Vish Iyer discusses Cisco’s role, relevance in telecom community

Vish Iyer, President, Service Provider APJ, CISCO, spoke at the Voice&Data 5G+ conference, Peeyush Vaish, Partner and TMT Industry Leader at Deloitte South Asia, he covers Cisco’s journey in India, its innovations, and its vision for the future of the telecom industry. Let me know if you'd like to explore any particular section in more detail. 

He stressed on Cisco’s role and its relevance in the Indian telecom community. Many people may not immediately associate Cisco with the telecom industry, but Cisco has had a significant presence in India for over 30 years. I personally joined Cisco in 1998 and have witnessed its growth and transformation. Over these decades, Cisco has evolved its operations in India, starting from developing centers to becoming a global hub with over 15,000 employees, making India the company’s second headquarters. Another 5,000 people work with our partners across various sites. This massive operation began with a focus on development and testing, but today, Cisco has integrated deeply with the telecom sector, especially in driving innovation and supporting India’s rise in global data rankings.

Iyer  explained that one of the key reasons India went from 150th to 1st in data consumption is because of Cisco’s contribution to building transport networks at scale, tailored to Indian economic and environmental conditions. We developed routers that work in extreme conditions—whether it’s +67°C or -48°C—and consume minimal power. This commitment to innovation and building solutions for India’s unique needs has led to our technology becoming a gold standard globally. For instance, our products, developed in collaboration with Indian telecom operators, are now being adopted by global giants like AT&T for both high-capacity core and rural access networks. This showcases how the work we do in India is impacting the world.

Moreover, we are not stopping here. Cisco continues to innovate by merging IP and optical infrastructure, building data-centric architectures that can cater to India’s increasing demand for data. The focus is on making networks more efficient while addressing the critical challenges that telecom operators face today.

Talking about, challenges that telecom operators face worldwide is economic sustainability—how to monetize investments in 4G and 5G. Massive amounts of money are poured into building these networks, but the key question is: how do we turn this investment into revenue? Additionally, power efficiency and security are crucial areas of focus. With the rapid rise in cyber threats, networks need to be smarter, more secure, and more sensitive to changes in the environment. Cisco believes that telecom networks can evolve into powerful sensors that can detect and respond to these challenges, particularly through collaboration with service providers.

He further disscussed  major opportunity that lies in data localization and privacy. With vast amounts of cloud data flowing through networks, service providers have the opportunity to play a central role in managing, securing, and monetizing this data. This requires building a sustainable infrastructure that is not only energy-efficient but also secure and capable of handling the demands of a data-driven world.

Looking forward, artificial intelligence (AI) and autonomous systems will play a transformative role in the telecom sector. The future lies in the ability to create real-time, seamless experiences for consumers, whether they are on a train, bus, or at home. Service providers will need to evolve their networks to offer these advanced services, and this evolution will happen in two key layers.

The first layer is the physical infrastructure or the “network layer,” where the focus will be on simplifying, automating, and scaling systems. This involves leveraging network intelligence to make operations more efficient and cost-effective. This “network layer” must be highly programmable and scalable to meet the demands of the future.

The second layer is the “service layer,” which focuses on innovation. This is where service providers can develop new business models using APIs and platform-based services. By taking the network as a platform, service providers can build B2C services that transform industries, driving digital transformation and new monetization opportunities.

He said at Cisco, "we believe we have a unique opportunity to work across both these layers. We are focused on making investments that will help service providers monetize their networks more effectively and deliver new digital services to customers. By partnering with service providers, we aim to help them unlock the potential of their digital assets and create new revenue streams."

Additionally, there is an important new customer segment to consider: the hyperscalers. The world’s top seven hyperscalers, companies like Amazon Web Services and Microsoft Azure, have built extremely efficient systems that are available to users around the globe. Service providers have the opportunity to become the transport layer for these hyperscalers, leveraging their networks to enable hyperscaler growth. By building partnerships with these global players, service providers can drive additional revenue and innovation.

To do this, service providers will need to accelerate the move towards autonomous systems. This means transforming from being just "pipe providers" to becoming "smart pipe providers." A smart pipe is not just about connectivity; it incorporates elements like latency, security, and data intelligence. By adding these layers of intelligence, service providers can create premium services and charge for them, turning what used to be simple connectivity into a smart, value-added offering.

This transformation is also happening in other sectors like smart grids and energy, where intelligent infrastructure is becoming critical. By investing in intelligent, programmable networks, service providers can tap into new markets and opportunities.

He added, " we are also heavily investing in data innovation. One of our key recent moves has been acquiring companies that specialize in data platforms, positioning ourselves as not only a great networking company but also a great security and AI company. AI is only as good as the data it processes, and by integrating data from various sources, we are able to create more secure, intelligent networks."

This journey is exciting, and Cisco is committed to partnering with telecom operators and service providers to help them innovate and thrive in this evolving landscape.

Finally, he discussed the future of B2B services. The next wave of service innovation will come from service fabric, a collection of potential offerings in areas like enterprise connectivity, cloud services, and beyond. Service providers have the opportunity to develop new platforms and services that cater to enterprise customers, helping them connect to the cloud, leverage new technologies, and transform digitally.

In conclusion, Cisco sees tremendous opportunities for innovation in the telecom sector. We are committed to driving this innovation, partnering with Indian and global telecom operators to build the networks of the future, monetize new services, and ensure secure, intelligent connectivity for all.