Airtel, Cisco Unveil Innovative ‘Network as a Service’ Solution to Boost Business Growth

Airtel Uganda, in partnership with Cisco, has officially launched the groundbreaking “Network as a Service (NaaS)”, a subscription-based enterprise solution that allows businesses to access scalable, secure, and fully managed network infrastructure without the need for upfront investment in hardware.

Speaking at the launch held at Kampala Serena Hotel on Wednesday, Rajesh Agrawal, Networks Director at Airtel Uganda, described the new service as a flexible, scalable network platform tailored to meet evolving business needs.

“Airtel NaaS evolves with your business. With NaaS, you get scalable network resources, built-in security—firewalls, encryption, compliance, global reach, local reliability, and accountability, plus 24/7 dedicated support,” he said.

Designed for enterprises of all sizes, NaaS enables businesses to: scale network resources on demand, enjoy built-in security with firewalls, encryption, and compliance, access global-grade infrastructure with local support and receive 24/7 dedicated technical assistance.

The solution is powered by Cisco, a global leader in networking technology, and tailored to meet the unique needs of Ugandan enterprises — whether they’re startups in Bugolobi or multinationals with a footprint across East Africa.

“This solution combines the technical excellence of Cisco, a global leader in networking, with Airtel’s global presence, trusted infrastructure, and deep understanding of Ugandan businesses,” noted Rajesh.

He added: “Let Airtel Network as a Service be the invisible engine powering your visible success. Let it be the difference between ‘managing’ and leading. Let it be the reason you spend less time fixing and more time growing.”

Charles Mugasa, Acting Director of Airtel Business, emphasised the company’s commitment to transforming the African business landscape. “We do this by delivering a brilliant experience in today’s smart, digitised world. We want to become the preferred digital partner of African businesses on our Airtel footprint — the pride of our people and customers,” Mugasa stated.

Javed Johar, Cisco Account Executive for Networking, provided deeper insight into the service’s unique features and use cases.

“We’re proud to partner with Airtel Uganda on this transformative solution. Businesses today need networks that are agile, secure, and intelligent. NaaS delivers exactly that while freeing up internal teams to focus on innovation.”

A panel discussion featuring experts further explored how NaaS drives digital transformation. Lameck Ochola from Airtel Africa Group noted, “The future is here. This service is designed to help small businesses grow and access cloud infrastructure.”

Shobhit Agarwal, Lead at Cisco Enterprise Networking, added, “We want customers to avoid the pain points of running a business and focus on strategy. We’re providing simplified tools to help them succeed.”

Javed Johar, the Accountant Executive, CISCO Architecture, emphasised security: “This service is very secure. We understand not every customer has a cybersecurity team, so we’ve built in the protection they need.”

Andrew Katwere Semwezi, Senior Data Centre & Networks Engineer at Absa Uganda, highlighted the practical business value: “Businesses shouldn’t worry about the backend. The real question is—what value does it bring to your business?”

By enabling organisations to consume network infrastructure as a service, NaaS reduces capital expenses, manual provisioning, and delays in issue resolution, marking a significant shift from traditional networking models.