Cisco is expanding the portfolio with new Catalyst 9000x switches, Wi-Fi 6E access points and a private 5G solution as a managed service.
Cisco is introducing the new Wi-Fi 6E standard for the first time within Catalyst 9136 and Meraki MR57 access points. This gives the manufacturer an enterprise first as one of the first to embrace Wi-Fi 6E with new hardware. Wi-Fi 6E uses an additional spectrum in the form of the 6 GHz band that enables gigabit network speeds wirelessly.
Along with the two Wi-Fi 6E solutions, Cisco is also providing new Catalyst switches to handle the increased network traffic. The Catalyst 9300x gets 48 Universal PoE ports and supports aggregated deployment with Multigigabit Ethernet (mGig) and 100G Uplink modules. The Catalyst 9400x achieves 384 mGig and 100G uplinks. In addition, there are new Catalyst 9500x/9600x models with 400G uplinks driven by Cisco’s own Silicon One Q200 chip.
Private 5G solution
Finally, Cisco is announcing a private 5G environment, deployable as a managed service. The service will be distributed through service provider partners. The focus is on IoT and smart buildings. The managed service complements Wi-Fi to connect industrial IoT and OT with IT systems, analytics and automation for increased network efficiency.
Whether that 5G solution will make it to Belgium remains to be seen. Like AWS’ 5G managed service solution, the concept clashes with Belgian licensing requirements. Our country requires a license for a 5G network. This year, the usage rights of the 5G bands in the multiband auction will be awarded at the national level. After that auction, we will see if there is still spectrum free in the 3,400 MHz – 3,800 MHz band. If so, there will be a Royal Decree for private networks, according to BIPT.
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