Altera Selects Symmetricom as its Synchronization Technology Partner

IEEE 1588 solution integrating Symmetricom’s SCi 2000 SoftClock with Altera’s Nios II-based FPGA portfolio

BARCELONA, Spain — February 26, 2012 — Symmetricom, Inc.(NASDAQ: SYMM) a worldwide leader in precision time and frequency technologies, today announced that Altera Corporation, (NASDAQ: ALTR) selected Symmetricom as its synchronization technology partner and has joined its SyncWorld Ecosystem Program as the first FPGA vendor. The addition of Altera in the SyncWorld interoperability program enables developers of next-generation 4G/LTE mobile communications technologies to save system cost and power by leveraging a single-chip, FPGA-based IEEE 1588 solution.

“We chose to partner with Symmetricom because of its reputation and expertise providing synchronization capabilities for Ethernet and mobile backhaul,” said Don Faria, vice president and general manager of Altera’s Communications Business Division. “Symmetricom’s synchronization technologies combined with our leading-edge FPGA technology enables us to deliver comprehensive IEEE 1588 solutions to our communications customers. We look forward to working together in a broader capacity within SyncWorld, as demand grows for interoperable and tested solutions in the growing 4G/LTE market.”

Implementing the IEEE 1588 standard within a fully contained 28-nm FPGA provides more simplicity in network design by consolidating various capabilities that are typically performed by several silicon components. This single chip solution saves development costs, while providing power savings through the use of a leading-edge 28-nm process technology. Symmetricom’s SCi 2000 SoftClock, a carrier-grade multi-sync SoftClock, is integrated into an Altera FPGA using a Nios® II embedded processor for IEEE 1588 support.

“Partnering with an FPGA leader like Altera is part of our broader strategy to offer simplified and flexible synchronization solutions to our customers,” said Manish Gupta, vice president of marketing and business development at Symmetricom. “We look forward to providing solutions with Altera that target the mobile backhaul and mobile base station markets.”

Symmetricom’s SCi 2000 SoftClock was specifically designed to deliver high precision frequency and phase synchronization required by the evolving IP-based LTE infrastructure and is both target architecture and hardware-platform agnostic for increased interoperability.

For more information about the SyncWorld Ecosystem Program, please visit www.symmetricom.com/syncworld.

About Symmetricom, Inc.

Symmetricom (NASDAQ:SYMM), a world leader in precise time solutions, sets the world's standard for time. The company generates, distributes and applies precise time for the communications, aerospace/defense, IT infrastructure and metrology industries. Symmetricom's customers, from communications service providers and network equipment manufacturers to governments and their suppliers worldwide, are able to build more reliable networks and systems by using the company's advanced timing technologies, atomic clocks, services and solutions. All products support today's precise timing standards, including GPS-based timing, IEEE 1588 (PTP), Network Time Protocol (NTP), Synchronous Ethernet and DOCSIS® timing. Symmetricom is based in San Jose, Calif., with offices worldwide. For more information, visit: http://www.symmetricom.com .

About Altera Corporation

Altera® (NASDAQ: ALTR) programmable solutions enable system and semiconductor companies to rapidly and cost-effectively innovate, differentiate and win in their markets. Find out more about Altera's FPGA, CPLD and ASIC devices at: http://www.altera.com.

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