3Com Converged Network Helps Spain Ministry Ease Housing Crisis

Tasked with easing the housing crisis in Spain, where prices are twice the average in the European Union, the nation's Ministry of Housing faced a housing crisis of its own. Previously operating in the Ministry of Development's Madrid headquarters, the housing agency was forced with urgency to relocate to a new six-story building in 2004. The Ministry approached Cisco, Nortel, and 3Com, but found that 3Com solutions offered the best value. The agency appreciated the cost-effectiveness and simplicity of the open, standards-based architecture of 3Com products, unlike Cisco's proprietary technologies. 3Com and its value-added reseller, Bechtle, also responded rapidly to the Ministry's need for phone services, a key consideration. In November 2004, Bechtle temporarily installed a 3Com NBX V5000 IP Telephony Solution to provide users with dial tone while the Ministry refurbished the building's data network.