Cisco and NBN team to push SMB broadband

Cisco and NBN Co have launched a plan to target small and medium businesses that are yet to transition to the national broadband network.

The two organisations already have a partnership, announced in November 2018, that aims to  ‘educate and engage’ about the benefit of migrating to the NBN. At the time the two called it an “exclusive collaboration” that will see Cisco leverage its partner base to spruik the benefits of business-grade NBN over a consumer connection.

Speaking at Cisco Live in Melbourne on Tuesday, Cisco ANZ vice president Ken Boal said a new phase of the partnership will commence with a joint marketing program to promote business NBN.

Next, Cisco will launch new business bundles that compliment NBN’s existing business products. Details on these bundles are scarce at the moment, though Boal said partners can develop their own NBN bundles.

Finally, Cisco will create a new managed service provider program to launch in April. Again, details are light right now, but Boal said that partners would be adequately compensated for chasing down opportunities in the SMB space, including cash rebates to incentivise customers to transition to the NBN.

"Digitally enabling the small business workforce is imperative for Australia to grow and be more competitive. Our far-reaching partner ecosystem provides education, advice, services and solutions that eligible businesses need as they transition to the NBN access network,” Boal said. 

“There are clear opportunities for RSP’s and ICT channel partners to build offers and digital solutions for eligible SMBs which can be bundled with NBN services and help them realise the potential of digital enablement.”

Boal said the NBN partnership was the first stage of Cisco’s Country Digital Acceleration program, which will see the vendor invest $61 million over the next three years in digital transformation projects, promote STEM skills and take advantage of critical infrastructure.

Brendon Foye traveled to Cisco Live in Melbourne as a guest of Cisco.