EXFO Partners With China Mobile to Prepare Network for IoT

QUEBEC CITY, Quebec, January 22, 2018 /PRNewswire/ --

EXFO Inc. (NASDAQ: EXFO) (TSX: EXF), the network test, monitoring and analytics experts, announced that China Mobile Communications Corporation (CMCC), with the support of EXFO's test solution-the only one that covered all the test requirements-successfully concluded a performance verification test for the core networks from 4 major vendors, confirming whether these NFV-based networks can individually support 5 million narrowband IoT (NB-IoT) devices.

Since NB-IoT specification got ratified in June 2016, communication service providers have been preparing to roll out this service in their network. They are upgrading their network by deploying additional features to handle the tremendous capacity that the millions of Internet of Things (IoT) devices will need. Handling the IoT traffic is fundamentally different from the traditional mobile broadband or VoLTE traffic. Validating the equipment and the network is crucial to ensure that they deliver the quality of experience expected by end users while avoiding costly post-deployment faults.

EXFO's comprehensive test solution was preferred for three main reasons:

• Powerful performance: capacity to simulate millions of IoT devices on one single server, keeping network configuration simple
• Unique flexibility: ability to adapt to rapidly evolving specifications and specific requirements
• Extensive test coverage: covers the network from end to end, including focus on individual nodes

"Communication service providers have to ensure that new IoT equipment introduced into the network will be compatible with existing network nodes before they go live," Claudio Mazzuca, EXFO's Vice-President, Systems and Analytics. "Through our local presence, we were able to deliver quick turnaround times to adapt to CMCC's specific requirements. Our test solutions come with unmatched flexibility giving them an edge in today's rapidly transforming telecom landscape."

EXFO delivers comprehensive solutions for the validation of 2G/3G/4G/5G networks and equipment for all kinds of services. These test solutions are also future-proofed to verify unique services for upcoming 5G networks.

About EXFO
EXFO develops smarter network test, monitoring and analytics solutions for the world's leading communications service providers, network equipment manufacturers and webscale companies. Since 1985, we've worked side by side with our customers in the lab, field, data center, boardroom and beyond to pioneer essential technology and methods for each phase of the network lifecycle. Our portfolio of test orchestration and real-time 3D analytics solutions turns complex into simple and delivers business-critical insights from the network, service and subscriber dimensions. Most importantly, we help our customers flourish in a rapidly transforming industry where "good enough" testing, monitoring and analytics just aren't good enough anymore-they never were for us, anyway. For more information, visit EXFO.com and follow us on the EXFO Blog.

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Paméla Champagne-Côté
PR & Media Consultant
+1-(418)-683-0913, ext. 23131
c_pamela.champagne-cote@exfo.com

Vance Oliver
Director
Investor Relations
+1-(418)-683-0913, ext. 23733
vance.oliver@exfo.com