3Com Shows Off Networking Technology At Radiological Society of North America Meeting; Company to provide leading-edge ATM Solution as part of healthcare technology exhibition.

SANTA CLARA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 4, 1995--Imagine a scenario with a doctor making a house call without ever leaving his office. Or an expert physician guiding another doctor through a difficult procedure by telemonitoring the operation from a distant locale. These and other future healthcare applications will be presented at the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) international meeting and exhibition in Chicago, November 26 - December 1. At the RSNA show 3Com Corporation (NASDAQ:COMS), a global data networking leader, will be demonstrating their high-speed networking technology in the "Department of the Future" exhibit, the centerpiece exhibit of RSNA.

In the 3Com sponsored, Yale Medical School directed, "Department of the Future" exhibit, a home healthcare scenario entitled "The New Healthcare Continuum: From the Living Room to the Reading Room" will show how healthcare will be brought into individual patient's homes in the near future. This scenario begins in a patient's home who turns on his television set and accesses a video mail message from his physician regarding an office visit earlier that day. The physician advises the patient to make a follow-up visit and asks the patient to choose an appointment from the options listed on the TV screen. The scenario then shifts to the physician's office who looks over the patient's x-ray and then sends the film, via a broadband network, to a chest radiologist for an expert opinion. After the chest radiologist recommends a biopsy, he helps the local physician perform this procedure by telemonitoring the operation and guiding him through this difficult procedure. The scenario then concludes back in the patient's living room with another teleconference where the patient discusses the biopsy.

More than 23,000 medical professionals are expected to gather at the 1995 RSNA meeting to learn about emerging innovations in all radiologic disciplines. With technological and socioeconomic changes affecting radiology, radiologists and allied professionals face their greatest opportunity and challenge in the shaping of the future of healthcare. RSNA '95 is being designed to provide an ideal environment for each member of the radiologic community to explore the science, technology, and communication that will facilitate the delivery of quality patient care during radiology's second hundred years.

"The radiology community is continually pushing the envelope and looking for exciting technologies which will help speed the transportation of medical information," said Steve Drew, Executive Director of the RSNA. "With 3Com participating in both the `Department of the Future' exhibit and the RSNA show net, 3Com is showing their commitment and leadership in the implementation of these high-speed healthcare networks."

In addition to their work in the "Department of the Future" exhibit, 3Com is also providing nearly $100,000 worth of equipment for use on the RSNAnet `95, the TCP/IP-based show network running at the RSNA. This show network will allow exhibitors an opportunity to communicate across a broad spectrum of products as well as connect to remote sites via high-speed Internet access. Typical healthcare applications such as imaging and videoconferencing can limit network performance due to their high-intensive, bursty data traffic, however ATM technology overcomes this limitation by offering fixed-length packets. With fixed-length ATM packets, network and switching queuing delays are more predictable, thus ensuring that the appropriate level of service is allotted for all types of data traffic, especially delay-sensitive services such as voice and video.

The RSNAnet `95 will be anchored by 3Com products including the LANplex 2500 Ethernet/FDDI departmental switch, CELLplex 7000 ATM switch, NETBuilder II Bridge/Router and LinkBuilder MSH hub. These products are part of 3Com's complete, end-to-end ATM solution that relieves network backbone bandwidth while preserving legacy LAN investments. All 3Com ATM products are based on standards defined and ratified by the ATM Forum.

"The business of healthcare is changing in a number of different ways. From a technology standpoint, the leading-edge medical applications being implemented today are highly graphical and require a network solution that can transmit large amounts of data quickly," said Janice Roberts, vice president of marketing at 3Com. "Healthcare institutions around the world, including Franciscan Health, Texas Children's Hospital, JFK Medical Center and the Hong Kong Hospital Authority, have looked to 3Com as the key provider of end-to-end solutions to meet their business needs. These examples show that our commitment to this emerging market is being recognized by the healthcare industry."

3Com Corporation has helped more than 25 million people gain access to critical information through high-speed networks. Designed to serve large enterprises, small offices and homes, 3Com products provide a scalable architecture to meet the connectivity needs of today's users. With research and development on three continents, 3Com is one of the data networking industry's largest and fastest growing companies. 3Com's innovative manufacturing, marketing, sales and support simplify communication, optimize network reliability and protect customer investments. For further information, visit 3Com's World Wide Web site at http:.//www.3Com.com. -0-

Note to Editors: 3Com, LANplex, NETBuilder II and LinkBuilder are registered trademarks of 3Com Corporation. Cellplex and MSH are registered trademark of 3Com Corporation.

CONTACT: 3Com Public Relations 

Rich Black, 408/764-8486

or

Leslie Davis, 408/764-7187