SUNNYVALE, California, December 2 /PRNewswire/ --

- New Test Capability on Spirent ULTS to Improve End-User Experience of Location Based Services

Spirent Communications (LSE: SPT), a global provider of performance analysis and service management solutions, today announced the first delivery of its new Over-the-Air (OTA) test solution for Assisted GPS (A-GPS) in mobile devices to 7 layers in Irvine, California. 7 layers, a global group of test and service centers, is the first CTIA-accredited 3rd party laboratory to enlarge its OTA service portfolio with Spirent's UMTS Location Test System (ULTS).

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Poor GPS antenna performance often leads to a disappointing user experience of location-based services (LBS), which can reflect negatively on operators' LBS revenues. However, adding a GPS antenna to a densely-packed mobile device form factor can be a major challenge. Because the industry's existing certification standards for A-GPS do not include OTA testing, performance issues due to the GPS antenna are not always caught prior to commercial deployment. This has led the CTIA to broaden the scope of its existing OTA Performance Test Plan to include A-GPS.

At Spirent we have always recognized the key GPS test challenges. Our GPS simulation expertise and integrated test solutions such as ULTS have enabled the entire industry to address A-GPS performance issues early in the development cycle. We have made important contributions to all the industry's A-GPS test standards, including the CTIA's revision of its OTA Performance Test Plan, and we have worked closely with 7 layers' experts on implementation and verification of the CTIA tests on our ULTS platform said Ron Borsato, Solutions Architect at Spirent Communications, who also chairs the CTIA's GPS OTA Subgroup. Once finalized, the revised CTIA test plan will become a requirement at all CTIA-accredited OTA test labs, helping to ensure a consistent level of A-GPS performance.

Working with Spirent gives us the earliest possible opportunity to meet our customers' requests for both development testing and A-GPS certification once the CTIA Test Plan has been revised, said David Bissonette, Vice President Business Development at 7 layers. Working together with Spirent, a partner that has more than 20 years of GPS testing experience, proved to be highly successful and we feel that this new test service complying with CTIA requirements will be an important step to ensure end-user satisfaction with the latest A-GPS services.

For more information visit www.spirent.com/go/ults

About 7 layers

7 layers is an international group of test and service centers for the wireless communications industry, with broad expertise in testing and qualification for GSM, GPRS, EDGE, WCDMA, HSPA, WiMAX, Bluetooth(R) and other wireless communications technologies. 7 layers offers test house services, engineering services and software development. As experts in conformance testing, 7 layers is also involved in the development of test specifications, test cases and test case validation for major test system manufacturers and certification groups. The 7 layers test and service centers are connected via a Rapid Response Network. Test projects run via this network to ensure seamless information transfer between customers and the 7 layers sites in Germany, China, Korea, Taiwan, Japan and USA. (www.7Layers.com)

About Spirent Communications plc

Spirent Communications (www.spirentcom.com) is a global provider of integrated performance analysis and service assurance systems that enable the development and deployment of next-generation networking technology such as Internet telephony, broadband services, 3G wireless, global navigation satellite systems, and network security equipment. Spirent Communications' solutions are used by more than 1,700 customers in 30 countries, including the world's largest equipment manufacturers, service providers, enterprises and governments. Based in Sunnyvale, CA, Spirent Communications has 1,500 employees worldwide.

Spirent Communications plc Ordinary shares are traded on the London Stock Exchange (ticker: SPT). The Company operates a Level 1 American Depositary Receipt (ADR) programme with each ADR representing four Spirent Communications plc Ordinary shares. The ADRs trade in the US over-the-counter (OTC) market under the symbol SPMYY and the CUSIP number is 84856M209. Spirent Communications' sales to the United States government are made through Spirent Federal Systems Inc. www.spirentfederal.com.

Spirent, Spirent Communications and the Spirent logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Spirent Communications plc. All other trademarks or registered trademarks mentioned herein are held by their respective companies. All rights reserved.

For more information please visit www.spirent.com/go/ults.

This document may contain forward-looking statements which are made in good faith and are based on current expectations or beliefs, as well as assumptions about future events. You can sometimes, but not always, identify these statements by the use of a date in the future or such words as will, anticipate, estimate, expect, project, intend, plan, should, may, assume and other similar words. By their nature, forward-looking statements are inherently predictive and speculative and involve risk and uncertainty because they relate to events and depend on circumstances that will occur in the future. You should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which are not a guarantee of future performance and are subject to factors that could cause our actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by these statements. The Company undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements contained in this document, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

CONTACT: Sailaja Tennati of Spirent Communications, Direct Tel +1-770-432-3225, sailaja.tennati@spirent.com; or Brigitte Lewis of 7 layers, +49-2102-7490, Brigitte.Lewis@7Layers.com

Sailaja Tennati of Spirent Communications, Direct Tel +1-770-432-3225, sailaja.tennati@spirent.com; or Brigitte Lewis of 7 layers, +49-2102-7490, Brigitte.Lewis@7Layers.com; Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20080909/CLTU016LOGO