Santa Clara, California-based 3Com Corp has announced a strategic partnership with videoconferencing developer, PictureTel Corp, in the noble cause of eliminating barriers to widespread local network-based multimedia. There are two stages: firstly, 3Com will enhance its Ethernet and Fast Ethernet network interface boards to deliver optimized local network-based multimedia in conjunction with its switches – the company plans to introduce multicast filter software into its boards by this summer and into the switches by 1997. Secondly, the alliance will spawn a product bundle with PictureTel delivering its local network-based data conferencing software free to users of 3Com’s network interface boards, and the two will also provide low-cost upgrades to full videoconferencing.
