UTStarcom, Inc., a leader in PAS (Personal Access System) and IP access networking and services, recently announced a US$31 million contract with China Netcom for new PAS handsets.

Under the terms of the agreement, China Netcom will offer the complete line of UTStarcom's PAS handsets in the Liao Ning Province to meet growing demand for PAS applications and services in the region.

"This contract illustrates the strength of demand for UTStarcom's PAS solutions throughout China," said Simon Le, senior vice president of sales of UTStarcom China. "We have recently seen an increased interest in the competitive landscape in the PAS handset market as a result of the remarkable growth of the PAS/Little Smart service in China. Currently, there are now approximately 10 other manufacturers in addition to UTStarcom marketing PAS handset solutions. And, while most of these new handset products are in the low to medium price range, UTStarcom continues to offer handsets that span the entire spectrum of cost, functionality and value-added services. It is this strategic advantage that allows UTStarcom to remain the absolute market leader with 70 percent market share."

UTStarcom provides more than 15 different choices of PAS handsets, from basic low-cost to high-functionality, higher-cost versions. Current models support color displays, optional cameras, polyphonic melodies, short message service (SMS), email, and 64Kbps Web browser capability.