Executive Summary
The global network and Wi-Fi infrastructure market is experiencing a paradigm shift. Once dominated by a few legacy giants, a new generation of disruptive manufacturers is now reshaping the space, and Intec are witnessing this first-hand.
These challengers are leveraging agility, innovation, and customer-centric models to meet evolving demands - and they’re gaining ground quickly. We examine the emergence of these disruptors, the driving forces behind their momentum, and what they signify for the future of connectivity.
Established Stronghold
Markets have been well-served by market leaders such as Cisco and HPE Aruba, but as their R&D efforts expand, this is creating an opening for more focused, agile global competitors to emerge with disruptive lifecycle investments.
The Rise of the Disruptors
Emerging players like Ubiquiti, Ruijie, Zyxel, TP-Link, and Netgear are not only gaining a foothold but also disrupting markets. They are attracting customers who want to optimise their investment without sacrificing quality and management overheads.
What sets them apart:
Cloud-native architectures – for example, Zyxel’s Nebula
Simplified deployment and management
Competitive pricing and transparent licensing
Rapid innovation cycles and community-driven development - they are highly engaged in roadmap development - we witnessed that in London at Ubiquiti’s World Conference
What’s fuelling the disruption?
The ongoing wave of digital transformation continues to reshape the technology landscape, pushing businesses to seek solutions that are not only scalable and flexible but also cost-effective. In this rapidly evolving environment, traditional enterprise vendors often struggle to meet the specific needs of small and mid-sized businesses and public sector bodies (SMBs). This dynamic and growing market segment remains largely underserved. This has created an opening for more agile, forward-thinking brands to gain traction.
Companies like Zyxel and Ubiquiti are capitalising on this opportunity by delivering high-performance, affordable networking solutions tailored to the mid-market. These brands are gaining momentum not just for their competitive pricing but for their simplicity, ease of deployment, and channel-friendly approach.
Unlike traditional players, these brands empower resellers and MSPs with great margin opportunity, streamlined tools, and greater operational autonomy - reducing the overheads that have traditionally burdened managed service providers and IT partners.
Layered on top of this is the ongoing shift in global supply chains. As businesses seek to diversify their sourcing and move closer to regional manufacturing hubs, vendors that can adapt quickly - such as Zyxel and Ubiquiti - are well-positioned to support more localised and resilient infrastructure strategies. As a result, the convergence of digital transformation, channel empowerment, and supply chain rethinking is fuelling a quiet revolution in how the market is served - and who is best equipped to lead it.
Rethinking Value: Beyond the Brand
In today’s networking and Wi-Fi market, emerging manufacturers are proving that brand name alone no longer guarantees better performance or value. Challenger brands are closing the gap or even surpassing legacy players by delivering performance parity at a fraction of the cost. For many businesses, especially SMBs and lean IT teams, the question is no longer “Who’s the biggest?” but “Who delivers the most value for our needs?”
When comparing Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) and Return on Investment (ROI), the appeal of these up-and-coming vendors becomes even clearer. From lower upfront hardware costs to simplified licensing models and reduced ongoing maintenance expenses, the numbers often speak for themselves. These savings don’t come at the cost of quality on the contrary, many new entrants offer surprisingly robust features, competitive throughput, and reliability that rivals or exceeds more established names.
Concerns about security, support, and ecosystem maturity once reasons to avoid non-traditional brands are quickly becoming outdated. Vendors like Ubiquiti, TP-Link Omada, and Zyxel, for example, are expanding their management platforms, enhancing firmware cycles, and investing in partner programs that rival traditional enterprise offerings. Their growing ecosystems and commitment to innovation are earning the trust of IT professionals worldwide.
Established players, such as Netally, are not only delivering optimal Wi-Fi performance by design but are also integrating their management systems with cloud-native vendors to monitor edge networking security. This is hugely significant in environments where the public interacts with corporate services or estates that have significant IoT deployments.
Perhaps most convincing are the real-world success stories. From schools and hospitals to multi-site retail chains and co-working spaces, challenger brands are proving their worth in demanding environments. These deployments demonstrate that, with the proper planning and vendor partnership, businesses can deploy enterprise-grade networking solutions without compromising value.
Implications for the Channel
For resellers and MSPs, the rise of emerging network and Wi-Fi vendors offers a powerful chance to lead with innovation. These brands aren’t just cost-effective - they enable more agile, creative solutions that break away from traditional vendor constraints.
Traditional vendor investment programs are giving way to fresh ideas and greater flexibility. Partners now have the freedom to evaluate solutions based on real value rather than brand familiarity, opening the door to more smarter, more tailored deployments.
Success, however, depends on technical enablement. Partners must go beyond transactional sales and embrace a more solution-oriented approach - one grounded in a clear understanding of new platforms and customer needs.
Integrating new vendors doesn’t require a full overhaul. Starting with pilots or targeted deployments allows partners to test capabilities, build confidence, and gradually expand their portfolio with proven, high-performing alternatives.
The Future of Networking
The networking landscape is undergoing rapid and seismic transformation, with the future pointing to continued disruption. Legacy vendors are steadily losing market share as businesses shift toward more flexible, cost-effective solutions. At the same time, AI-driven network management is gaining traction, promising smarter automation, faster troubleshooting, and better performance optimization across distributed environments.
Open standards and interoperability are also on the rise, paving the way for greater vendor flexibility especially as technologies like 6G begin to emerge, offering a vast new spectrum for innovation. Disruptors are forming strategic partnerships with cloud platforms to deliver integrated, scalable solutions that align with modern IT strategies.
Traditional vendors are beginning to respond, but whether incremental updates and rebranded partner programs are enough to hold off the challengers remains to be seen. The future belongs to those who can move quickly, stay open, and deliver real-world value in an increasingly software-defined world.
Conclusion: We are in A New Era of Connectivity
The emergence of disruptive manufacturers is not just a trend - it’s a transformation.
As the market evolves, success will belong to those who embrace agility, prioritise customer outcomes, and are willing to challenge the status quo. For partners and customers alike, the time to explore new possibilities is now.