Atlantic Telephone Chooses Total Control 500 DSL Access Concentrator From CommWorks Corporation to Deliver New High-Speed Internet Service.

Business Editors/High-Tech Writers

MOUNT PROSPECT, Ill.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 12, 2001

Scalable Broadband Solution Provides Anytime, Always-On

DSL Internet Service to Customers Located Up to Five Miles

From Carrier's Central Offices

CommWorks Corporation, a 3Com (Nasdaq:COMS) company, announced today that Atlantic Telephone Membership Corporation, a leading North Carolina telephone, cable and Internet service provider (ISP), is introducing high-speed digital subscriber line (DSL) Internet access to its 40,000 subscribers via its Total Control(R) 500 DSL Access Concentrator. Using this broadband solution from CommWorks, Atlantic Telephone now provides always-on Internet, telecommunications and data services to consumer and business customers located up to five miles from any of its 46 central offices -- more than twice the distance of competitive DSL solutions.

"Atlantic Telephone's success depends on fast, affordable and convenient DSL service, which the Total Control 500 DSL Concentrator allows us to do," said Thomas Love, marketing manger, Atlantic Telephone Membership Corporation. "Our customers appreciate the power of DSL, and we appreciate the ease with which CommWorks lets us deploy it. With the Total Control 500 DSL Concentrator, we're able to extend the reach of our services, serve more customers and add greater profitability to our enterprise. There's no doubt: CommWorks is helping us build stronger customer relationships and contributing mightily to our company's growth."

Founded in 1957, Atlantic Telephone is a regional telecommunications and data services based in Shallotte, N.C. It is the sole supplier of telephone and cable television service to 40,000 subscribers in the southeast corner of North Carolina. Serving a rural population growing at close to 30 percent per year, Atlantic Telephone added cellular and wireless data services in 1996 and DSL this year.

Driven by the Total Control 500 DSL Access Concentrator, Atlantic Telephone customers now enjoy a full range of rich connectivity Internet services, including streaming video and audio and instant access to e-mail. Atlantic Telephone delivers its new DSL services over existing copper wiring at speeds of up to 1.5 megabits per second (Mbps). The company's low-cost, G.lite asymmetric service provides high-speed Internet access for household users, while its Symmetric DSL (SDSL) service is tailored for businesses and Web-hosting applications.

"The Total Control 500 Concentrator is the key to our delivery of DSL, and we expect it to play an increasingly important role as customers become more aware of the power of high-speed Internet access and our new DSL services take off," said Love.

Performance Testing: The Metric for Success

Although Atlantic Telephone could have used its cable infrastructure for high-speed Internet access, the company selected DSL because the technology is more easily adapted to business and residential customers' special needs. Atlantic Telephone wanted a DSL solution that could be deployed quickly and expanded easily across its growing service area. The company also wanted the new DSL solution to provide a centralized management system, enabling it to more easily support the new Internet service.

Atlantic Telephone evaluated products from a variety of vendors. During a trial of various systems, however, only the Total Control 500 DSL Access Concentrator delivered 700 kilobits per second (Kbps) connectivity to customers located five miles away from the concentrator. Even with older telephone wiring, the CommWorks solution delivered uninterrupted high-speed Internet access without errors or bottlenecks.

"The Total Control 500 DSL Concentrator was clearly the best choice for us," said Love. "Its speed, simplicity and management capabilities were clearly superior to any other system and support from CommWorks has been exemplary. We're now positioned to profitably deliver an assortment of DSL services in accord with our customers' needs."

To insure a timely and seamless deployment of this technology, Atlantic Telephone sought the expertise of the CommWorks(R) Professional Services team to deploy the DSL solution in its network. CommWorks Professional Services provides expert services to strategize, plan, implement and operate CommWorks solutions in complex networks. Understanding Atlantic Telephone's business need to quickly deliver more bandwidth to its subscribers, CommWorks Professional Services planned and implemented a rapid deployment and seamless turn-up of the DSL solution.

Now deployed in each of Atlantic Telephone's 46 central offices, the Total Control 500 DSL Access Concentrator interfaces directly with central office equipment and Internet data links. Each concentrator provides up to 192 ports, delivering cost-effective solutions for existing subscribers and scalable bandwidth for future growth. The system's carrier-class capabilities, including dual power supplies and hot swappable modules, provide always-on, any time DSL Internet access 50 times faster than previous dial-up connections.

Atlantic Telephone is also benefiting from the CommWorks 5510 Network Management System, which allows the carrier to monitor and manage all of its DSL concentrators from a single management console. The full-featured management system permits detailed port and fault management, allowing service personnel to detect and correct problems anywhere on the network without having to physically drive to the location.

About CommWorks Corporation

CommWorks, a 3Com Company, supplies network service providers around the world with access infrastructures and IP services platforms that open new business opportunities and help them establish unique positions in a competitive marketplace. With flexible multi-service hardware platforms and modular software components, the comprehensive CommWorks architecture makes it possible for service providers to integrate their existing infrastructures with innovative technologies to deliver an array of next-generation IP-based enhanced services to their customers. For further information, visit www.commworks.com.

About 3Com Corporation

3Com simplifies how people connect to information and services through easy-to-use, connectivity products and solutions for consumers and commercial organizations. The company also provides access infrastructures and IP services platforms for network service providers. For further information, visit www.3com.com or the press site at www.3com.com/pressbox.

Note to Editors: 3Com, CommWorks and Total Control are registered trademarks of 3Com Corporation. All other company and product names may be trademarks of the respective companies with which they are associated.