The wireless subsidiary of US incomer Dish Network tapped Cisco for tools the pair claimed would boost enterprise connectivity by delivering the nation’s first smart 5G network.

Dish Wireless and Cisco stated their collaboration will enable the service provider to slice its network to serve specific industry verticals and provide the operator with an immediate path to market through participation in a managed services programme run by the vendor.

The pair added the latest collaboration will equip Dish Wireless with the systems needed to cover hybrid work models and expand into IoT markets.

Cisco chairman and CEO Chuck Robbins stated the companies are disrupting the market by “launching cloud-powered 5G services in record time”.

Dish Wireless will use Cisco virtualised routers in the AWS cloud and at tower sites, making the vendor the latest addition to a lengthy list of suppliers.

Charlie Ergen, Dish Network chairman, branded Cisco a “key player” in the operator’s bid to launch a “customisable, automated 5G network”.