Cisco and DISH establish ‘multi-layered’ agreement to accelerate 5G services deployment

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Cisco and DISH Wireless have established a “multi-layered” agreement to accelerate the deployment of 5G services across the US.

The partners will build what they’re calling the first “smart” 5G network in the US.

In practice, DISH will be able to provide slices of its open network to meet the specific needs of various industry verticals. Cisco will help DISH with delivering a network that will predict, self-heal, and self-optimise with closed-loop automation for transport network slicing.

Charlie Ergen, Chairman at DISH, said:

“DISH has compiled an outstanding roster of partners in the wireless industry and Cisco is a key player helping us launch a customisable, automated, 5G network optimised for enterprise performance.

Working with Cisco is central to achieving our goal of delivering a best-in-class experience for enterprises.

Our ability to continually drive value and enhance capabilities for our customers is a key differentiator for DISH and positions us to disrupt the industry with more innovation, speed, agility, and security.”

DISH will make use of Cisco’s latest cloud networking and automation software in addition to end-to-end lifecycle services from Cisco Customer Experience (CX).

Cisco will provide DISH with its IOS-XR operating system for 5G, backhaul, and fronthaul transport via NCS series routers, segment routing for automated traffic management and network slicing, Nexus 9000 series with an Application Centric Infrastructure (ACI) fabric for data center switching, and a Crosswork Network Controller as the transport domain controller.

The 5G network will be powered by automated Cisco XRv9K virtualised routers running on AWS, along with virtual Cell Site Routers (vCSR) at the tower.

Chuck Robbins, CEO and Chairman at Cisco, commented:

“Cisco and DISH are disrupting the mobile and enterprise markets by launching cloud-powered 5G services in record time through innovative technologies, fostering new application development and improving the overall customer experience.

Together, we look forward to helping businesses across industries transform their networks to support the evolution of hybrid work models, the transition to Network as a Service (NaaS) offers, and the expansion into new markets including IoT.”

As part of the multi-layer agreement, DISH will also participate in Cisco’s Reseller and Managed Services Program to deliver private 5G services to the enterprise.

(Photo by Cytonn Photography on Unsplash)

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