3Com to Purchase NBX

3Com Corp. has agreed to buy privately held NBX Corp. of Andover, Mass., for $90 million in cash plus stock options. NBX makes equipment that allows voice and data to be sent over the same computer network. The deal is expected to close in March. 3Com, a Santa Clara, Calif., data communications equipment maker, does not expect to lay off any of NBX’s 87 employees, a 3Com spokesman said. He said some NBX workers may be offered jobs at 3Com’s new East Coast headquarters, expected to open next month in Marlborough, Mass. The spokesman said the acquisition will allow 3Com to capitalize on the fast-growing convergence of voice and data communications.