Vienna Systems and 3Com Collaborate to Demonstrate Subscriber IP Telephony Over Cable at Western Cable Show

Business Wire, Dec 2, 1998

ANAHEIM, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 2, 1998--Vienna Systems Corporation, a

leader in IP telephony solutions, and 3Com Corporation, the leader in converged networking, are jointly demonstrating IP telephony over broadband access systems at the Western Cable Show in Anaheim, CA which runs through December 4th.

Using 3Com's Total Control Cable Modem Termination System (CMTS) at the headend of the cable system and a 3Com US Robotics Cable Modem CMX at the subscriber's home, Vienna's IPShuttle 2 port personal gateway lets the subscriber attach multiple analog phones and make phone calls over the cable system.

One of the benefits of this new service is the high-speed connection offered through cable modems which provides much higher bandwidth and better voice quality than typical analog services. Cable companies can implement this technology today, offering their subscribers the ability to conduct multiple local or long distance phone calls and surf the Internet - all at the same time.

Vienna Systems was the first to implement end-to-end IP telephony over cable in a live cable network trial in Scandinavia. Vienna's ClientSide Division was the first to provide plug-and-play products that allow cable subscribers to make multiple voice calls using their existing telephone equipment, without the need for a PC.

Niraj Jain, director of strategic alliances for cable access products at 3Com, commented, "We see Vienna's ClientSide Division as a leader in this embedded IP telephony technology. Through increased cooperation between our companies, we hope to accelerate the availability of products for broadband applications. We believe this will be a huge market as cable companies around the globe jump into this opportunity."

Hilary Smith, managing director of Vienna's ClientSide Division, said, "We are extremely pleased to be working with 3Com in this aggressive new market. Having a company like 3Com confirm our market lead is very satisfying. Together, we can offer cable operators the ability to enter the IP telephony market right now."

Vienna Systems and 3Com are both members of PacketCable(TM), a project conducted by CableLabs(R) and its member companies aimed at identifying, qualifying, and supporting Internet-based voice and video products over cable systems. These products represent new classes of services, such as telephone calls and videoconferencing, using basic IP technology over cable-based packet communication networks.

Attendees at the Western Cable Show in Anaheim can view the Vienna/3Com IP telephony collaboration at the 3Com booth 563 and at the CableLabs CabletNet exhibit.

3Com Corporation

With more than 200 million customers worldwide, 3Com Corporation connects more people to information in more ways than any other networking company. 3Com delivers innovative information access products and network system solutions to large, medium and small enterprises; carriers and network service providers; PC OEMs; and consumers. 3Com-More connected(TM). For further information, visit 3Com's World Wide Web site at www.3com.com or the press site at www.3com.com/pressbox.> Vienna Systems

Vienna Systems develops and markets hardware and software products to provide complete IP voice networking solutions for telephone and Internet service providers, cable companies and corporations that want to offer new services or reduce information technology costs by integrating voice in IP-based networks. Vienna's ClientSide Division licenses its embedded IP telephony technology, which is a flexible processor-based, fully-featured hardware and software design that enables manufacturers to integrate IP telephony into a new or existing network device. For more information on Vienna Systems, visit Vienna's Web site at http:\\www.viennasys.com