$1.1-Million Contract for Startel Corp.

IRVINE — Startel Corp., an Irvine supplier of communications processing systems, said Thursday that it has won a $1.1-million contract to jointly develop an advanced automated messaging system with a New York firm for a U.S.-Israeli foundation.

Startel will merge its operator messaging system technology with the automated voice and fax processing technology of Efrat Future Technology Ltd., the Israeli subsidiary of Comverse Technology Inc. in Woodbury, N.Y. The resulting system will combine operator services and automated voice and fax services.

The Binational Industrial Research and Development Foundation will fund 50% of the project and will receive royalties from future sales.