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UTStarcom, Inc. - Communications Equipment - Category Main Page
(510)
864-8800
1275
Harbor Bay Parkway
Alameda, CA 94502
www.utstar.com
Sales
$2
billion
Business Description
We design, manufacture and sell telecommunications equipment and products
and provide services associated with their operation. Our products are
deployed and installed exclusively by telecommunications wireless and
wireline service providers. We provide an extensive range of products for
transportation of voice, data and video traffic for service providers around
the world. Our business is conducted globally in China, Japan, India, the
Central and Latin American region, North America, the European, Middle
Eastern and African region and southeastern and northern Asia. Historically,
substantially all of our sales have been to service providers in China.
TECHNOLOGY AND PRODUCTS
Our technologies and products fall into three major categories:
• wireless, a technology that enables end users, or subscribers, to send and
receive voice and data while mobile and using wireless devices;
• wireline, a technology that satisfies customer demand for high-speed, cost
effective data, voice and media transport and carriage; and
• switching, a diverse assembly of software and hardware based networking
elements designed to replace central office telephone switches.
Our products within each of these categories include multiple hardware and
software subsystems that can be offered in various combinations to suit
individual subscriber needs. Our system technologies and products are based
on widely adopted global communications standards and are designed to allow
service providers to quickly and cost-efficiently integrate our systems into
their existing networks and deploy our systems in new broadband, Internet
Protocol ("IP") and wireless network rollouts. Our system technologies are
also designed to allow timely and cost efficient transition to future
next-generation network technologies, enabling our service provider
customers to protect their initial infrastructure investments.
WIRELESS
Wireless networking is one of our core technologies that refers to
communications networks that enable end users to send and receive voice and
data while mobile and using wireless devices such as cellular telephones,
personal computers, personal digital assistants and other wireless
communications devices. Wireless networks require the use of customized
equipment that enables an end user or subscriber to be connected and
identified when not in a fixed location within a network. We offer a broad
range of wireless products and services, from handsets for individual
subscribers to service platforms and core infrastructure systems for large
carriers that can support millions of subscribers.
Wireless Products and Services Platform
Our globally deployed Personnel Access Systems ("PAS"), a family of wireless
access handsets, wireless consumer products and core infrastructure
equipment, are designed to help our customers create new revenue
opportunities with high quality voice services, rich suites of handsets and
network-based services.
Our PAS wireless access system and IP-based PAS ("iPAS") wireless access
systems employ micro cell radio technology and specialized handsets and
enable service providers to offer subscribers both mobile and fixed access
to telephone services. Our PAS wireless access architecture is designed to
enable service providers to transition from wireline to wireless
communication networks, allowing them to offer both mobile wireless voice
and data services within a city or community. Using our products, service
providers can offer new wireless services, including citywide mobility,
same-number wireless extension, e-mail, mobile Internet access, short
messaging and location-based services.
Our wireless products are designed to offer a full suite of integrated,
customizable, value-added services, including short-message services, web
browsing, e-mail, voice mail, and 64Kbps Internet access.
PAS Wireless Mobile Phone Systems
We design, manufacture, market and sell a comprehensive line of mobile and
fixed wireless telephone products.
• Personal Access System (PAS)
We designed our PAS equipment to meet the needs of subscribers that do not
require all of the features offered by traditional cellular technology, but
want more than the features offered by standard fixed-line technology,
including regional mobility, a more cost-effective tariff plan, and access
to value-added data services. When compared to other traditional
macrocellular wireless systems, PAS offers lower deployment costs, easier
radio frequency planning, higher traffic capacity, better voice quality,
faster data transmission speeds, lighter handsets with lower power
requirements, and better support of advanced information services.
PAS is based on microcellular technology. In comparison to more traditional
macrocellular systems, PAS cell stations are small and are normally
installed on existing utility poles or buildings rather than on large
towers. Mounting small transmitters this way greatly reduces the cost and
complexity of installation as there is neither need for a major tower
construction project nor any significant tower lease fees. Additionally,
mounting a small PAS cell station close to its antenna and connecting it to
the network using standard telephone wire is far simpler and more cost
effective than the traditional cellular approach of installing a large
transmitter on the ground and running heavy coaxial cables up a tower to the
antennas. PAS cell station installation takes a few hours, compared to
several days to install, power, and commission a traditional wireless cell
station. Because PAS uses "dynamic frequency allocation," a process where
each cell "listens to" all available radio channels before selecting one for
each call, the overall radio planning and engineering for PAS is very
simple. While adding cells to handle more calls in a traditional cellular
network requires considerable frequency planning and balancing, adding cells
to a PAS network is less difficult because PAS cells can automatically
determine what channels to use. This capability, combined with the low cost
per cell, allows a carrier to start with a very small system serving only
hundreds of subscribers and grow that system to serve millions, simply by
adding small cells.
