Vodafone UK Launch “enterprise grade” FTTC Broadband for SMEs

ISP Vodafone UK has today partnered with Cisco to launch an “enterprise grade broadband and Wi-Fi solution” for small and medium-sized businesses (10 – 250 employees), which is said to feature “advanced security features” to ensure SMEs have everything required to stay connected, secure and in control. But it’s only FTTC.

Prices for the new “Complete Connectivity” service start at £70 +vat per month on a 36-month term and for that you get an “up to” 76Mbps capable Fibre-to-the-Cabinet (FTTC / VDSL2) broadband connection (assuming you have a copper line that can manage those speeds), albeit one that comes coupled to “simple-to-manage, enterprise grade hardware and software.”

The new service is said to feature “advanced security features” such as Malware Protection, Intrusion Prevention and Content Filtering as standard. On top of that, it also includes an in-built 4G mobile backup system “which kicks in seamlessly should you lose WiFi to ensure your internet connection isn’t disrupted.”

Apparently, all of this is being underpinned by Cloud Managed IT and WiFi (inc. analytics to monitor the wireless network) with enterprise-grade security from Cisco Meraki. Customers will thus receive both a Vodafone broadband router and the Cisco Meraki MX68CW security device. SMEs can also add on additional Cisco or Meraki devices, such as Wi-Fi 6 access points, smart cameras and so forth.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dWS52M4ycyQ

Andrew Stevens, Head of Small Business at Vodafone UK, said:

“Our small business customers are constantly telling us how much they rely on a secure and reliable broadband connection to conduct business effectively. That’s why we’re delighted to be launching this new solution with Cisco which enables business customers to easily run a reliable, secure, futureproof, and truly scalable broadband and Wi-Fi service, in an affordable way without any significant, one-off costs.

With the number of sophisticated cyber-attacks on SMEs increasing daily, having secure and reliable access to the internet has never been more critical. Falling victim to an online attack can be both financially and reputationally damaging for SMEs, so it’s crucial businesses now have access to a professional grade service, which provides rich insights and is easy to manage.”

We have to question the language of “futureproof” above, particularly whenever older broadband connections technologies like Openreach’s FTTC service are used for the underlying service delivery. But there’s little doubt that the Cisco element in this package is quite a premium feature.

The price tag of £70 per month might otherwise seem expensive, but it’s worth remembering that the Cisco Meraki MX68CW is a very expensive piece of kit all by itself and normally attracts a similarly expensive support licence.