UTStarcom, Inc., a global leader in IP-based, end-to-end networking solutions and services, announced that Softbank BB, the leading provider of broadband services in Japan, has chosen UTStarcom's mVision ^TM end-to-end IPTV system to support its new "BBTV" IPTV service, which launched on July 1, 2005.

"For IPTV to succeed in the market, it must be better and more cost-effective than what consumers are currently being offered by other television service providers," said Keiichi Makizono, general manager of technical division at Softbank BB. "We believe our BBTV service enabled by UTStarcom's mVision solution will revolutionize the way consumers in Japan watch television by providing many more choices and many more features at a more affordable price. Users can also subscribe to our industry-leading broadband and Voice-over-IP (VoIP) services, giving Softbank BB the most compelling triple play service offering in the market."

As of the end of May, more than 4.8 million people have subscribed for Yahoo! BB's DSL service, of which approximately 4.6 million are also BB Phone VoIP users.

Softbank BB's BBTV service will initially offer subscribers 28 channels of live broadcast television and more than 5,200 movies on demand. The operator offers several packages whereby subscribers can customize their service, and also has plans to continuously expand the number of channels and movies. Softbank BB's triple play service will be offered at prices from 4540yen, approximately US$40.00 per month.

"We believe that UTStarcom's mVision platform is the most comprehensive and scalable solution in the market today and can cost effectively scale to accommodate millions of subscribers and serves as a complete, end-to-end IPTV system from the carrier's central office to the end user's set-top box," said James Lu, vice president and chief operating officer at UTStarcom Japan K.K. "Our long-time partnership with Softbank has now evolved into a showcase of UTStarcom's complete IP-based broadband portfolio. In addition to the deployment of our mVision system, UTStarcom's IP DSLAM and Gigabit Ethernet Passive Optical Network (GEPON) solutions serve as the access and transport platforms for Softbank's DSL, VoIP and IPTV services."