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Cisco Ethernet Switches vs Nokia Ethernet Service Switch comparison

Cisco and Nokia are both solutions in the Ethernet Switches category. Cisco is ranked #1 with an average rating of 8.5, while Nokia is ranked #22 with an average rating of 8.5. Cisco holds a 9.5% mindshare in ES, compared to Nokia’s 1.0% mindshare. Additionally, 96% of Cisco users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 100% of Nokia users who would recommend it.
Cisco Ethernet Switches
Read 137 Cisco Ethernet Switches reviews
  • 10,555 Views
  • 10,555 Comparison Views
96% willing to recommend
Nokia Ethernet Service Switch
Read 7 Nokia Ethernet Service Switch reviews
  • 947 Views
  • 947 Comparison Views
100% willing to recommend
 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Nov 3, 2024

Cisco Ethernet Switches and Nokia Ethernet Service Switch compete in the field of network switching technologies. Data indicates that while Cisco leads in pricing and support, Nokia offers advanced features and customization.

Features: Cisco Ethernet Switches provide robust performance, reliability, and extensive security options, making them suitable for large and small businesses. They ensure seamless compatibility with numerous network protocols. Nokia Ethernet Service Switch excels in high-capacity throughput and advanced traffic management, making it ideal for environments needing customization and scalability.

Room for Improvement: Cisco could benefit from enhancing its feature set to match the advanced functionalities offered by competitors. Improving customization tools and further reducing downtime during deployments might help. Nokia may look into expanding support networks to ensure prompt issue resolution and could work on making initial deployment costs more appealing to budget-conscious buyers.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Cisco's deployment is straightforward, supported by a comprehensive network of certified professionals that ensures quick and efficient setup with minimal downtime. Nokia offers simplified deployment with flexible services beneficial for unique environments, though its support network is less extensive compared to Cisco's.

Pricing and ROI: Cisco offers competitive pricing with excellent ROI, credited to its reliable longevity. Although Nokia's initial setup is more costly, its robust customization and advanced functionalities provide significant long-term benefits. Cisco's pricing and long-term cost-effectiveness make it a compelling choice for budget-conscious buyers.

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To learn more, read our detailed Cisco Ethernet Switches vs. Nokia Ethernet Service Switch Report (Updated: March 2026).
Buyer's Guide
Cisco Ethernet Switches vs. Nokia Ethernet Service Switch
March 2026
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Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Categories and Ranking

Cisco Ethernet Switches
Ranking in Ethernet Switches
1st
Average Rating
8.6
Reviews Sentiment
6.7
Number of Reviews
137
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
Nokia Ethernet Service Switch
Ranking in Ethernet Switches
22nd
Average Rating
7.8
Reviews Sentiment
3.1
Number of Reviews
7
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of March 2026, in the Ethernet Switches category, the mindshare of Cisco Ethernet Switches is 9.5%, down from 16.3% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Nokia Ethernet Service Switch is 1.0%, up from 0.7% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Ethernet Switches Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
Cisco Ethernet Switches9.5%
Nokia Ethernet Service Switch1.0%
Other89.5%
Ethernet Switches
 

Featured Reviews

Myint Aung - PeerSpot reviewer
Myint Aung
Head of the Solutions Department at BIM Group of Companies
Exceptional network support and AI integration drive performance while suggesting enhancements for future use cases
I work with both HyperFlex and other Cisco products. I prefer to make online support available because I can utilize my CCIE architect, solution consultant, and engineer team along with our account manager and product sales team. We can clarify requirements and decide how to support you. We should arrange a conference call about Cisco Ethernet Switches where I can invite my architect and consultant to clarify more about the features that are most beneficial for improving network efficiency. Today is AI day, and all the new firmware includes AI to optimize the performance, traffic, and security of Cisco Ethernet Switches. It's performing very well. With many solutions and vendors available, you have to decide on one. I am extremely satisfied with the licensing cost for Cisco Ethernet Switches. For the price of Cisco Ethernet Switches, I would rate it a 7. My overall rating for Cisco Ethernet Switches is 10 out of 10.
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L.
Lavanya .P
Project Manager and Assistant General Manager at tele
Ensures network reliability and meets compliance requirements
We can understand the customer network better and propose products accordingly as areas for improvement. Engaging with customers directly would improve how that could be done easily. Many times there is a requirement for very low-end products, which Nokia Ethernet Service Switch is not currently marketing many of the lower-end products.
Read full review

Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Pros

"Integration of Voice and Data over a single wire without any loss in voice quality, with security throughout LAN and WAN devices, and redundancy providing extremely high availability of devices."
"It is very scalable."
"Customer Service: Excellent customer service."
"The solution offers great bandwidth and speed."
"The solution is compatible with many brands, such as VMware."
"We have found it to be scalable. We have approximately three million subscribers."
"Aside from the cost, the Cisco switches are quite stable and easy to use."
"Overall, I am happy with this product and I don't have any suggestions for improvements to features at this time."
More Cisco Ethernet Switches pros
"The most valuable features are user functionality and interoperability."
"The performance and reliability are the solution's most valuable features."
"The highest value lies in aggregating the data to improve both traffic management and device utilization, emphasizing the importance of engagement and liability."
"The solution saves time and money for my customer in terms of reliability and product durability."
"The most valuable feature is the product's availability."
"Despite initial hindrances, once understood, these differences help in forming a good career foundation."
"On several occasions we encountered major issues with the solution and have found the Nokia technical support to be quite supportive."
"The performance and reliability are the solution's most valuable features."
 

Cons

"Setting up Cisco Ethernet Switches is not very easy; I'd rate it around four out of ten in terms of ease."
"I think the price should be cheaper to be able to afford more."
"We've had hardware problems like SSDs, ports, networking, things like that."
"Previously, advanced features were included in the basic package, but now they are provided as add-ons that need to be purchased separately."
"It could be cheaper, especially the DNA license. One DNA license is around $3,000 for a three-year contract."
"In the future, some of the features could be updated to support the latest functions."
"Cisco is not user-friendly. It would be best if you had a technical expert. The graphical user interface is more like a command line, and most functionalities are on the command line."
"Technical support for integrations with other network products is insufficient and should be improved."
More Cisco Ethernet Switches cons
"I would prefer that all the licenses be open for our use."
"I would suggest improvements regarding enhancing support response times and implementing user interface modifications for quicker and more user-friendly interactions."
"The solution needs more monitoring tools."
"The release is not very stable. You should have stability in the card."
"I would like to see more collaboration with advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) vendors, such as Itron."
"The segment routing could be improved, and they could also transfer a lot of legacy to the cloud domain."
"The documentation needs improvement for better accessibility, as there isn't proper documentation currently available."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"It is an expensive product."
"Its price is a bit higher than other brands. Indian customers are price-conscious. They should improve its price."
"The price of this solution is good."
"The solution has different prices depending on the features that you want to have."
"The product is expensive."
"We get the SMARTnet and one of the switches has that Cisco ONE licensing. It's probably running about $12,000 a year right now."
"The solution’s pricing is reasonable."
"The last time I bought a 24-port switch, which was a while ago, I paid about five or six thousand Euros. In this part of the world, that's quite expensive for us."
More Cisco Ethernet Switches pricing and cost advice
"The price of the solution is very competitive in comparison with that of the competition."
"It is quite expensive compared to alternative technologies."
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Comparison Review

it_user82779 - PeerSpot reviewer
it_user82779
Engineer at a comms service provider with 10,001+ employees
Jan 29, 2014
Benefits of Juniper vs Cisco
Both are decent products. I prefer Juniper for the following reasons: 1) Cleaner separation of data plane from control plane. Higher end Cisco devices are better at this but most of the lower end products still seem to be more integrated than I like. 2) The Hierarchical config design means I can…
Read full review
 

