UTStarcom Rebrands Its IPTV

ALAMEDA, Calif. -- UTStarcom, Inc. (Nasdaq: UTSI), a global leader in IP-based, end-to-end networking solutions and services, today introduced the new brand name for its commercially deployed, end-to-end IPTV solution -- RollingStream(TM).

"We believe the rebranding of our field-proven IPTV solution to RollingStream better articulates the function of UTStarcom's IPTV product family to enable service providers to offer their subscribers a variety of streaming applications over a single platform," said Brian Caskey, vice president of worldwide marketing at UTStarcom. "The name RollingStream speaks to what differentiates our technology -- the ability to efficiently parcel content segments to servers at the edge of the network and then deliver the segments sequentially to users on demand; so that their experience rivals watching a DVD."

Formerly know as mVision, RollingStream is a distributed end-to-end solution that is designed to enable telecommunications operators and broadband service providers to deliver broadcast-quality television and on-demand entertainment programming over IP networks. The solution's scalability, reliability, and bandwidth efficiency allow it to support new services, including broadcast TV, Network Personal Video Recorder (n-PVR), Video on Demand (VoD), and Near Video on Demand (NVoD), over existing network infrastructures. These services may give service providers opportunities to increase revenues, offer new services, and improve customer satisfaction and retention.

RollingStream partitions each program into segments that are cached on network edge servers based on viewing demand patterns and operator-specified policies. This mechanism allows service providers to store the beginning segments of feature-length programs directly at the network edge, close to the subscriber, and dynamically deliver the remaining segments once viewing starts. Compared to IPTV solutions that store all content either at the core, which results in network congestion, or in multiple complete iterations at the edge, which requires huge amounts of storage, UTStarcom's approach simplifies and expedites content delivery, reduces storage requirements, and minimizes network congestion.

Several major international telecommunications providers already deploy UTStarcom's end-to-end IPTV solutions. China Telecom, the largest fixed-line telecom operator in China, selected RollingStream to support its new IPTV service launched in China at the end of 2005. The first official service launch of up to 5,000 subscribers in Shanghai was the culmination of an integrated commercial trial of IPTV by China Telecom in five provinces throughout China. Softbank BB, the leading provider of broadband services in Japan, chose UTStarcom's RollingStream end-to-end IPTV solution to support its "BBTV" IPTV service, which launched on July 1, 2005. Softbank BB expects its service can change the way consumers in Japan watch television by providing many more choices and many more features at a more affordable price.

UTStarcom Inc. (Nasdaq: UTSI)