3Com Corporation Showcases Service Provider Product Offerings At PT Expo Comm China 2000.

Business Editors and Technology Writers

PT Expo Comm China 2000 Booth No. 6234

BEIJING--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 24, 2000

3Com Corporation's (Nasdaq:COMS) Carrier Networks Business, an industry leader in supplying access infrastructures and Internet protocol (IP) services platforms to service providers around the globe, will showcase the full breadth of its product offerings this week at PT Expo Comm China 2000.

One of Asia's largest telecommunications and information technologies events, PT Expo Comm China 2000 is expected to attract more than 320,000 attendees from China and throughout the Pacific Rim. The show runs from October 24 through 28.

At PT Expo Comm China 2000, 3Com Carrier Networks Business will feature IP-based networking solutions based on its CommWorks(R) architecture. The three-tier CommWorks architecture, a versatile solution for multiservice packet-based networking, allows service providers to deliver narrowband enhanced data services, IP telephony, wireless data and broadband access over a single converged network. The architecture consists of:

-- a Media Processing tier for universal connectivity through a variety of
network access options;

-- a Control and Network and Service Management tier for universal signaling
and control via protocol mediation, as well as powerful network management,
element management and load-balancing services; and

-- a Service Creation tier, which provides an open service creation environment
that leverages open interfaces and 3Com strategic partners to enable rapid
application and service deployment.

Standards-based and designed with open interfaces throughout, the CommWorks architecture meets the telecommunications industry's need for a coherent architecture that allows the deployment of multiple services in a single, unified networking environment. The CommWorks architecture streamlines the migration from today's analog networks to next-generation, packet-based converged networks.

Wireless Exhibit Features 2G and 3G Solutions

3Com Carrier Networks Business is the world's leading manufacturer of Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) 2G wireless data equipment, and is an industry leader in emerging 3G wireless network deployments around the world. 3Com is providing the data core network in the world's first commercially-deployed cdma2000 1XRTT network, introduced this month by SK Telecom in Korea. The company's CDMA 2G interworking function (IWF) solution is currently compatible with major CDMA switches and is used by every major CDMA cellular and PCS carriers worldwide.

3Com's wireless data equipment connects directly to wireless switches or radio access networks to provide the interworking and protocol conversions required to deliver both circuit-switched and packet-switched data capabilities to mobile data users. The wireless data technology is based on the award-winning Total Control(R) 1000 multiservice access platform and the CommWorks architecture.

Cable Offerings are DOCSIS and EuroDOCSIS Qualified

3Com's Total Control(R) 1000 enhanced cable modem termination system (CMTS), recently fully qualified by the EuroDOCSIS Certification Board, is showcased at PT Expo Comm China 2000. EuroDOCSIS specifications allow cable operators to deploy standards-based CMTS solutions with approximately 33 percent more bandwidth than is typically configured in DOCSIS-compliant systems. The Total Control 1000 enhanced CMTS features 8 MHz downstream and 5 MHz-to-65 MHz upstream spectrums, and is designed to support extremely large-scale deployments and meet the needs of cable operators seeking to extend their offerings to next-generation subscriber services.

Also on display is the Total Control 1000 standard CMTS, which is DOCSIS 1.0 qualified and meets or exceeds most cable operator requirements for Internet broadband access solutions. Both CMTS solutions feature a distributed processing architecture that is unique to the data-over-cable industry. An independent processor on every CMTS card delivers enhanced performance by eliminating processing bottlenecks and scaling bandwidth as subscriber requirements grow. The performance of the Total Control 1000 CMTS scales as more downstream and upstream channel capacity is added to the platform. This provides maximum performance when processing-intensive applications and services such as Quality of Service (QoS) tiered-services, tunneling and virtual private networks, multicast and voice-over-IP are delivered to subscribers. Another advantage of 3Com's CMTS solution is the "Adaptive Streaming" design, meaning it has completely separate downstream and upstream channel cards capable of supporting anywhere between 1 to 12 upstream channels per downstream channel. This feature results in flexible network design and cost saving for the operators.

3Com also offers data over cable solutions to cable operators, as well as backoffice and network management support. The software package is a completely GUI-based network management application, combining CMTS management, cable modem management and configuration file editor into one package. The Bandwidth Manager product is a QoS solution for the cable environment that solves various problems associated with shared bandwidth for cable. The Bandwidth Manager can be used to provide tiered service levels, guarantee performance for critical traffic and monitor bandwidth usage per customer. 3Com's offering also includes a DOCSIS compliant cable provisioning software called the Provisioning and Access Manager to support a number of cable modem provisioning models including auto-provisioning.

