3Com Boosts Capacity On Industry Leading CDMA Wireless Platform.

Business Editors/High-Tech Writers

SANTA CLARA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 7, 2000

Latest Innovation Builds on Company's e-Networks

for Service Providers Strategy; Enables CDMA Carriers to

Meet Market Demand for Fast, Efficient Wireless Data Connectivity

3Com Corporation (Nasdaq:COMS), an industry innovator in wireless data access technology, today announced it is developing a next-generation interworking function (IWF) for Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) service providers that will enable significant increases in call capacities. Scheduled for availability in late May 2000, the 3Com(R) Total Control(R) 1000 Platform IWF high density gateway will allow carriers to more efficiently address exploding market demand for wireless data connectivity.

Development of the high density gateway for wireless data services is the latest innovation from 3Com as the company solidifies its leadership position in the market for packet-based networking solutions for service providers. 3Com is enabling CDMA wireless service providers to leverage the flexibility and economy of packet-based networks and to quickly develop new and differentiated customer services.

Ovum, an independent research and consulting company that tracks the IT and telecom markets, has projected that by the year 2003, one of every four wireless subscribers worldwide will also be a wireless data subscriber. That would represent an increase of 268 percent from the current percentage of wireless data subscribers. Ovum also projected that service revenue from wireless data subscribers will grow to $124 billion worldwide by 2003, compared to an estimated $39 billion worldwide in 2000. (Source: Ovum, &uot;Third Generation Mobile: Market Strategies,&uot; published October 1999)

&uot;3Com designed the Total Control IWF high density gateway in response to the booming demand for wireless connectivity data services,&uot; said Irfan Ali, senior vice president and general manager, 3Com Carrier Systems.

&uot;Subscribers accustomed to doing business with their mobile phones increasingly are using the same wireless device for e-mail and Internet access,&uot; Ali continued. &uot;To meet customer expectations for fast, reliable access, service providers need to handle more calls more efficiently within the constraints of their central office space. Our Total Control IWF high density gateway enables them to do that.&uot;

Total Control 1000 IWF: Ten Times the Call Capacity

The initial release of the IWF high density gateway will introduce new edge server hardware on the Total Control 1000 platform. The new edge server card features a 400MHz processor and greater memory and storage capacity than is available today. A subsequent upgrade for the IWF high density gateway -- scheduled for early this fall -- will increase the call capacity of the IWF more than ten-fold. This significant increase in call capacity and future expansion capabilities will be accomplished while maintaining the same chassis footprint of the current Total Control 1000 platform.

&uot;The IWF high density gateway is the latest example of 3Com's commitment to the wireless data market,&uot; said Gennady Sirota, director, wireless product management, 3Com Carrier Systems. &uot;This gateway will require less central office space per call, and reduce the cost per call through lower capital and maintenance costs.&uot;

Through the software upgrade, the IWF high density gateway will enable higher call volumes per chassis by increasing the capacity to handle a greater load of Quick Net Connect calls. Quick Net Connect is the flagship feature of 3Com's CDMA IWF technology. By bypassing the public switched telephone network, Quick Net Connect eliminates costly toll charges and reduces set-up and modem-training time while establishing an all-digital connection. With Quick Net Connect, Internet or intranet connections are established in as little as 5-7 seconds versus the 20-40 seconds needed for analog modem connections.

&uot;With the rapid adoption of smart phones and their ability to get information quickly, as well as the increasing number of options for wireless Internet connectivity, wireless subscribers want the fastest connections possible,&uot; Sirota said. &uot;3Com's Quick Net Connect feature makes fast connections possible. Many carriers using our CDMA IWF equipment have found the percentage of Quick Net Connect calls is significantly higher than the percentage of analog modem/fax calls. The new IWF high density gateway is designed to handle a greater load of Quick Net Connect calls.&uot;

3Com: The Leading Provider of CDMA Wireless Data Equipment

3Com is the world's leading manufacturer of CDMA wireless data equipment - with virtually 100 percent of the U.S. market and an estimated 90 percent of the global market. The 3Com(R) solution is currently compatible with all major CDMA switches and is used by virtually every major CDMA cellular and PCS carrier providing data worldwide.

3Com's IWF solution is a hardware and software platform that serves as a gateway from the wireless network, giving subscribers access to the Internet, corporate intranets and PSTN dial-up and fax services. The platform is on-site in the service providers' central office/switching center and connects directly to wireless switches. The IWF enables service providers to converge voice wireless services with newer data wireless applications across an integrated infrastructure. Wireless subscribers can use CDMA data connections to send and receive fax messages and e-mail, browse the Internet and access their corporate intranets.

The Total Control 1000 Platform

The IWF is based on 3Com's Total Control 1000 platform, which is used by leading service providers around the world. The Total Control 1000 platform is the foundation for multiservice, universal access. Today, 3Com offers customers circuit switched data/RAS, fax-over-IP, voice-over-IP, CDMA wireless, and cable access within the Total Control 1000 multiservice access platform. More than seven million Total Control ports are deployed with service providers worldwide.

The market-proven Total Control platform is a key component of the 3Com(R) CommWorks(R) architecture. The CommWorks architecture enables service providers to migrate from the circuit-based networks of today to feature-rich, IP-based e-Networks, which can deliver multiple services -- remote access, IP telephony, wireless, or cable access -- over a single infrastructure. Characterized by its openness, versatility and scalability, the CommWorks architecture allows service providers to leverage their existing infrastructure and migrate to a packet-based network that offers converged, IP-based enhanced services.

About 3Com

With over 300 million customer connections worldwide, 3Com Corporation connects more people and organizations to information and each other in more innovative, simple and reliable ways than any other networking company. 3Com delivers e-Networking solutions through information access products and network systems to enterprises, small businesses, consumers, and network service providers. For further information, visit 3Com's World Wide Web site at www.3com.com or the press site at www.3com.com/pressbox.

Note to Editors: 3Com, Total Control and CommWorks are registered trademarks of 3Com Corporation. All other company and product names may be trademarks of the respective companies with which they are associated.