To: Mang Cheng who wrote (25976 ) 12/9/1998 9:39:00 AM From: Moonray Respond to of 45548
More: Siemens, 3Com to Form $100 Million Computer-Based Phone Venture Munich, Dec. 9 (Bloomberg) -- Siemens AG, Germany's largest electronics and engineering company, said it will form a $100 million joint venture with 3Com Corp. of the U.S. to develop products for computer-based office telephones. Munich-based Siemens, and 3Com, the No. 2 maker of computer-networking equipment, will hold a press conference at 10:30 a.m. Pacific time in San Francisco, Siemens spokesman Reiner Schoenrock said. He declined to give further details about the venture, which was first reported in the Wall Street Journal's Interactive Edition. Companies are racing to develop new products that take advantage of a computer network's growing ability to carry voice as well as computer data. According to some forecasts, computer networks will replace the current PBX, or private branch exchange system of office telephones. ''With the convergence of computer-and phone-related technologies, it makes increasing sense to offer speech and data over one network,'' Schoenrock said. 3Com's rival Cisco Systems Inc., the top maker of computer-networking equipment, for example, has bought several companies to tap into the market, including last week's $126 million purchase of U.S.-based router maker PipeLinks Inc. The Siemens-3Com venture, which has yet to be named, will be represented equally on its board by both companies. The venture plans to begin selling products next year, though revenue won't reach a significant level until 2000, the WSJ said. Siemens' shares rose 95 pfennig to 102.35 marks ($61.37). 3Com's shares closed down 7/8 at $43 3/8 yesterday in the U.S. o~~~ O