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Manufacturing Company
11%
Computer Software Company
9%
Comms Service Provider
7%
Financial Services Firm
7%
Performing Arts
10%
Comms Service Provider
10%
Educational Organization
7%
Financial Services Firm
6%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business59
Midsize Enterprise35
Large Enterprise55
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business4
Midsize Enterprise1
Large Enterprise2
 

Questions from the Community

Would you recommend replacing a Cisco Catalyst Switch by a D-link one?
Hello Mesfin It depends on the real scenario, the cisco 2960 is a very good device and they usually have routing functions but there are many different models within the same 2960 line, and on the ...
See all answers
Which would you choose - Fortinet Fortiswitch secure access or Cisco Ethernet Switches?
We researched Cisco but ultimately chose Fortinet FortiSwitch Secure Access, mostly because of the price. Fortinet FortiSwitch is an ethernet switch solution that provides security and performance...
See all answers
In terms of ethernet switches, would you go with Cisco or Juniper?
Our organization ran comparison tests to determine whether Cisco or Juniper Ethernet switches were the better fit for us. We decided to go with Juniper. Juniper ethernet switches are a lesser-known...
See all answers
What needs improvement with Nokia Ethernet Service Switch?
We can understand the customer network better and propose products accordingly as areas for improvement. Engaging with customers directly would improve how that could be done easily. Many times the...
See all answers
What is your primary use case for Nokia Ethernet Service Switch?
I am a system integrator working for different customers. My clients use this product for their network, either for network upgrade or new rollout.
See all answers
What advice do you have for others considering Nokia Ethernet Service Switch?
This possibility could be provided by the vendor. I advise people looking to use Nokia Ethernet Service Switch to always look for reliability rather than going for cheaper Chinese products. On a sc...
See all answers
 

Comparisons

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Compared 15% of the time
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NETGEAR Switches vs Cisco Ethernet Switches
Compared 6% of the time
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D-Link Ethernet Switches vs Cisco Ethernet Switches
Compared 6% of the time
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Cisco Catalyst Switches vs Nokia Ethernet Service Switch
Compared 11% of the time
Arista Networks Platform vs Nokia Ethernet Service Switch Logo
Arista Networks Platform vs Nokia Ethernet Service Switch
Compared 11% of the time
Huawei Ethernet Switches vs Nokia Ethernet Service Switch Logo
Huawei Ethernet Switches vs Nokia Ethernet Service Switch
Compared 10% of the time
Juniper EX Series Ethernet Switches vs Nokia Ethernet Service Switch Logo
Juniper EX Series Ethernet Switches vs Nokia Ethernet Service Switch
Compared 10% of the time
Alcatel-Lucent OmniSwitch Ethernet Switches vs Nokia Ethernet Service Switch Logo
Alcatel-Lucent OmniSwitch Ethernet Switches vs Nokia Ethernet Service Switch
Compared 9% of the time
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Product Reports

Buyer's Guide
Cisco Ethernet Switches
March 2026
Cisco Ethernet Switches reportDownload Cisco Ethernet Switches product report
Buyer's Guide
Ethernet Switches
March 2026
Nokia Ethernet Service Switch reportDownload Nokia Ethernet Service Switch product report
 

Also Known As

Cisco Industrial Ethernet Switches
Nokia ESS, Nokia 7450 Ethernet Service Switch, Nokia 7450 ESS
 

Overview

Cisco Ethernet Switches scale to meet the needs of networks of all sizes. They are Secure, Reliable and Seamless.
Cisco

The Nokia 7450 Ethernet Service Switch (ESS) family of Carrier Ethernet switch routers is designed to deliver advanced Carrier Ethernet services. It also provides the ideal platform for the metro Ethernet aggregation of fixed and mobile networks.

Nokia
 

Sample Customers

Linz AG
Information Not Available
Buyer's Guide
Cisco Ethernet Switches vs. Nokia Ethernet Service Switch
March 2026
Free Report: Cisco Ethernet Switches vs. Nokia Ethernet Service Switch
Find out what your peers are saying about Cisco Ethernet Switches vs. Nokia Ethernet Service Switch and other solutions. Updated: March 2026.
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