UTStarcom has signed a contract with China Telecom Group to supply 300,000 QBOX terminals. China Telecom will sell the QBOX for use with its Homebox fixed-line/PAS convergence service, which is available in 24 cities in China.
The Homebox service is designed to allow iPAS users to seamlessly roam between the public PAS network and their private iPAS connections at home, which are provided by the QBOX terminal. The QBOX thus enables fixed-mobile convergence (FMC) by allowing subscribers to use their iPAS devices as digital cordless phones. In addition, existing fixed-line users can use the UTStarcom terminal to enjoy the value-added services that PAS provides. The QBOX can also be configured to integrate ADSL CPE and WiFi access point functions, enabling China Telecom to offer wireless data access in the home computing environment.
China Telecom is the largest PAS and fixed-line operator in China, with approximately 60 million PAS subscribers. The operator first launched the Homebox service in six cities in the second half of 2005. To date, about 300,000 users have signed up, and the service will ultimately extend to 24 cities.
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