3COM HELPS PUBLIC SECTOR MEET e-GOVERNMENT INITIATIVE DEADLINES WITH SIZZLING SUMMER DISCOUNTS

3Com's industry-leading channel support programme just got even better with the announcement of an aggressive discount offer for all resellers of 3Com Gigabit Ethernet solutions. Running over the months of July and August, this programme will be of particular interest to education customers during their peak buying season as well as local government departments who are looking to upgrade their networks in time for the 2005 e-Government initiatives.

Resellers will be offered discounts of up to 20% on 3Com's range of Gigabit Ethernet solutions, and will be free to choose whether to retain the extra margin themselves or pass on the discounts to end users. Featured are the 3Com SuperStack 3 Switch 4900, SuperStack 3 Switch 3800, Switch 7700 and Switch 40x0 range of families. Also included are the 3Com OfficeConnect Switch 8 and 3Com Baseline Switch 2200. This programme follows the recent launch of the 3Com SuperStack 3 3870 switch, which enhances the end-to-end Gigabit Ethernet offering from 3Com that encompasses unmanaged switches at the edge of the network right through to enterprise-class modular core solutions.

With this offer Gigabit Ethernet has become almost as affordable as fast Ethernet connections, allowing resellers to future-proof organisations with a faster, more responsive network at an affordable price. "A few years ago, customers migrated to fast Ethernet not because there was a real need at the time, but because the price was so competitive it seemed foolish not to do so," said Rob Coyne, managing director of 3Com UK. "We've now driven down the price of Gigabit networking to provide companies with the same easy choice."

"Customers are increasingly asking about Gigabit Ethernet technology but there's a feeling out there that it's still unaffordable," said Mike Gill, managing director of European Electronique. "This discount is wonderful news for the channel as it helps us increase margin while passing on significant savings to the end user," he continued.

Further details of the promotion including terms and conditions and product lists can be found by visiting: www.3com.co.uk/summersizzler/reseller or by talking to your local 3Com distributor.