DISH Wireless and Cisco announced a strategic agreement focused on enterprise 5G services in the United States. Some highlights:
- Go-to-market strategy: DISH will participate in Cisco’s Reseller and Managed Services Program
- Deployment of an intelligent transport network: Cisco is helping to plan, design and deliver an open, cloud-based network that will predict, self-heal and self-optimize with closed-loop automation for transport network slicing.
- Co-innovation on virtual routing: DISH’s 5G network will be powered with fully automated Cisco XRv9K virtualized routers running on AWS, along with virtual Cell Site Routers (vCSR) at the tower.
- New operational models: Cisco is helping DISH build out a lean, world-class DevOps organization that drives automation and improves operational efficiency leading to faster time-to-market with new services, speed to revenue and return on investments. Key outcomes are CI/CD testing and zero-touch onboarding to enable DISH to quickly go from development to pre-production, as well as staging and testing directly to production.
- Technology: Cisco will support DISH with the following: IOS-XR operating system for 5G, backhaul and fronthaul transport via Cisco 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 Cisco Crosswork Network Controller as the transport domain controller including automated service provisioning and assurance.
“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,” said Chuck Robbins, Chairman and CEO, Cisco. “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.”
“DISH has compiled an outstanding roster of partners in the wireless industry, and Cisco is a key player helping us launch a customizable, automated, 5G network optimized for enterprise performance,” said Charlie Ergen, Chairman, DISH. “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.”