PITTSBURGH, June 20 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Tollgrade Communications,
Inc. (Nasdaq: TLGD), a leading supplier of network service assurance
products for the cable and telecom industries, announced today that its
CheetahXD(TM) OSS and DOCSIS(R)-based CMD product family have been approved
for use by the National Cable Television Cooperative (NCTC).
(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20050603/CLF046LOGO)
A programming and hardware buying cooperative, NCTC represents more
than 1,100 independent cable operators, their 6,500 individual systems and
more than 9 million subscribers nationwide. By working together to purchase
programming, hardware and services, cooperative members strive to keep
their businesses competitive and increase value to the subscribers they
serve.
Alan Tschirner, VP of Hardware for NCTC, noted: "Tollgrade provides our
members another valuable tool as they move towards becoming full-service
telecommunication companies, not just cable TV providers. Reliability in
VoIP service is critical, and being able to measure and monitor cable plant
performance with Tollgrade's CMD-E product will be beneficial to members
that choose Tollgrade as a partner."
"We are pleased to support the independent cable operators across the
United States through the NCTC's selection of our testing technology to
help further develop their VoIP services," said Tollgrade's President and
CEO Mark Peterson. "We look forward to working with the cable cooperative's
members in deploying our monitoring and measurement solutions as their
business opportunities begin to expand," he added.
When managed by CheetahXD OSS, Tollgrade's Cheetah DOCSIS-based CMD-E
IP Test Point and CMD-P Power Supply Transponder enable cable operators to
proactively test the network's ability to transport premium data and VoIP
services from the headend to the HFC end of line.
"Deployable anywhere within the HFC network, the Cheetah CMD Product
Family is the cable industry's only DOCSIS-based transponder that
interoperates with the PacketCable(TM) network as an E-MTA, enabling it to
execute an advanced suite of VoIP tests from critical points in the
network," said Greg Quiggle, EVP of Marketing for Tollgrade. "This unique
ability allows cable operators to complete VoIP calls and measure key
performance indicators, such as R-factor, jitter, latency and packet loss.
These metrics allow an operator to gauge the network's ability to carry and
provide VoIP services. Strategically placing the CMD-E in a cable plant
allows the operator to proactively monitor for degradation in quality and
perform corrective action, helping to keep network integrity high and
thereby minimizing customer impact. The ability of this network element to
combine data from the HFC/RF, DOCSIS, IP and VoIP domains allows for a true
cross-domain test point for the HFC plant," added Quiggle.
Tollgrade network service assurance solutions will be featured at the
SCTE CableTec EXPO in Denver, CO on June 21-23, 2006 at Booth # 593.
About National Cable Television Cooperative (NCTC)
The National Cable Television Cooperative is a not-for-profit, member-
operated purchasing organization. The Co-op's mission is to reduce the
operating costs of its member cable companies. The Co-op negotiates and
administers master affiliation agreements with cable television programming
networks, cable hardware and equipment manufacturers and other service
providers on behalf of its member companies. Through joint purchasing and
negotiation, the NCTC functions similar to a multi-system operator (MSO),
taking advantage of volume discounts offered by programming networks,
hardware manufacturers, and other providers. This results in significant
cost savings for members on the purchase of these products and services.
About Tollgrade
Tollgrade Communications, Inc. is a leading provider of network service
assurance products and services for centralized test systems around the
world. Tollgrade designs, engineers, markets and supports centralized test
systems, test access and status monitoring products, and next generation
network assurance technologies for the broadband marketplace. Tollgrade's
customers range from the top RBOCs (Regional Bell Operating Companies) and
Cable providers, to numerous independent telecom, cable and broadband
providers around the world. Tollgrade's network testing, measurement and
monitoring solutions support the infrastructure of cable and telecom
companies offering current and emerging triple play services. Tollgrade,
headquartered near Pittsburgh in Cheswick, Pa., and its products and
customer reach span over 200 million embedded access lines, more than any
other test and measurement supplier. For more information, visit
Tollgrade's web site at http://www.tollgrade.com
Forward-Looking Statements
Tollgrade cautions readers that the foregoing release contains "forward
looking statements" regarding future events or results within the meaning
of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E
of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, including statements
concerning new customers and the introduction of new product technologies.
Tollgrade cautions readers that such "forward looking statements" are, in
fact, predictions that are subject to risks and uncertainties and that
actual events or results may differ materially from those anticipated
events or results expressed or implied by such forward looking statements.
Tollgrade disclaims any current intention to update these "forward looking
statements," and the estimates and assumptions within them, at any time or
for any reason. In particular, the following factors, among others could
cause actual results to differ materially from those described in the
"forward looking statements:" (a) possible unforeseen delays in the
deployment of these technologies; (b) uncertainty of success in selling
products through this sales channel; (c) need for successful introduction,
trial implementation and acceptance of product with various new customers;
(d) inability to protect Tollgrade's intellectual property from
infringement or the possibility that Tollgrade technology infringes upon
the intellectual property rights of others, adversely affecting Tollgrade's
ability to market and sell such technology; and (e) Tollgrade's dependence
upon a limited number of third parties manufacturing our products or
specific technology incorporated into our products. Other factors that
could cause actual events or results to differ materially from those
contained in the "forward looking statements" are included in Tollgrade's
filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC")
including, but not limited to, Tollgrade's Form 10-K for the year ended
December 31, 2005 and any subsequently filed reports. All documents are
also available through the SEC's Electronic Data Gathering Analysis and
Retrieval system at http://www.sec.gov or from Tollgrade's website at
http://www.tollgrade.com.
Cheetah and CheetahXD are trademarks of Tollgrade Communications, Inc.
DOCSIS and PacketCable are trademarks of CableLabs.
All other trademarks used in this document are the property of their
respective owners.
SOURCE Tollgrade Communications, Inc.
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Related links:
http://www.tollgrade.com/
Photo Notes:
NewsCom: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20050603/CLF046LOGO
AP Archive: http://photoarchive.ap.org
PRN Photo Desk, photodesk@prnewswire.com
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CONTACT:
Bob Butter of Tollgrade Communications, Inc.,
+1-412-820-1347, or cell, +1-412-736-6186, or
bbutter@tollgrade.com
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