Agilent Technologies announces high-speed packet access wireless library

PALO ALTO, Calif., Feb. 21, 2006

Agilent Technologies Inc. (NYSE: A) today introduced a high-speed packet access (HSPA) wireless library for use with its Advanced Design System (ADS) EDA software. The first phase of the library release contains the industry's first set of preconfigured test benches and sources that speed development of the high-speed data packet uplink capabilities used in emerging 3GPP mobile wireless devices.

"The time required for designers to ramp up on a new standard can add substantially to overall development time and costs," said Afshin Amini, product marketing manager with Agilent's EEsof EDA division. "We are committed to responding to our customers' need for speed with products such as this new HPSA wireless library, enabling them to keep pace with the wireless communications products of tomorrow."

The HSPA library includes HSUPA (high-speed uplink packet access), which is the 3.5G, packet-based data service added to the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP, Release 6) to improve the Wireless Code Division Multiple Access (W-CDMA) uplink. Improvements to uplink technology allow mobile devices to transmit large amounts of data, such as video clips or large presentations, to base stations.

The second phase of the library release is expected to include HSDPA (high-speed downlink packet access) to further speed development of downlink capabilities for 3GPP devices. The downlink capability is planned for the third calendar quarter of this year.

The HSPA wireless library provides preconfigured simulation setups, signal sources and fully coded bit error rate analysis for simulation of the circuitry used in 3GPP fast uplink designs. It helps speed the development cycle by allowing system designers to analyze a system's performance before all of its components are designed. The HSPA wireless library works within the ADS environment and with the Agilent Ptolemy simulator. New technologies, such as shorter Transmission Time Interval (TTI) and Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request (HARQ), and new specifications, such as throughput, are added to the library to support today's upload data rates of up to 5.8 Mbit/s.

The HSPA wireless library also can be imported into Agilent RF Design Environment (RFDE), allowing RFIC designers to access 3GPP fast uplink test benches within the Cadence Virtuoso custom design platform, through links developed as part of the ongoing alliance between Agilent and Cadence Design Systems.

About Agilent ADS, Ptolemy and RFDE

Agilent ADS offers a complete set of front-to-back simulation and layout tools and instrument links for RF and microwave IC design in a single, integrated design flow. Agilent Ptolemy is a system-level simulation and design environment within ADS, based on a hybrid of data flow and timed synchronous technologies that facililitates analog/RF and digital signal processing co-design. Agilent RFDE tightly integrates RF simulation technologies from Agilent ADS into Cadence's analog and mixed-signal design flow to aid in large-scale RF/mixed-signal IC design.

More information about Agilent's EDA solutions is available at www.agilent.com/find/eesof.

A high-resolution image of Agilent's EDA solutions is available at www.agilent.com/find/eesof-HSPA_image.

U.S. Pricing and Availability

The HSPA wireless library is available now for purchase with ADS 2005A. Agilent ADS 2005A is available now, with prices starting at approximately $8,400.

Agilent Technologies Inc. (NYSE: A) is the world's premier measurement company and a technology leader in communications, electronics, life sciences and chemical analysis. The company's 20,000 employees serve customers in more than 110 countries. Agilent had net revenue of $5.1 billion in fiscal 2005. Information about Agilent is available on the Web at www.agilent.com.

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Contact:

Janet Smith
+1 970 679 5397
janet_smith@agilent.com