CommWorks and Mediatrix Create Cost Effective IP Telephony Options for Service Providers and Enterprises.

Business Editors

ROLLING MEADOWS, Ill. & MONTREAL--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 19, 2002

Mediatrix IP Access Devices Certified as CommWorks Compatible After

Rigorous Multi-Protocol Product Testing With

CommWorks(R) Media Gateway, Softswitch

CommWorks, a 3Com Company (NASDAQ: COMS), and Mediatrix Telecom, Inc. are boosting options for service providers and enterprises to benefit from the flexibility and service creation capabilities of Internet Protocol (IP) telephony without replacing existing phone systems.

The companies said today they have completed a series of rigorous product compatibility tests, involving media gateways and softswitch modules from CommWorks and Mediatrix's IP access devices, which allow analog phones and fax machines to connect to an IP network. The testing scenarios demonstrated how a carrier could offer and an enterprise could use IP telephony services without costly network upgrades and telephone equipment replacement.

The Mediatrix APA III-1 FXS and APA III-4 FXS IP access devices are now certified as CommWorks Compatible. These devices connect a conventional telephone or G3 fax machine to a Local Area Network (LAN). The devices access the Intranet or the Internet to permit high-quality, full-duplex, audio/fax communications over IP packet networks.

The Total Control(R) 1000 Media Gateway and elements of the CommWorks(R) Softswitch, including accounting, billing, directory mapping, and provisioning servers provided the voice-over-IP (VoIP) infrastructure and network connectivity in the testing. The Mediatrix IP access devices, which reside at the customer premise, translated voice packets sent via the media gateway into signals that can be heard on a traditional telephone plugged into the IP access device. Calls were passed through the IP access device, which turns traditional voice signals into packets and sends them across the IP network.

"Many business and residential customers still use traditional telephones," said Jack Fijolek, director, CommWorks Compatibility Lab. "This poses a challenge for carriers trying to convince customers of the benefits of IP telephony. Offering a solution that lets callers take advantage of the enhanced connectivity options made possible by IP telephony while still using traditional phone equipment can be a key service differentiator for a carrier."

"We are proud to be part of CommWorks' efforts to offer IP telephony solutions that can support a more robust mix of products while reducing operating costs," said Dr. Marco Genoni, President and CEO of Mediatrix.

Testing was done using both the Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) and H.323 communications protocols. Testing scenarios included successful completion of calls between H.323 and H.323 phones; H.323 and Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) phones; PSTN phones and H.323 phones; SIP phones to SIP phones; SIP phones to PSTN phones; and PSTN phones to SIP phones.

CommWorks is among the world's leading providers of carrier-class IP telephony equipment and is the softswitch market leader, according to Infonetics Research (Next-gen Voice Products Quarterly Worldwide Market Share and Forecasts, Feb. 19, 2002) and Synergy Research Group, Inc. (Worldwide Voice over IP (VoIP) Equipment Market Share Report, February 2002). Comm Works IP telephony equipment has carried more than 6.3 billion minutes of voice traffic for service providers around the world, and is now running at a rate of more than 550 million minutes per month.

Mediatrix is a leading supplier of feature-rich and cost effective IP access devices, IP gateways and IP network tools. Its products have repeatedly won key awards from industry leading laboratories.

About Mediatrix Telecom, Inc.

Mediatrix Telecom, Inc. has established itself as an industry leader in providing IP telephony hardware and software solutions for the Enterprise and Carrier markets. Mediatrix's product portfolio includes IP Access Devices that convert analogue phones and fax machines into IP Phones and IP Fax, Gateways for communications between IP networks and Central Offices Network Management modules. Mediatrix's widely interoperable products allow its business partners to offer innovative solutions for switch-centric and net-centric (decentralized) IP telephony applications. Further information is available at www.mediatrix.com.

About CommWorks

CommWorks, a 3Com Company (NASDAQ: COMS), 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 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. For further information, please visit www.3com.com, or the press site www.3com.com/pressbox.

3Com, CommWorks and Total Control are registered trademarks and the CommWorks logo is a trademark of 3Com Corporation. Mediatrix Telecom, Inc. and the Mediatrix logo are trademarks of Mediatrix Telecom, Inc.