UTStarcom Dumps its Handset Business

RCR Wireless News is reporting that UTStarcom will sell its personal communications division to private equity investors for at least $240 million:

“The PCD business primarily distributes handsets and accessories in North America for its parent corporation, UTStarcom. The company, based in Alameda, Calif., also recently divested its mobile solutions business.”

So who exactly is UTStarcom, you may ask? They, along with Audiovox, have distributed the odd high-end and bargain-basement cell phones in the U.S. over the past several years. The company never became a major player in the lucrative mid-range cell phone market here. UTStarcom also made a stab at the mobile VoIP market, which hasn’t really gone anywhere in the past several years either.

The report said that both moves were designed to help UTStarcom focus on its core products, which include IPTV, next-generation networks, and broadband data.

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