• IP-based Personal Access System (iPAS)
Our iPAS wireless system employs our mSwitch softswitch platform and allows
service providers to transition from their current wireline network to an
IP-based wireless network and offer their subscribers new wireless services,
including citywide mobility, same-number wireless extension, e-mail, mobile
Internet access, short messaging and location-based services.
• Handsets
We also design and sell a variety of handsets that range from basic,
low-cost models to high-functionality, higher-cost models that offer color
displays, up to 32 different ring tones, bilingual short message service ("SMS")
and Internet access and email capability. We believe our strategy of
designing handsets in-house, licensing, and manufacturing, and
direct-sourcing handset components gives us the flexibility to meet demand
while offering the broadest line of PAS handsets to our customers.
2G CDMA System
Our second generation ("2G") code division multiple access (or CDMA, a
wireless standard) wireless data products, which are based on the IS-95A
standard, enable service providers to offer wide area wireless data service
to end users on IS-95A-compatible networks. Our 2G CDMA products meet the
open wireless standards and the standards of the United States
standardization body, TIA/EIA.
• 2G CDMA Wireless Data Product
We provide 2G CDMA wireless data equipment that enables service providers to
converge wireless voice services with newer data applications. Our product
is a hardware and software platform that serves as a gateway from the
wireless network, giving subscribers access to the Internet, corporate
intranets, public switched telephone network dial-up, and fax services. Our
product is designed to meet a service provider's demands for a high
capacity, expandable platform.
3G W-CDMA and TD-CDMA Systems
We are developing and testing a suite of products and services for 3G
wireless networks that support the open 3G wireless standards (wideband-code
division multiple access, or W-CDMA and time division-synchronous code
division multiple access, or TD-SCDMA) defined under 3GPP, the international
standardization body, and the standards of TIA/EIA, the United States
Standardization body. Our 3G enhanced wireless data products are designed to
be capable of delivering data at much higher speeds, enabling cost savings
and new revenue-generating services for our customers.
We have entered into strategic alliances with Matsushita (Panasonic),
interWAVE and Datang Mobile to co-design and jointly develop 3G wireless
systems based on the open wireless standards. At the end of 2003, Panasonic
Mobile Communications Co., Ltd. and we announced a joint venture to focus on
the design, development, and manufacture of 3G telecommunications equipment.
• 3G CDMA2000 Wireless Data Product
We are developing and testing a CDMA2000 wireless data product that is
designed to offer CDMA service providers a cost-effective, seamless way to
deploy high-speed packet data services worldwide. It is designed to allow
service providers to offer uninterrupted services on their existing networks
during a transition to more advanced networks.
Our CDMA2000 wireless data product is designed to be compatible with all
standards-based wireless equipment, giving service providers enormous
flexibility when designing and developing their networks. In addition, its
open, standards-based architecture is designed to provide the scalability
and flexibility required by service providers for easy deployment of
services and applications.
Transition from Personal Access Systems to 3G Wireless Systems
Our iPAS and 3G wireless systems are both based on our mSwitch softswitch
platform, which is designed for future IP-based next generation networks.
Because we have designed these systems to operate on the same platform, our
iPAS system core network equipment can be upgraded to support both iPAS and
3G wireless services simultaneously.
WIRELINE
Our wireline products are designed to satisfy customer demand for high speed
and cost effective data, voice and multimedia transport. Our wireline
technology enables high-speed voice, video and data transmissions over
broadband IP-based networks.
Digital subscriber line ("DSL") technology enables high-speed data and
content transfer while providing simultaneous telephone communications over
the same fixed copper line. Our IP-based DSL Access Multiplexers ("DSLAMs")
enable high-speed access and deliver services to residential and commercial
subscribers using broadband technology.
Wireline Products and Services Platform
Our broadband wireline networking platform, which we call the AN-2000
platform:
• enables network transition from narrowband to broadband with IP;
• uses Asynchronous Transfer Mode ("ATM") technology, a network technology
based on transferring data in packets of a small, fixed size that facilitate
transmission of various data types over the same network, assuring that no
single type of data monopolizes the line; and
• provides multi-service access support.
Our wireline products and services enable the delivery of both broadband
service and traditional voice, video and data services to subscribers via a
copper, fiber or a wireless transmission facility.
