SAN DIEGO -- ZTE Corporation (ZTE), a leading global provider of telecommunications equipment and network solutions, and Astute Networks, Inc., a leading provider of bladed storage solutions optimized for the most demanding applications on the edge of the network, today announced the two companies have entered into a strategic technology partnership to supply world-class Advanced Telecommunications Computing Architecture (ATCA) products to the telecommunications market.

Under the terms of the OEM agreement, the companies will jointly develop ATCA server/storage products for wireless and wire-line telecommunications customers worldwide. The products will be based on ZTE's server blade platform and will incorporate Astute Networks' Caspian Edge Storage Blade family, resulting in a completely integrated off-the-shelf ATCA solution for telecommunications applications such as mobile handset and IPTV.

"Astute Networks' focus on bringing innovative products to the telecommunications market was a fundamental reason for selecting the company as a strategic technology partner," said Xiao Hongyun, general manager, server department, ZTE Corporation. "We look forward to offering distinctive server and storage solutions to our customers as a result of this mutually beneficial relationship."

"We are extremely pleased to enter into this OEM agreement with ZTE, as they are a highly regarded technology leader in the telecommunications industry," said Clark Masters, president and chief executive officer, Astute Networks, Inc. "As the wireless and wire-line markets continue to expand in China and the rest of the world, we believe that this partnership will position both companies for growth in this dynamic market."

According to market intelligence provider IDC, the number of mobile subscribers in China is expected to grow from 639 million in 2008 to 840 million in 2012.

ZTE Corp. (Shenzhen: 000063; Hong Kong: 0763)

Astute Networks Inc.