Kaufman and Broad has teamed with Pacific Bell, 3Com Corporation, and Digital Interiors to provide high-speed digital Internet access service, home computer networking and videoconferencing products, and integrated home systems and wiring, respectively.

Kaufman and Broad's new California Rosecrest community, located in Union City, contains homes built with wiring infrastructures that accommodate the way today's families work, educate their children and spend leisure time.

Now home buyers may purchase with their home the ability to telecommute or access the Internet from multiple rooms, network personal computers and peripherals, and easily integrate home theater, digital satellite and whole house music systems.

The grand opening of the Rosecrest model homes will take place on Saturday, January 31.

At the heart of a Kaufman and Broad pre-wired home is Digital Interiors "Digital Age(tm) Wiring Network", a commercial standards-based voice/video/data wiring and distribution system. With this system in place, homeowners can enjoy seamless access to consumer electronics products and services throughout the house.

For example, a visitor at the front door can be viewed on any TV or PC in the home. Voice, fax and modem phone lines can be routed to any room, and parents can monitor how their children are using their televisions and the Internet.

"Homeowner demand is booming for home office, home theater, and security products, and for services like high-speed Internet access, e-mail and multiple phone lines," said Skip Marsh, president and chief executive officer of Digital Interiors. "If a home isn't pre-wired for these 'Digital Age' systems, it's obsolete."

"This is all about how people will live, work and play in the new millennium," said Carol Larsen, executive director of emerging markets for Pacific Bell. "The lines between office, classroom and home are blurring more and more. We know our customers need to be able to work from home as effectively as they can at the office, and we're helping to make that happen with this project."

In one of the Rosecrest models, the Digital Age Wiring Network works in synergy with 3Com's OfficeConnect(tm) ISDN LAN Modem which allows computer users in different rooms to share files and a single ISDN line for high-speed Internet access. This enables children to research school assignments on the World Wide Web at the same time their parents are checking e-mail or bank accounts.

"We expect the home market will be as big as the enterprise networking market, in the billions of dollars by the year 2000," said Mike Dolbec, 3Com's vice president, business development. "3Com will continue to drive the home networking market with similar innovative initiatives, easy-to-use products and high-speed Internet access capabilities."

With more corporations implementing telecommuting programs, Kaufman and Broad recognizes the growing market for home offices. A suite of Pacific Bell Work at Home Resources services are demonstrated in the models. With the Message Center, ISDN, Internet access, Caller ID and multiple phone lines, a telecommuter can have the same tools they sue at the office, while maximizing productivity and spending more time with their family.

"We are pleased to provide a neighborhood where families can work and play at home," said Robert Freed, president of Kaufman and Broad's South Bay division. "Offered as an option, this advanced wiring network allows home buyers to design a future-ready system to fit their family's lifestyle now and into the future."

Los Angeles-based Kaufman and Broad Home Corporation is the largest home builder in the West with operating divisions in California, Nevada, Arizona, Colorado, Utah, New Mexico and Texas. The company is also among the largest builders in metropolitan Paris, France. For information on any Kaufman and Broad home, call 1-888-KB-HOMES.

Digital Interiors, Inc. (DII) is a leading residential systems integration firm providing turnkey product and service solutions for the integration of communications, entertainment, control, conservation, and security systems. The company was formed to address the unmet need for a consolidated, mass-market channel for distributing, installing and integrating residential electronic systems. Digital Interiors sells and installs its Digital Age Wiring Network, Digital Age Options, and Digital Age Services, and has more than 3,000 installations to its credit. For more information, call (408) 226-6297.

Pacific Bell provides basic and leading-edge telephone services and products to over 11 million business and residential customers - a total of more than 16 million access lines - throughout California. The company invests billions of dollars each year to maintain and expand its world class network. Work at Home Resources at 1-800-700-1100 addresses the needs of telecommuters and home based businesses.

3Com Corporation enables individuals and organizations worldwide to communicate and share information and resources at anytime from anywhere. As one of the world's preeminent suppliers of data, voice and video communications technology, 3Com has delivered networking solutions to more than 100 million customers worldwide. With global reach and local touch, the company gives enterprises, network service providers and carriers, small businesses and consumers comprehensive, innovative information access products and system solutions for building intelligent, reliable and high performance local and wide area networks. 3Com has worldwide revenues of more than $6.0 billion and employs approximately 13,200 people in 45 countries. For further information, visit 3Com's World Wide Web site at www.3Com.com.

For More Information Contact:
Kate Mulhearn
(310) 231-4015
kmulhearn@kbhome.com