BEIJING—U.S.-based UTStarcom has signed an agreement with fixed-line carrier China Telecom to provide personal wireless access (PAS) equipment in Luoyang city in China’s Henan province.
China Telecom is offering PAS services in 184 small and medium-sized cities in China in direct competition with mobile carriers China Mobile and China Unicom. The service is not available in bigger cities. such as Beijing or Shanghai.
PAS does not allow for roaming, but is cheaper than regular mobile services. Per-minute charges are lower and the called party does not have to pay part of the call fee. The service is controversial as China Telecom does not have a license to provide mobile services.
The “Little Smart” service is built on top of existing fixed-line networks.
