3Com (NASDAQ:COMS) sees classes of Internet service soon
Reuters, Wednesday, April 30, 1997 at 20:50
SAN DIEGO, Calif., April 30 (Reuter) - 3Com Corp chief
technology officer John Hart said use of push computing
technologies will help it differentiate classes of service on
the Internet and other networks in real time.
Speaking at the Upside/David Coursey technology conference
here, Hart compared traffic on the Internet to classes of
service on an airline, saying in the future data will be able
to travel at speeds ranging from standby and coach to business
and first class.
In an interview after speaking in a panel discussion here,
Hart said 3Com is looking at ways of providing high level
service directly between the peripheral parts of the network
where its products are strongest, without having to pass
through the Internet core which is Cisco's stronghold.
Hart, who is also a senior vice president at 3Com, said the
company's planned acquisition of modem maker U.S. Robotics Corp
(NASDAQ:USRX) will enhance its ability to innovate at the access
points to corporate networks and the Internet.
Currently, he said, Internet traffic is subject to delays
because service is not differentiated and virtually all traffic
must travel in standby modes, where it can be subject to loss
of data and traffic jams on the Internet.
3Com, its larger rival Cisco Systems Inc (NASDAQ:CSCO), and the
rest of the industry have been working to develop standards
that will allow customers to create and bill for different
levels of service in the future.
"We have to own all edge technology," he said of 3Com's
efforts to keep at the forefront of the technologies needed to
hook up computers and computing devices to networks.
3Com said earlier this week it will integrate Tibco Inc's
push computing technology into 3Com's products, including
networking cards for personal computers. 3Com has already
deployed networking cards on 50 million computers.
Push computing enables information to be distributed
automatically over the internet, and 3Com said it can use the
technology to reduce response time and control traffic across
networks of diverse devices.
Tibco is a unit of Reuters Holdings Plc (ISEL:RTR) (NASDAQ:RTRSY).
Copyright 1997, Reuters News Service
Companies or Securities discussed in this article:
Symbol
Name
NASDAQ:COMS
3com Corp |
