3Com Gives Customers Complete Multi-Site Solution for Voice Communications; Networked Telephony Solutions Allow Customers to Link Headquarters and Branch Offices.

Business/Technology Editors

SANTA CLARA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 25, 2002

3Com Corporation (Nasdaq: COMS) today announced that Community Treatment Inc. and Tahoe Truckee Unified School District are successfully using 3Com(R) NBX(R) IP-based business telephone systems to create an integrated, enterprise-wide communications platform. 3Com's NBX platform enables enterprises of all sizes to connect multiple sites, including headquarters and branch locations, and ensures that employees and customers have a seamless experience as they communicate to staff or departments in different locations.

Community Treatment Inc. and Tahoe Truckee Unified School District are using the NBX IP Virtual Tie Lines application to enable an intra-company toll bypass solution that works across all of their 3Com NBX sites. This means that the NBX system can be configured to allow users to gain local dial tone access on any worldwide NBX system, bypassing costly long-distances charges. As such, businesses worldwide can create seamless, multi-site telephony solutions, while reducing the costs of domestic and international calls by routing over the IP network.

Community Treatment Inc. (Comtrea) is a state-funded mental health/addiction treatment center headquartered in Festus, MO. Comtrea employs 200 professional and support staff, in their main office and five satellite facilities in eastern Missouri, and serves 4,000 clients annually. To improve its services, Comtrea recently installed the NBX 100 Communications System to connect clients with care professionals faster and more efficiently.

Comtrea chose the NBX system for its price/performance, voice over IP capabilities and ease of management. Previously, the organization relied on an AT&T Merlin Legend PBX phone system that lacked advanced communications features, including voice mail. With the 3Com system, Comtrea was able to link together its multiple sites and deploy a system with advanced functionalities for less than it would have cost to upgrade the old PBX system and not link the facilities.

Comtrea's enterprise-wide telephony solution has transformed its customer service. Previously, the organization couldn't transfer calls between locations. Now, Comtrea's receptionists and secretaries can easily transfer callers to the appropriate office. Voice mail ensures that messages from employees, caseworkers, clients and their families are always received and can be forwarded effortlessly to the appropriate people. In addition, the organization relies on the NBX system's automated attendants throughout the day and after hours to efficiently route calls, ensuring callers reach a person during business hours.

"The seamless communications facilitated by the NBX system is unbeatable. With all of our offices connected through virtual tie lines, it's incredibly easy to reach the appropriate person in the right department in far less time, for far less money." said Lisa Rothweiler, support services manager, Community Treatment Inc. "People call in distress and 3Com empowers us to help them with cutting-edge efficiencies. We no longer have to tell clients -- clients in the middle of an emotional or physical crisis -- to please hang up and dial a different number."

Located in northern California, the Tahoe Truckee Unified School District (TTUSD) comprises 12 schools and employs more than 300 teachers and 200 ancillary staff. The district encompasses 720 square miles and serves 4,800 K-12 students. TTUSD needed to modernize its district-wide and classroom communications to ensure student and teacher safety and adhere to upcoming federal 911 regulations. Previously, TTUSD's district office and other buildings were equipped with a variety of outdated PBX solutions, which lacked advanced functionality and scalability, and were extremely expensive to maintain. Since the 52-year-old high school didn't have an intercom in the building, but was equipped with networked computers in classrooms, TTUSD sought a single wire infrastructure solution that would act as an integrated phone/intercom paging system.

After consulting with Team One Networking of Roseville, CA, the district chose the 3Com NBX system for its advanced functionality, easy management, reliability and the e-911 feature. The sophisticated automated attendant allows callers to use one number to reach any school within the district. Since installation, there has been a 90 percent reduction of incoming calls that clerical staff handles on a daily basis, and the district now complies with federal 911 regulations. The NBX system's e911 application gives emergency workers immediate notification about which school building within the district needs assistance. The NBX system also allows TTUSD to manage and track phone usage and leverage the NBX phone's conferencing feature to eliminate the need to pay for external conferencing services.

"Using the virtual tie line capability of the NBX system, we've integrated communications over the multi-site campus. Now, users can save time and money by dialing four-digit extensions district-wide," said Jim Maass, director of technology, Tahoe Truckee Unified School District. "The 3Com NBX solution increased productivity and streamlined efficiencies. Staff are free to handle additional administrative work and teachers can receive timely and accurate messages."

3Com Networked Telephony Solutions are available worldwide through 3Com Voice Authorized Partners. For more information, call 1-800-NET-3COM.

About 3Com Corporation

3Com is the global leader in functionally rich, easy-to-use networking products that connect businesses to their employees, customers and suppliers anytime, anywhere. 3Com is also a leader in Internet protocol (IP) service platforms and access infrastructure for the network service provider market. In 1979, the company was founded by one of the inventors of Ethernet technology on which virtually all local area networks are based. Since then, 3Com has sold more than 340,000,000 Ethernet connections. 3Com has headquarters in Santa Clara, California and offices around the world. For further information, please visit www.3com.com, or the press site www.3com.com/pressbox.

3Com and NBX are registered trademarks of 3Com Corporation. All other company and product names may be trademarks of their respective owners.