HAUPPAUGE, N.Y., Aug. 22 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- UTStarcom Personal Communications, a division of UTStarcom, Inc. , a global leader in IP-based, end-to-end networking solutions and services, announced today that the UTStarcom CDM7025 mobile handset is now available to Cricket customers. The clamshell-style CDM7025 is available at select Cricket retail stores and Cricket dealers for $129.99. With its sleek and stylish design that comes in black and silver, the CDM7025 features applications such as text messaging, Cricket Clicks(TM) for downloading ringtones, games, and wallpapers.

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"The CDM7025 is designed to combine style and functionality at a reasonable price," said Philip Christopher, president of UTStarcom Personal Communications. "We expect Cricket customers will appreciate the phone's compact and lightweight form factor as well as its more advanced features."

Preloaded and downloaded images will be easy to view with the CDM7025. It features a 1.5" 65K color main display that supports popular image formats including BMP, GIF, JPEG and PNG. The phone also supports multiple audio formats such as QCELP, EVRC, MIDI and MP3, for high-quality sound.

"We are pleased to add the UTStarcom handset to our lineup of mobile phones, said Sergio Garcia, director of device strategy at Cricket Communications, Inc. "We're certain Cricket customers will agree that this mobile phone offers great design and features at an affordable price."

The tri-mode CDM7025 features a retractable antenna boosting its signal in areas of weak network coverage and is Travel Time(TM) roaming capable. It weighs just 3.2 ounces measuring 3.5" (h) x 1.9" (w) x 0.8" (d) and is equipped with voice activated dialing, built-in speakerphone, polyphonic ringtones, a 500-entry phone book, and enhanced battery life for up to 250 minutes of talk time and 320 hours standby time. It also has a HAC Compliance rating of M3 for the hearing impaired.

About UTStarcom Personal Communications

UTStarcom Personal Communications is changing the way the world communicates through innovative wireless devices that deliver advanced communications solutions to improve personal lifestyles.

UTStarcom Personal Communications provides wireless communications devices including handsets, PocketPCs and wireless broadband modems to carriers throughout North and South America and supplies every CDMA carrier in the U.S. and Canada. The company's products are manufactured by its parent company, UTStarcom, Inc., and by third-party original equipment manufacturers. UTStarcom Personal Communications Division is based in Hauppauge, New York, and maintains offices and support facilities throughout the U.S., Canada, Latin America, Korea and India.

UTStarcom, Inc. is a global leader in IP access networking solutions and international service and support. The company sells its wireline, wireless, optical and switching solutions to operators around the world. Founded in 1991 and headquartered in Alameda, California, the company has research and design operations in New Jersey, China, and India.

About Leap

Leap, headquartered in San Diego, Calif., is a customer-focused company providing innovative mobile wireless services targeted to meet the needs of customers under-served by traditional communications companies. With the value of unlimited wireless services as the foundation of its business, Leap pioneered both Cricket(R) and Jump(TM) Mobile service. Through its affordable, flat-rate service plans, Cricket offers customers a choice of unlimited local voice minutes, unlimited domestic long distance voice minutes, unlimited text, instant and picture messaging and additional value-added services over a high- quality, all-digital CDMA network. Designed for the mobile-dependent, urban youth market, Jump Mobile is a unique prepaid wireless service that offers customers free unlimited incoming calls from anywhere with outgoing calls at an affordable 10 cents per minute and free incoming and outgoing text messaging. Both Cricket and Jump Mobile services are offered without long-term commitments or credit checks. For more information, please visit http://www.leapwireless.com/.

Forward Looking Statements

This release includes forward-looking statements by and about UTStarcom, including, without limitation, the foregoing statements regarding the anticipated functionality, features, style and market acceptance of, and benefits and affordability to users of, the CDM7025. These statements are forward-looking in nature and are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially. These factors include rapidly changing technology and consumer preferences, the changing nature of the telecommunications market, the possibility of slower than expected growth in the telecommunications markets, evolving product and application standards, changes or delays in product introductions and deployments, the termination or material amendment of significant contracts, partnerships or alliances, and other uncertainties, such as changes in government regulation and licensing requirements in relevant markets. UTStarcom also refers readers to the risk factors identified in its latest Annual Report on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and Current Reports on Form 8-K as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

CONTACT: Joe Vasquez, jvasquez@schwartz.com, or Deborah Grunbaum,
dgrunbaum@schwartz.com, both of G.S. Schwartz & Co., Inc., +1-212-725-4500,
for UTStarcom

Web site: http://www.utstar.com/