AN-2000 Platform
We offer our AN-2000 platform in three variations featuring IP, ATM and
multi-service access capabilities:
• Multi-Service Access Node (AN-2000)
Our AN-2000 Multi-Service Access Node ("AN-2000 MSN") platform is an
integrated broadband access platform that delivers a mix of broadband and
traditional voice and data services via copper, fiber or wireless
transmission.
• IP-Based Digital Subscriber Line Access Multiplexer (DSLAM) (AN-2000-IB)
Our AN2000-IB platform represents a new generation of DSLAM products and
services that do not require ATM networking and are therefore compatible
with IP-based networks. We have designed our AN2000-IB to meet a variety of
customer needs, such as commercial or residential applications, Internet
access, email, file transfer or virtual private networks.
• Voice over IP Media Gateway (iAN-2000)
Our iAN-2000 is a media gateway product that converts incoming analog or
digitized voice, fax or modem signals from a traditional phone network into
IP voice packets.
The media gateway also terminates the incoming signaling information, used
for controlling a telephone call, and generates IP-based signaling messages,
which are sent to the softswitch, where all the service intelligence resides
for the delivery of telephone services for call processing.
Television over IP (TVoIP) System
• MediaSwitch
Our MediaSwitch technology family is a suite of products and services that
enable a service provider to deliver broadcast television and on-demand
video services to residential and commercial premises.
This product family includes a media console that provides Internet access,
broadcast TV, video on demand and video conferencing services to the
subscribers.
Optical Transport System
Our optical networking products are designed to provide a broad range of
functions, including:
• interfacing with a variety of bit rates;
• scaling of central offices to support higher-bandwidth services;
• providing the core of the network where incremental, high-bandwidth
capacity is required to connect multiple central offices; and
• enabling service providers to continue a rapid transition from legacy
products to next generation networks.
• NetRing
NetRing is the name of our optical product line that supports multi-service
transport capabilities required by service providers. Different NetRing
systems deliver the following target applications:
• Our NetRing 600 and NetRing TX-60 products provide voice and data services
for multi-tenant unit, office building, and enterprise campus applications.
• Our mid-range NetRing 2500 and NetRing TX-160 products offer voice and
data transport when a larger bandwidth and capacity is required.
• Our high-end NetRing 10000 and NetRing TX-200 products provide service for
metro core or regional transport applications, when an even larger bandwidth
and capacity is required.
SWITCHING
Our IP-based, multi-service soft switching architecture is a diverse
assembly of software-and hardware-based networking elements designed to
replace traditional central office telephone switches. Our architecture
delivers multiple services including providing comprehensive broadband and
narrowband access, call control of telephone and data communications and
delivering next generation features not offered by the traditional fixed
line switching infrastructure.
Our soft switching technology helps our service provider customers increase
revenue while reducing churn by supporting a wide range of new customer
enabling services. Service providers can use our switching products when
transitioning to an upgraded network, allowing them to utilize their
existing network infrastructure and protecting their initial investment.
Switching Products and Services Platform
Softswitch, where all the service intelligence resides for the delivery of
telephone services, is the industry name for the IP-based approach to
telephony switching that has the potential to reduce the cost of long
distance and local exchange switching and to create differentiated telephony
services. A softswitch can support a wide array of functions, including
address translation, service monitoring and assurance, billing
authorization, and supplementary services like call forwarding and call
conferencing.
• mSwitch Platform
The mSwitch platform, which combines softswitch functionality with our
wireless technology, supports our iPAS-based wireless infrastructure. This
combination allows our mSwitch platform to provide expandable, mobile
switching centers that can operate with our PAS system. By focusing on
mobility services, mSwitch is targeting one of the most complex and
commercially important segments of softswitch applications.
We believe that our mSwitch softswitching architecture was one of the first
to provide mobile switching functionality. Mobile telephony and information
delivery services are among the most demanding and complex, requiring
wireless mobile networks to track subscribers' locations dynamically whether
or not they are on a telephone call.
Our mSwitch platform is designed to be a cost-effective, flexible and
expandable networking platform designed to replace traditional central
office switches. This platform delivers multiple services, including
broadband and narrowband remote access services on an IP-based
packet-switching infrastructure via wireless and wireline networks. It
allows customers to increase their revenue opportunities by supporting a
wide range of new services.
The mSwitch platform is designed to reliably transport data along with
signaling, control, and management information. The architecture includes
operations support systems for associated billing, provisioning, and service
management.
NETWORK MANAGEMENT (UNMS/iNetman)
We provide a powerful and user-friendly graphical user interface-based
network management solution for the operation, administration and
maintenance of our products. The network management system provides fault
management, configuration management, accounting management, performance
management and security management in accordance with standards required by
local governments and/or carriers to assist the service providers in smooth
network operation.
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UTStarcom
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