IP Telephony Solutions on Display

For the emerging IP telephony market, 3Com Carrier Networks Business offers products that enable service providers to evolve existing circuit-switched network infrastructures to IP-based networks, and deliver an array of enhanced telephony services, such as unified messaging and IP-based fax services. Featured this week at PT Expo Comm China are the Total Control 1000 media gateway, the CommWorks 8210 IP fax server and the CommWorks 8250 unified messaging system.

The CommWorks IP telephony platform seamlessly interworks with existing infrastructures such as the public switched telephone network (PSTN) and Signaling System 7 (SS7) network, and alternative local loop access technologies such as wireless and two-way cable for transparent delivery of traditional and enhanced IP services. IP telephony technologies from 3Com Carrier Networks Business are currently deployed by a number of leading service providers around the world, including China United Telecommunications Corporation (China Unicom) and Caltiger.com in India.

Carrier-class Network & Service Management

As an essential component of the 3Com CommWorks three-tier architecture, the CommWorks 5000 network and service management system provides unified, carrier-class solutions for addressing the network and service management needs of today's telecommunications carriers and service providers. The solution streamlines configuration and maintenance of next generation services with a modular, cross-platform architecture and the ability to perform bulk operations.

The CommWorks 5000 system provides a cost effective, flexible solution for managing multiple technologies by supporting common services via a CORBA-based framework with element modules. This modularity enables rapid, non-disruptive deployment applications and support for new services such as wireless data access. Using this solution, network operators can easily accomplish tasks such as global configuration on groups of 3Com(R) Total Control platforms, perform bulk software downloads, and apply performance monitoring and trouble shooting across the network and across various operating platforms.

Enhancements to Flagship Total Control 1000 Platform

Also at PT Expo Comm China 2000, 3Com Carrier Networks business is showcasing new enhanced data system card sets for its flagship product, the Total Control 1000 multiservice access platform. The new card sets increase port density, enhance performance and expand the service capabilities of 3Com's flagship platform. The Total Control 1000 enhanced data system's new universal DSP card set features four-times the call handling of current card sets and multiple interface options including DS3 and STM-0 to support the continuous subscriber growth many carriers and service providers are experiencing worldwide.

The new card sets include the:

-- Total Control 1000 access router card sets, which feature a

significant increase in processing power and an independent,

out-of-band encryption engine;

--- Total Control 1000 DSP card sets, which support up to

four-times the density of current cards and feature multiple

interface options based on Texas Instruments DSPs that provide

Total Control 1000 systems with the lowest power requirement

and heat dissipation of any high-density solution in the

industry;

-- Total Control 1000 network management card sets that host

increased processing power and storage; and

-- Total Control 1000 DS3 ingress card sets for TDM call

aggregation into the system.

Carrier-class DSL Concentrators

3Com's product portfolio also includes a complete line of DSL access concentrators for deployment in service providers' central offices, along with supporting network management elements. The Total Control 500 DSL concentrators allow telecommunication carriers and service provides to offer DSL data and voice services. This multifaceted DSL platform provides a wide range of DSL deployment options ranging from broadband Internet access, Frame Relay, virtual private networking (VPN), toll-quality Voice over DSL (VoDSL), Private Branch Exchange (PBX) extension, as well as traditional POTS service.

Total Control 100 Gigabit Routers

The Total Control 100 gigabit routers deliver the high-speed performance, high reliability and scalability that service providers require in their networks. The Total Control 100 series is available in five models that are suitable for service provider backbone, RBOC/CLEC/ISP edge aggregation, and remote access/workgroup sites. The scalable LAN and WAN interfaces fit a wide range of Internet and Intranet applications, where high port density and multiple line rate options are essential system attributes to service providers and enterprise networks. The Total Control 100 gigabit routers features a switching capacity that scales from 8 gigabits per second to 90 gigabits per second, with IP traffic rates of up to 40 million packets per second.

About 3Com Corporation

3Com simplifies how people connect to information and services through easy-to-use, connectivity products and solutions for consumers and commercial organizations. The company also provides access infrastructures and IP services platforms for network service providers. For further information, visit www.3com.com or the press site at www.3com.com/pressbox.

3Com, CommWorks and Total Control are registered trademarks and the 3Com logo is a trademark of 3Com Corporation. All other company and product names may be trademarks of the respective companies with which they are associated.