Utstarcom to deploy 1.3mn multiservice access node sol lines

ALAMEDA, Calif., March 21, 2007 "� UTStarcom, Inc, a global leader in IP-based, end-to-end networking solutions and services, today announced a contract with Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL) for the deployment of 1.3 million lines of UTStarcom's industry-leading iAN-8000 multiservice access node (MSAN) solution in approximately 900 cities throughout India.

"Through this network, we aim to deliver real-time applications, high-speed Internet and effectively handle ever-increasing traffic of broadband subscribers," said Mr AK Sinha, chairman and managing director at BSNL. "With an estimated 20 million broadband subscribers by 2010, India presents an enormous opportunity to offer the broadband services that consumers are demanding."

"BSNL boasts one of the largest copper networks in the world, owning approximately 85 percent of India's copper wire local loop networks," said Vijay Yadav, managing director of South Asia operations at UTStarcom. "With the deployment of UTStarcom's innovative broadband solutions, we can satisfy one of our national priorities - building a broadband economy. UTStarcom's iAN-8000 technology, coupled with our expertise in the management of turnkey projects, will enable BSNL to offer a compelling array of services that in the past were not possible, given bandwidth and access constraints."

"India continues to be a fertile market for UTStarcom as operators realize the value of deploying our IP-based solutions to expand and optimize their broadband networks," said David King, senior vice president of international sales and marketing at UTStarcom. "With the recent deployment of our RollingStream™ end-to-end IPTV solution with MTNL and this significant win with BSNL in support of their nationwide broadband network, India is poised to be the fastest growing market for UTStarcom and will continue to play an integral role in the future success of the company."

UTStarcom will be the turnkey provider for this deployment, with full responsibility for the network design and planning, deployment, and service roll out and maintenance of the network. UTStarcom's ADSL-based broadband solutions will enable BSNL to offer new broadband-based, triple-play services such as video-on-demand (VoD), video multicast, VPN services, and high-speed Internet services across the country while providing the operator with network flexibility, scalability for innovation and a rapid return on investment.

Additionally, UTStarcom will also deploy its NetRing™ 10000 optical transport solution for the aggregation of DSL traffic in BSNL's network. UTStarcom's NetRing product suite provides service providers with a high level of network resilience and carrier-grade quality of service towards subscribers to ensure trouble-free offering of real-time mission critical data and video applications.

"Provisioning voice, data and video services on a converged network is of particular importance in today's global telecom industry as leading operators worldwide try to diversify service portfolios to attract new subscribers and increase average revenue per user," said Jeff Heynen, directing analyst, broadband and IPTV, at Infonetics Research. "As a leading vendor in the broadband industry, UTStarcom has been at the forefront in developing IP-based solutions and deploying multi-million subscriber converged networks on a global basis."

About UTStarcom's Broadband Solutions

UTStarcom's broadband wireline solutions enable carriers to deploy IP-based, high-speed Internet, voice, data and multimedia services over wireline networks. Designed for highly efficient, converged service delivery across an evolving networking landscape, these solutions continue to expand the capacity and performance of narrowband, broadband and transport solutions. UTStarcom's wireline broadband product offering includes a suite of optical transport platforms, extensive edge network access solutions, and a distributed IPTV and multimedia delivery system.

About Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd. (BSNL)

BSNL, a Government of India owned corporation, is the incumbent and largest telecommunications services provider in India with a pan-India footprint but for Delhi and Mumbai. It has a network of over 60 million subscribers covering 5000 towns with over 35 million telephone connections. The corporation is an integrated telecommunications service provider with presence in the fixed line, cellular mobile, long distance and data segments with over 35 million fixed line, 24 million cellular mobile and 3.9 million internet subscribers including 0.9 million broadband customers. To know more about BSNL, please log on to www.bsnl.co.in

About UTStarcom, Inc.

UTStarcom is a global leader in IP-based, end-to-end networking solutions and international service and support. The company sells its broadband, wireless, and handset solutions to operators in both emerging and established telecommunications markets around the world. UTStarcom enables its customers to rapidly deploy revenue-generating access services using their existing infrastructure, while providing a migration path to cost-efficient, end-to-end IP networks. Founded in 1991 and headquartered in Alameda, California, the company has research and design operations in the United States, Canada, China, Korea and India. UTStarcom is a FORTUNE 1000 company.