3Com Delivers Industry's First Convergence-Ready, Power over Ethernet Switch Optimized for Small-and-Medium-Sized Businesses.

MARLBOROUGH, Mass. -- Affordable and Easy-to-Use, 3Com(R) Baseline Plus Switch Enables Small-and Medium Businesses to Rapidly Deploy IP Telephones for New Business Applications and Lower Costs

3Com Corporation (Nasdaq: COMS) today introduced a highly intelligent, self-learning network system called the 3Com(R) Baseline Switch 2226-PWR Plus. The new web-configurable switch offers unique levels of network control and enables small-and-medium business (SMB) customers to take advantage of Power over Ethernet (PoE) and 3Com's prioritization technology for Internet Telephony (IP) telephony in smaller businesses. Combining the Baseline 2226-PWR Plus with the new 3Com NBX(R) V3000 platform, which is the newest element of the 3Com Convergence Applications Suite, is ideally suited for creating converged, small business networks without complexity.

This new 3Com Baseline Plus switch is the industry's first self-learning "smart" switch to be optimized for the SMB market - meaning that it is the first to have the combination of easy-to-use, web-configurable management features, automated Quality of Service (QoS) for voice prioritization, flexible media Gigabit uplinks and other enterprise-class features along with PoE on all 24 10/100 ports and at an affordable price acceptable in this market. The switch also supports PoE-enabled wireless LAN access points for small businesses to go wireless more easily. Essentially, the switch is needed in order to create the network infrastructure - the foundation for 21st century communications - that supports IP telephony applications and other business applications.

The Baseline Switch 2226-PWR Plus is the latest addition to the Baseline Plus Switch family, a unique, web-configurable, enterprise-class family of 10/100 and Gigabit switches, priced and feature-optimized for small-and-medium businesses.

"With its automatic voice prioritization, the new Baseline Switch 2226-PWR Plus made it incredibly easy to install a converged VoIP network," said Steve Catapano, chief operating officer (COO) for Harbor Lights Financial Group. "This powerful switch is helping us more fully utilize network bandwidth, reduce network-dragging traffic bottlenecks and the possibility of undetected 'suspect' data that can damage business-critical applications. By combining the Baseline Switch 2226-PWR with the new NBX V3000, the installation of our new VoIP network was amazingly simple and cost-effective."

"While the competition is stuck in the tactical mode of developing 'off-the-shelf' products, we continue to develop business unique enterprise-class systems for small-and-medium businesses by leveraging our years of experience in IP telephony and Power over Ethernet," said Neal Kaufman, senior director of small business product management, 3Com. "Customers can use new converged business applications for productivity gains, as well as lower the costs of small business telephony. SMB networks are advancing, especially becoming more intelligent while remaining easier to use. We are at the forefront of it with new 3Com solutions."

As a networking pioneer and leader, 3Com has deployed hundreds of thousands of PoE ports, and has been a leader in IP telephony for years. This wealth of engineering experience allows 3Com to take superior switching solutions that are traditionally offered to large enterprises and shape them for small-and-medium sized companies. 3Com has one of the broadest product portfolios in the industry for the SMB market, spanning across unmanaged and managed LAN switching, IP telephony, security, network management, routers and wireless.

Enterprise-Class Solutions Tailored for Small-and-Medium Business Customers

The Baseline Switch 2226-PWR Plus is designed to drive down the cost of deploying voice-over-IP applications, accelerating the adoption of VoIP and similar converged technologies. The new switch is an ideal layer 2 switch for small-to-medium enterprise wiring closets or branch office environments that use LAN infrastructure for the deployment of network applications such as IP telephones, wireless LAN access points, network jacks, video surveillance, and remote video kiosks.

The use of Power over Ethernet gives managers more control of the powering of network-connected devices. Managers can also reduce the cost of rewiring, especially as smaller businesses continue to become increasingly mobile and use more business tool devices. In addition, not only is 3Com first at providing a switch with PoE on all 24 ports, but each port also supports both PoE and non-PoE devices, therefore giving customers the flexibility of more choices.

Furthermore, the new switch automatically detects and prioritizes NBX IP telephony traffic, making voice prioritization transparent to the user and helping to ensure that mission-critical and real-time applications run effectively. This differentiating, collaborative feature is unique to 3Com and unparalleled in the market. The NBX V3000 system is 3Com's newest edition of its award-winning 3Com Convergence Applications Suite. It provides small organizations with the benefits of IP telephony while lowering the cost and complexity of an initial deployment by offering integrated call management, voice mail and central office connectivity in a single, self-contained platform.

Pricing and Availability

The 3Com Baseline 2226-PWR Plus is currently shipping and lists for $1,295. More technical product details and information about 3Com channel partners who sell 3Com small-to-medium-sized enterprise products can be found on at www.3Com.com. Links to direct marketing reseller partners and referrals to VARs in local areas are available on the site.

About 3Com Corporation

3Com is a leading provider of converged voice and data networking solutions for enterprises of all sizes. 3Com offers a broad line of innovative products backed by world-class sales, service and support, which excel at delivering business value for its customers. When customers exercise choice, their choice is 3Com. For further information, please visit www.3com.com, or the press site www.3com.com/pressbox.

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