireless telephony, different device integration paths with the drive to wireless System-on-a-Chip (SOC), consumer pressures on product size and battery life, lower average selling prices (ASPs), the emergence of WLAN and RFID in consumer products, or the integration of GPS, there is no shortage of dynamic test challenges that require the capabilities of our MicroWAVE6000 instrumentation suite. The Frequency Hopping option, provides users with even greater test advantages, including testing of Bluetooth(TM) wireless devices.

"Our customers are excited about MicroWAVE6000 and the new Frequency Hopping capability it provides. Leading corporations like: Ericsson, Cambridge Silicon Radio, Oki Semiconductor, and Alcatel have selected our MicroWAVE6000 instrumentation suite for their test coverage of Bluetooth devices, and the Frequency Hopping option expands that capability again," added Derian.

The MicroWAVE6000(TM) instrumentation suite provides the complete range of RF/microwave test capability required for current and future wireless devices and communication standards. MicroWAVE6000 includes full 6 GHz source, measure, and vector network analysis (VNA) capability, complete 12-term error correction, and graphical user interface (GUI) based test templates for programming ease-of-use plus options, including: modulation to 2.7 GHz, up to 16 RF pins, noise figure test option, and phase noise test option.

MicroWAVE6000 provides the best test economics and system utilization for wireless RF/microwave devices in high-volume production. With a patented architecture for fully automatic calibration, test systems with MicroWAVE6000 can run around the clock without undocking. Customers will also experience improved wireless test throughput because of step function advances in specifications, solid-state RF switching, and pipelined measurement processing in the MicroWAVE6000 instrumentation.

Fully integrated within Catalyst and A5 test systems, MicroWAVE6000 is the only RF/microwave instrumentation available that also allows for complete system configuration flexibility for today's high-volume production environment. Catalyst and A5 systems can be configured as focused RF test solutions, with ample room for further instrument expansion, or as complete wireless SOC test solutions by augmenting MicroWAVE6000 with the full complement of Teradyne's mixed-signal AC, DC, and digital instrumentation. In addition, MicroWAVE6000 instrumentation can be added easily to Catalyst and A5 installed systems. Frequency Hopping can be added as a field upgrade option for existing MicroWAVE6000 customers.

Teradyne is the world's largest supplier of automatic test equipment and software for the electronics and telecommunications industries and a leading supplier of high-performance backplane assemblies and connectors. Teradyne supports its products through an extensive service and applications engineering network, with technical centers located throughout the United States, Europe, and the Pacific Rim. Headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts, Teradyne reported sales of approximately $1.8 billion in 1999 and currently has more than 8,500 employees worldwide. Teradyne's World Wide Web address is www.teradyne.com.

MicroWAVE6000 is a trademark of Teradyne, Inc.

The Frequency Hopping option is patent pending Bluetooth is a trademark owned by Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson, Sweden.