SEPTEMBER 12, 2007 — Abottabad, Pakistan-based Bell & Tell Pvt. Ltd. chose UTStarcom Inc. (Alameda, CA) to supply Gbit Ethernet passive optical network (GEPON) and voice over IP (VoIP) technologies in a multi-year, multimillion-dollar contract. Bell & Tell will deploy UTStarcom products for bundled voice and data services in Pakistan.

Bell & Tell will roll out the fiber to the home/building (FTTH/B) services in phases, with assistance from Maxim Telecom, UTStarcom's local reseller. Initially, it will deploy the GEPON FTTH/B platform to deliver high-speed voice, data, and video to residential and business subscribers. An iAN-08E-series VoIP gateway will enable end-to-end interconnection between legacy analog phones and voice-enabled broadband networks. The second phase, scheduled to begin in Q'01 2008, targets expansion into new regions of Pakistan. Bell & Tell plans to reach more than 100,000 subscribers within three years over its broadband and next-generation network (NGN), says Shafqat Iqbal, CEO.

This contract aligns with UTStarcom's continued penetration into the Europe, Middle East, and Africa (EMEA) markets, says Youssef Kassissia, VP of sales, EMEA region, UTStarcom. The company reports that Pakistan's telecom market is undergoing deregulation, and telecom usage in the country is growing annually. The combined teledensity in the region's fixed, mobile, and wireless local loop hit 45% in 2007, up 62% over teledensity in 2006, UTStarcom reports.

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