3Com takes a SIP of VoIP
3Com has announced a new IP telephony platform for SMEs, as well as an appliance designed to implement open-source-based VoIP.
The VCX Connect platform offers session initiation protocol (SIP)-based telephony call control and unified messaging. SIP is an application-layer control protocol that enables multimedia communications, including presence.
The VCX Connect 100 model is aimed at organisations with 30-100 employees, while the VCX Connect 200 model is targeted at those with up to 250 employees.
The company has also announced the 3Com Asterisk appliance, an open-source VoIP system based on Digium's Asterisk appliance. The product works with all of 3Com's handsets and is designed to be used by organisations of between five and 30 employees.
One of 3Com's vice presidents said in August that the company intended to pursue an open-source strategy to enable customers to develop their own applications on its platform.
On Monday, 3Com revealed that it had agreed to be taken over jointly by the Chinese manufacturer Huawei and a private equity firm, Bain Capital Partners. The transaction, valued at $2.2bn (£1.1bn), is set to go through in the first quarter of next year.
David Meyer reported for ZDNet UK from London