3Com Strengthens Patent Portfolio With Chipcom Acquisition; Networking Leader Reasserts Commitment to R&D and Patent Program; Court Upholds Patents Relating to Repeaters for Secure LANs.

Corporation, a leading global data networking company, said as a result of its recent acquisition of Chipcom Corporation that its list of patents issued and applied for in the United States now exceeds 120 across a broad spectrum of technologies. Additionally, the company said that its patents relating to repeaters for secure LANs has recently been upheld as being valid and enforceable.

"The significant number of 3Com patents is testimony to the quality and originality of our R&D work," said Eric Benhamou, 3Com Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. "We remain committed to the development and acquisition of new and dramatically improved networking products and technologies that will continue to set new levels of quality and performance -- all within open, standards-based environments."

Acquiring Chipcom increased 3Com's awarded and pending U.S. patents from 97 to 122. The patents recognize the company's innovation in diverse technology areas such as increasing network throughput (parallel tasking), simplifying internetworking connectivity (boundary routing), enabling multimedia over existing ethernet lines (Priority Access Controlled Enabled -PACE) and improving LAN security (LAN Security Architecture - LSA). With research and development expenditures now approaching $200 million and the combined innovation of the Chipcom and 3Com development teams, the company said it anticipated a steady stream of new patents.

As part of its active patent program, the Company said it will continue to vigorously defend its patent rights. Recently, patents on 3Com's LAN Security Architecture (LSA) technology have been upheld following a vigorous competitive challenge. The company obtained a consent judgment in a federal district court action affirming the validity and enforceability of U.S. Patent Nos. 5161192 and 5386470.

3Com's patented technologies have been actively licensed to other manufacturers. The licensing fee, currently at $1 per port, is designed to make the patent readily available within the industry yet at the same time recognize 3Com's intellectual property rights. The Company's LSA technology is now a de facto standard, with more than 70 percent of the hub market utilizing the technology. Companies licensing LSA include Bay Networks (licensed under a mutual joint licensing agreement announced today), Cabletron and Optical Data Systems and Pinacl.

3Com's technology developments create a competitive advantage within the framework of national and international standards, and benefit customers by enabling them to use and operate 3Com products in an open systems environment.

3Com Corporation has helped more than 25 million people gain access to critical information through high-speed networks. Designed to serve large enterprises, network service providers, small offices and homes, 3Com products provide a scalable architecture to meet the conductivity 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

CONTACT: Coltrin & Associates

Troy McCombs/Todd Irwin, 212/221-1616