Early Bird Special (EBS)

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COMS- The Dallas Cowboys Upgrade Press Box Connectivity with a 3Com Wireless LAN

Responding to an Urgent Need for Increased Demand in Preparation for the Spotlight of Monday Night Football, 3Com Delivered a Flexible, Scalable and Secure Solution

Monday , November 15, 2004 16:30 ET

MARLBOROUGH, Mass., Nov 15, 2004 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- With the bright lights of Monday Night Football focused on Texas Stadium, the Dallas Cowboys were faced with the challenge of providing faster and more reliable Internet connections to the local, national and international media covering the game from the press box. To meet the connectivity requirements of increased media attendance and attention that comes with a Monday night game, the Cowboys chose 3Com to deliver a wireless LAN solution that could be implemented immediately, overcome structural challenges at Texas Stadium and significantly increase bandwidth.

"On Monday nights the lights shine that much brighter, and we were faced with the challenge of delivering high-speed Internet connectivity for the massive influx of media covering the game," said Jerry Jones Jr., Chief Sales and Marketing Officer for The Dallas Cowboys. "More than ever, the media need fast, easy and robust Internet access to relay their stories on this game on a very tight deadline. 3Com responded with a solution that provides high-speed connections and the convenience and mobility that comes with a wireless LAN."

To satisfy its need for a high-performance, enterprise-class wireless LAN, the Cowboys deployed 3Com(R) 7250 Wireless LAN Access Points throughout its press box, which will be serving more than 150 media professionals on Monday night. With connections to the team's core IT infrastructure, featuring 3Com SuperStack(R) 3 4400 and SuperStack 3 3300 switches, 3Com and the Cowboys created a virtual LAN (VLAN) that can provide the media uninterrupted connectivity to the Internet while protecting the security of the Cowboys' entire IT system.

Prior to the 3Com wireless LAN installation, the media relied on dial-up connections to access the Internet that were slow and that limited the journalists' ability to obtain information in real-time. In addition, there were a limited number of these dial-up connections, forcing journalists to share connections, an extremely taxing situation for an industry built on deadlines and information dissemination. The 3Com 7250 Wireless LAN solution, with connection speeds of up to 54 Mbps using the 2.4 Gigahertz (GHz) 802.11g wireless standard, enables the media to have real-time access to statistical information and the ability to update fans on the action as it happens.

"Due to structural challenges at Texas Stadium, we had been unable to provide the upgrade in connectivity that the media required," added Jones Jr. "Rewiring for high-speed connections was not only extremely cost prohibitive, it proved to be a task of monumental proportions given the infrastructure at Texas Stadium. 3Com understood our unique situation, and our urgency, and implemented a solution that met all of our needs in record time."

"The spotlight of a Monday night game is the ideal scenario to showcase 3Com's wireless solutions," said Mehmet Balos, Global Vice President of Marketing and Communications at 3Com. "The media will now enjoy faster connectivity and the convenience of wireless, while the Cowboys delivered a much needed upgrade without undergoing the impossible task of rewiring Texas Stadium."

About 3Com Corporation

3Com is a leading provider of converged voice and data networking solutions for enterprises of all sizes. 3Com offers a broad line of innovative products backed by world class sales, service and support, which excel at delivering business value for its customers. When customers exercise choice, their choice is 3Com. For further information, please visit www.3com.com, or the press site www.3com.com/pressbox.

3Com, SuperStack and the 3Com logo are registered trademarks and Exercise Choice is a trademark of 3Com Corporation. All other company and product names may be trademarks of their respective holders.

SOURCE: 3Com Corporation


CONTACT: 3Com Corporation
Joseph Vukson, 508-323-1228
[e-mail]



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