Cisco wades into private 5G market

Cisco on Thursday announced its intention to sell a private 5G offering to enterprises. The company promised to show off the new product at the upcoming MWC trade show in Barcelona, Spain.

The company also announced new Wi-Fi and switching products for enterprise customers alongside the private 5G offering.

In developing a private 5G product, Cisco is entering a crowded market. Mobile network operators like AT&T and Verizon offer private 5G networks, as do cloud computing companies like Google and Amazon, startups like Betacom and Celona, and mobile network equipment suppliers like Ericsson and Nokia.

Indeed, Amazon’s recent introduction of its own private 5G offering sparked plenty of debate about whether the strategy represents a threat to established mobile network operators like Verizon and AT&T. “It’s possible,” acknowledged AT&T CEO John Stankey.

Cisco says its offer won’t compete with telcos’ private 5G

Cisco is arguing that its entry into the space won’t impact established mobile network operators. In response to questions from Light Reading, the company said it is working with service providers to sell the new private 5G offering through their sales channels. Cisco added that service providers can sell their private 5G offering as a white label solution.

“The white label model makes sense. It allows operators to extend their reach and benefit from Cisco’s enterprise footprint,” said Gabriel Brown, a principal analyst with Heavy Reading (a sister company to Light Reading).

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