Polycom (News - Alert) and have signed a strategic co-branding agreement for 3Com to OEM and jointly market Polycom's wired IP desktop and conference phones. Both Polycom and 3Com (News - Alert) plan to include future integration in areas including voice over wireless LAN, mobility and integration of other popular business applications such as CRM and VoIP security.   Polycom's distribution channels now include 3Com's network of resellers and distributors. These include a global community of service providers who offer both IP trunking and hosted VoIP services. Polycom's HD Voice lineup of phones also adds to 3Com's portfolio.   Sunil Bhalla, senior vice president and general manager of Voice Communications for Polycom said that the combination of 3Com's strong distribution network with Polycom's voice technology expertise makes this the ideal solution for their customers.   According to Bhalla, their voice solutions will bring the richness of HD Voice quality to 3Com customers, affording them crystal clear communication that greatly improves productivity. Polycom also shares a vision with 3Com of providing open, non-proprietary solutions to their customers. With the addition of 3Com as a strategic distribution and technology partner, they look forward to deepening their relationship by expanding their efforts into key areas such as wireless and business productivity applications.   Under the agreement, Polycom phones will be seamlessly integrated with all 3Com VoIP platforms, including the recently launched 3Com VCX Connect 100, VCX Connect 200 and 3Com Asterisk (News - Alert) Appliance, as well as its existing 3Com VCX Enterprise system, including a 3Com IP Telephony Solution for IBM System i.   Bipin Mistry, vice president of 3Com's voice business said that the addition of Polycom's voice solutions to their portfolio of 3Com IP telephony solutions and handsets will enable them to offer customers a wide range of choices to meet their unique communications needs.   "Coming on the heels of our introduction of the new 3Com VCX Connect platforms and the 3Com Asterisk Appliance, this partnership means that organizations with as few as five employees will enjoy the same robust VoIP offering as those with thousands of employees," said Mistry in a statement.   He continued: "With its technical innovation, expertise, and market leadership, Polycom is a natural partner for us. 3 Com is looking forward to the integration of Polycom's family of Wi-Fi and DECT (News - Alert) phones into our VCX product lines, which will provide our Wi-Fi infrastructure customers even still greater choices when it comes to complete, turnkey IP telephony solutions."   Customers can purchase the co-branded 3Com/Polycom phones through 3Com North American channels beginning in November 2007. These devices are expected to be available on a worldwide basis by Jan. 1, 2008.   3Com Corporation is a provider of secure, converged voice and data networking solutions for enterprises of all sizes.   Polycom, Inc. delivers unified collaborative communications (UCC) that maximize the efficiency and productivity of people and organizations by integrating the broadest array of high definition video, wired and wireless voice, and content solutions to deliver the ultimate collaborative experience.