UTStarcom, Inc. announced a contract with China Telecom (CTC) to deploy its RollingStream end-to-end IPTV solution for a new commercial IPTV network in China's Shanxi Province.

The initial deployment, supporting 30,000 subscribers, is planned to include 14 service points covering major metropolitan areas of Xian, the capital city of Shanxi Province. The service is expected to offer up to 80 channels of live, broadcast television; 24-hour time-shifting capability; approximately 10,000 hours of video-on-demand (VOD) content; and valued-added services including karaoke and gaming.

UTStarcom's RollingStream is designed for telecommunications operators and broadband service providers to deliver broadcast quality TV and on-demand entertainment programming over existing network infrastructures.

At ITU Telecom World 2006 in Hong Kong last month, UTStarcom's RollingStream IPTV solution was named the best IPTV solution worldwide by Communications Weekly, a leading publication under the guidance of the Ministry of Information Industry (MII) in China. UTStarcom was also awarded the Development Contribution Award for its efforts for IPTV standardization in China.