Replies to post #24090 on Early Bird Special (EBS)

[trading4art]

COMS- 3Com Announces Enhancements to Its Warranty Program; Program Delivers Best-in-Class Investment Protection in Networking Industry

Wednesday, December 01, 2004 16:34 ET

MARLBOROUGH, Mass., Dec 1, 2004 (BUSINESS WIRE) --3Com(R) Corporation (Nasdaq: COMS) today announced significant enhancements to the company's warranty program. Building on 3Com's reputation as a leader in product quality, the enhancements enable 3Com to deliver the networking industry's best-in-class investment protection. The most significant upgrade is the addition of global advance hardware replacement for all rack-mounted and desktop switches and wireless devices for workgroups and small businesses. 3Com is the first networking vendor to offer advance hardware replacement on such a broad range of products at no additional charge.

The enhancements to the warranty program add advance hardware replacement to a wide range of products, including the 3Com(R) SuperStack(R) 3 4900 Family, 3Com SuperStack 3 4400 Family, 3Com SuperStack 3 3800 Family, 3Com SuperStack 3 4200 Family, 3Com SuperStack 3 3200 Family and the Baseline Switch Family. Additionally, 3Com is extending advance hardware replacement to desktop switches and wireless devices in its OfficeConnect(R) Family of products.

"3Com understands the investment that small and medium enterprises make in their network, and the urgency involved with restoring that network should a piece of equipment fail," said Neal Kaufman, senior director of Small Business, at 3Com. "By adding advance hardware replacement to our warranty program, 3Com backs up its products' reputation and delivers superior choice to the market with the highest level of investment protection of anyone in the networking industry."

"The addition of advance hardware replacement to 3Com's warranty program demonstrates that 3Com is committed to standing behind its products," said Joseph Ambrosole, owner and president of NetConnect, a New York City-based network solutions provider focusing on small and medium enterprises. "Since NetConnect manages many of our customers' networks remotely, we have visibility into potential problems before they do. With advance hardware replacement included as part of 3Com's warranty program, we can be proactive about replacing a piece of equipment, and we can do it in a single visit. The customer is satisfied because their problem is solved and NetConnect can continue focusing on adding value to their business, and I am happy because when we're adding value to the customer's business, I'm growing mine."

3Com is offering advance hardware replacement free of charge with selected products. To get a replacement product in advance, the original product must be registered by the customer, or by an authorized 3Com agent with the customer's proof of purchase, and an RMA number must be issued. Other vendors require that the original unit be returned to the factory before shipping a replacement. Advance hardware replacement removes this frustration and gets the equipment that the customer needs on its way quickly. Once the customer receives the replacement, they have 15 days to return the failed product.

With advance hardware replacement, customers in the 48 contiguous United States who call before Noon Pacific Time will have their replacement unit shipped that same day, with guaranteed next business day delivery. Customers in the rest of North America who call before Noon Pacific Time will also have their unit shipped the same day, with arrival in three to four business days. EMEA customers will also receive same business day shipping, in most cases, and Asia Pacific customers will receive next business day shipping.

"When a piece of network equipment fails, the last thing the customer wants to do is pack the broken unit and ship it to the factory before a replacement is sent; the customer wants a replacement as soon as possible," added Kaufman. "With advance hardware replacement, the new unit is on its way faster so the problem can be solved and the customer can get back to work."

Availability

All of the enhancements to 3Com's warranty program, including advance hardware replacement, are currently available. For more information, and additional terms and conditions, contact a 3Com sales representative, or visit www.3com.com/products.

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.

Copyright (C) 2004 3Com Corporation. 3Com, the 3Com logo, OfficeConnect and SuperStack are registered trademarks of 3Com Corporation. All other company and product names may be trademarks of their respective holders.

SOURCE: 3Com Corporation

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

Copyright (C) 2004 Business Wire. All rights reserved.

[trading4art]

COMS- 3Com Signs US$1.9 Million Contract with Tresnet AB to Bring Voice Over Internet Protocol Services to Swedish Businesses

Monday , December 06, 2004 07:50 ET

STOCKHOLM, Sweden, Dec 6, 2004 (BUSINESS WIRE) --3Com Corporation (Nasdaq: COMS) today announced an agreement worth approximately US$1.9 million with privately held Tresnet AB, Sweden to supply Voice Core eXchange (VCX(TM)) V7000 IP Telephony Voice Systems and Services for an initial 25,000 users of Tresnet AB's 'IP Sweden' pilot in the Stockholm region. IP Sweden intends to become a new service provider that aims to bring the benefits of IP telephony to the competitive Swedish business market. 3Com will supply the company with its comprehensive Convergence Application Suite, including servers, Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) gateways, IP telephones and application modules for IP Telephony and Messaging.

"With the Swedish telecommunications market continuing to open up since deregulation, it is a prime opportunity for us to enter the market," said Lennart Lantz, chief technical officer, Tresnet AB. "We were very impressed by the track record of derivatives of the VCX system that have been running in the backbones of AT&T, China Unicom and MCI. It is the ideal solution to give us the confidence to take on this lucrative market."

The IP Sweden project will be rolled out by Spring 2005 with the aim of providing voice connectivity and services to a broad spectrum of customers, including large enterprise, government, education and state organisations, service providers, broadband providers and carriers. The services will include flat-rate voice services such as IP Centrex. 'IP Sweden' will also provide a central voice service connection point for networks and metropolitan area networks (MANs) across Sweden, allowing companies throughout Sweden to benefit from their services.

"The IP Sweden project will allow businesses to have access to IP Centrex services which will free end users from the costs and responsibilities of major equipment ownership," said Pax Andersson, vice president, 3Com International Sales. "By providing Swedish businesses with services that can potentially save them thousands of dollars, Tresnet AB seems set to gain significant market traction."

The system will utilise the 3Com VCX IP Telephony module for large scale Voice over IP solutions which is based on SIP. SIP is a standard defined by the Internet Engineering Task Force that is highly scalable and simple in nature, facilitating rapid applications development. SIP ensures interoperability so the customer is not locked into a vendor proprietary technology. It also allows integration with multiple vendors' SIP-based hardware and software solutions.

"It is vital for us to base our solution on an open standard, since we will interoperate with a large number of parties, including mobile operators and broadband providers," added Lennart Lantz.

While Tresnet will initially focus on providing voice services to organisations in Sweden, the company has aggressive plans to expand into the European and International markets during 2005.

About 3Com IP Telephony

3Com has been a major contributor to the convergence industry since the introduction in 1998 of the world's first IP-PBX, the 3Com NBX(R) system. The company developed an architecture for a distributed softswitch for AT&T and brought the first commercially deployed carrier softswitch to market in 1999. The 3Com VCX IP Telephony module was first introduced in 2003 for large enterprises. Today, the company combines these products under the 3Com Convergence Applications Suite, which includes IP Telephony, IP Messaging, IP Conferencing and IP Contact Center capabilities. For further information, please visit www.3com.com/voip.

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

SOURCE: 3Com Corporation b

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

Copyright (C) 2004 Business Wire. All rights reserved.