UTStarcom was awarded the contract for Sichuan Radio and TV's Integrated IPTV Broadcasting Control Platform Project through a rigorous competitive bidding process. Initiated by Sichuan Radio and TV in early August of 2010, the project is China's first network integration project for pilot cities. UTStarcom will provide it with a package solution which includes software and infrastructure development and content delivery network support.

More than 10 vendors competed in the bidding process and UTStarcom emerged as the winner after two rounds of competition. Sources say this bidding represented the first phase of the Sichuan Radio and TV project which is designed to cover the regions and subscribers ripe for two-way networks. As the number of subscribers increases, the project is expected to expand to eventually cover the entire Sichuan Province.

"IPTV is the most representative part of the integration of telecomm networks, cable TV networks and the Internet," Jack Lu, Chief Executive Officer of UTStarcom, commented. "Using IPTV technology, we help partners and clients achieve upgrading from standard-definition broadcasting to high-definition, and we have successfully helped many clients convert from analog to digital and then to high-definition. The Sichuan Radio and TV project is a key one in that it will construct China's first integrated network broadcasting control platform. In that sense it will be a pioneering project."

According to the Streaming Media Network, by the end of 2009, UTStarcom, which has been committed to serving the interactive TV market since 2008, has become China Mobile's important partner in the development of IPTV systems in Shanghai, Shaanxi, Fujian, Zhejiang, Anhui, Hainan, Yunnan, Ningxia and Jiangxi. UTStarcom's RollingStream Platform has been applied in the interactive TV projects of Guangdong Southern Media and Anhui Radio and Television Network Corp., as well as those of Leqing of Zhejiang, Huangshi and Yunmeng of Hubei and Santai and Jiangyou of Sichuan.

Winning the bid for Sichuan Radio and TV's Integrated IPTV Broadcasting Control Platform Project is again eloquent proof of UTStarcom's competitive strength in the field of IPTV.