3Com Delivers Comprehensive Family of Standards-Based, Power Over Ethernet Products.

Business Editors/High-Tech Writers

SANTA CLARA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 12, 2003

New SuperStack(R) 3 Switch 4400 PWR and 3Com's Voice, Network Jack

and Wireless LAN Products Simplify Customer Experience, Offer Better

Value to Enterprises

3Com Corporation (Nasdaq: COMS) today announced a new Power over Ethernet (PoE)-enabled switch, new NBX(R) IP telephones and wireless LAN access points. Combined with 3Com's innovative Network Jack family, these solutions offer the industry's most comprehensive suite of Power over Ethernet networking equipment based on the IEEE P802.af draft specification. Now a single cable can provide both standards-based, intelligent power and data connectivity. Any combination of these products can be ubiquitously deployed throughout a network, providing network managers with intelligent detection of powered devices, centralized management and enhanced availability. Combining these capabilities with standards-based power assures customers that 3Com(R) products can be seamlessly deployed with any other IEEE P802.af compliant products, providing the lowest total cost of ownership.

At the heart of this power-enabled approach to building networks is the new SuperStack(R) 3 Switch 4400 PWR, which offers customers the combination of a cost-effective "power source," based on the IEEE P802.af draft specification, with 3Com's most feature-rich 10/100 switch. The SuperStack 3 Switch 4400 PWR is a 24-port 10/100 in-line Power over Ethernet switch, delivering high-performance Ethernet switching with a variety of Gigabit uplink options, resilient, hot-swappable stacking and stack-wide link aggregation to enhance backbone performance and ensure network resiliency. The product can connect into an XRN(TM) technology-based backbone, which provides high availability for optimal network uptime.

"Migrating an entire product portfolio to the emerging Power over Ethernet standard is precisely what customers expect," said Nick Lippis, president, Lippis Consulting. "A piecemeal approach to Power over Ethernet is not acceptable. Customers look to leading network vendors like 3Com to provide a complete set of integrated products that will interoperate on their own as well as with third party products. Vendors that try to cling to proprietary approaches will be left behind and their customers left at risk. I'm particularly impressed with 3Com's support of PoE for their new Wi-Fi access point products and IP phone backward compatibility."

"As the IT administrator of a school district with 27 campuses responsible for the welfare of 18,000 students, Ethernet power is an absolute must-have," said Ted Malos, director of technology, Ventura Unified School District in California. "All Ventura schools require centralized power management. Using local power supplies in a student classroom setting is not secure enough and precludes the use of back-up power.

"Having already installed a large number of 3Com Ethernet switches, Network Jacks and NBX telephone systems," Malos added, "I was impressed to see how well 3Com delivered on their previous pledges to protect the investments I made in their products. It was simple to integrate the SuperStack 3 Switch 4400 PWR into an existing location, reuse the existing NBX telephones, leverage my Network Jacks for power forwarding and still gain new capabilities. They exceeded my expectations."

Customers will be able to take advantage of the SuperStack 3 Switch 4400 PWR for these classes of devices:

-- Network Jack - 3Com's unique "in the wall" Ethernet switch supports PoE and forward power to an attached device, such as an IP telephone handset, reducing cabling cost.

-- IP telephones - 3Com announced today enhanced versions of the NBX Networked Telephony telephone family that directly support the IEEE P802.3af draft specification. These new phones are fully backwards-compatible with 3Com's installed PoE solutions and existing products. Existing 3Com NBX phones are also forward-compatible to the standard with the simple addition of a small converter power module offered by 3Com. In either case, customers' investments are fully protected.

-- Wireless LAN access points - Announced in a separate press release today, the new 3Com Wireless LAN Access Point 8200, 3Com Wireless LAN Access Point 8500 and 3Com Wireless LAN Access Point 8700 can obtain power from any P802.3af compliant connection, including the new SuperStack 3 Switch 4400 PWR Switch.

"3Com has taken a corporate-wide, integrated approach to Power over Ethernet so that customers receive plug-and-play compatibility while at the same time significantly lowering the total cost of ownership (TCO) of their networks," said Dave Zwicker, vice president of marketing, 3Com. "Customer concerns about extra cabling, multiple back-up systems, space limitations, high cost, and proprietary products are eliminated when a standards-based PoE solution is implemented in a business, a school or a governmental organization. 3Com has eliminated another potential barrier to installing IP telephones and wireless LAN access points."

Unique Combination of Power and Rich Features in an Easy-to-Use Switch

The SuperStack 3 Switch 4400 PWR offers advanced features, such as traffic filtering, prioritization and 802.1X secure network login, ideal for supporting data and voice. As a member of the SuperStack 3 Switch 4400 family, this new switch includes NBX Fastlane technology to automatically prioritize NBX voice traffic. These superior capabilities, along with integrated Power over Ethernet technology, are all built-in, creating the most affordable and compact PoE switch solution available today.

Reducing implementation time and improving management are integral parts of the 3Com SuperStack 3 Switch 4400 PWR design. Customers that choose to use the unit in conjunction with other 3Com PoE products will find those 3Com devices pre-loaded in the unit's menus making per port - and per device power configuration - even simpler. IT managers can centrally monitor and control power on the network, generate alarms if a powered device on the network develops a fault, and see detailed descriptions of the type of faults. These power control features also allow IT managers to guarantee power to specific mission-critical devices, such as a phone in a student classroom. Furthermore, they can enable, disable or limit power distribution to lock down and secure a network from abuse. Locating the switch in a secure wiring closet with a back-up power supply will further ensure uninterrupted power to mission critical devices.

The SuperStack 3 Switch 4400 PWR units can be stacked and managed with the already available 3Com SuperStack 3 Switch 4400 24-port and 48-port switches, making it easy to introduce PoE into existing sites. The newest device shares the uplink and stacking modules of the SuperStack 3 Switch 4400 family for greatest flexibility.

Pricing and Availability:

The new 3Com SuperStack 3 Switch 4400 PWR, which is expected to ship worldwide in April, is listed at $2,495 (US). Enhanced NBX telephones are expected to ship in May, at prices in line with current telephony models. A converter module to allow existing NBX telephones to operate with the SuperStack 3 Switch 4400 PWR and other compliant power is available for $30 list price (US).

About 3Com Corporation

3Com is a tier-one provider of innovative, practical and high-value networking products for enterprises of all sizes and public sector organizations. 3Com is also a leader in providing Internet protocol (IP) service platforms and access infrastructure for network service providers. For further information, please visit www.3com.com, or the press site www.3com.com/pressbox.

3Com, NBX, SuperStack and the 3Com logo are registered trademarks and XRN is a trademark of 3Com Corporation. All other company and product names may be trademarks of their respective holders.