UTStarcom, Inc., a global leader in IP-based, end-to-end networking solutions and services, announced that the company has signed a contract with Telpin, a telecommunications operator in the Atlantic Coastal region of Argentina, to deploy its iAN-8000 Multiservice Access Node (MSAN) in order to broaden its subscriber base and deliver triple play services.

"We believe Argentina is an ideal market for our affordable IP-based broadband solutions as less than 25 percent of Argentina's 38 million people have basic, fixed-line telephony or Internet access," said Martin Rivaben, vice president of the Southern Cone region for UTStarcom. "Our industry- leading MSAN technology is designed to enable Telpin to offer new, next- generation broadband applications to its subscribers in regions of the country with no prior access to such services."

"UTStarcom's iAN-8000 will allow us to offer new, revenue-generating services such as VoIP and IPTV that we could not provide with our previous network infrastructure and provide us with the flexibility to expand the network as our subscriber base grows," said Dario Oliver, chief executive officer at Telpin. "Delivering the triple play of voice, data and video will increase our average revenue per user and speed our return on investment."

Telpin intends to deploy the iAN-8000 throughout its networks, allowing it to bring new Voice-over-IP (VoIP) and broadband applications to the widest possible service area. Deployed in the service provider's central office, UTStarcom's iAN-8000 is designed to enable operators to offer multiple services from one platform, including TDM voice, VoIP, and both asymmetric DSL 2 (ADSL 2) and ADSL 2+, which is particularly important for offering the triple play of voice, data, and video service. The platform supports Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) for telephony and teleconferencing applications. Because the platform is designed to incorporate a digital loop carrier (DLC), Telpin also intends to deploy the iAN-8000 in Points of Presence (POPs) and other remote locations to extend its voice service reach beyond the area served by Telpin's central office.