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Matt MacPherson

Chief Technology Officer, Wireless

Engineering - Innovation Labs

Matt MacPherson is Cisco’s Wireless CTO. Matt’s group has world-wide responsibility for Cisco’s Wireless thought leadership through analyzing technology and industry trends and providing direction to product and engineering teams.

The Wireless CTO team manages the innovation pipeline from idea to proof-of-concept, and eventually, to execution decisions. The team has strong insights into market evolution and disruptions in the start-up ecosystem. They ensure Cisco has the leading wireless portfolio through build, buy and partner strategies. Domains include driving strategy for both Service Provider and Enterprise markets for a broad range of wireless solutions across licensed, unlicensed and shared spectrum.

The Wireless CTO team engages at the executive level with customers and key technical influencers to partner and drive Cisco’s innovation activity. Matt’s team also works directly with Cisco’s world-class development engineering group for prototyping new technologies.

Through board of directors and workgroups, the team takes a strong leadership role in defining industry standards. Matt sits on the Board of Directors for the Wireless Broadband Alliance (WBA) and the CBRS Alliance, and his team participates in standards groups for Wi-Fi Alliance (WFA), GSMA, Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) and IEEE.

Matt joined Cisco in 1995 and has driven multiple service provider collaborations and strategic alliances. Prior to Cisco, he spent 11 years developing communication and control systems at Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory – the high-energy physics particle research facility. Matt holds a Master’s Degree from Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT) and a Bachelor’s of Science in Computer Engineering and Systems.

Articles

November 12, 2024

NETWORKING

The Future of Business Connectivity: Wi-Fi 7 and OpenRoaming

4 min read

Wi-Fi 7 offers faster speeds, lower latency, and enhanced performance, enabling businesses to handle growing data demands and support advanced applications like AR, IoT, and telemedicine. The convergence of Wi-Fi 7 and 5G, along with OpenRoaming, ensures seamless, reliable connectivity across industries, improving operational efficiency and customer experiences.

November 15, 2021

NETWORKING

Get unprecedented visibility with Cisco and Intel Connectivity Analytics

2 min read

Announcing Intel Connectivity Analytics on Cisco Catalyst and Meraki wireless platforms — providing wireless teams the advanced visibility necessary to quickly investigate and isolate client-side issues at scale, and to deliver optimal wireless experiences for enterprise laptops.

November 10, 2021

NETWORKING

Wi-Fi’s market expands with Wi-Fi 6E

4 min read

Wi-Fi 6E goes where no previous generation of Wi-Fi could. It fundamentally improves the user experience with 1200 MHz of additional spectrum and the ability to handle much higher device density across more channels with increased bandwidth.

March 18, 2021

NETWORKING

Cisco and Apple: a collaboration steeped in technical innovation

2 min read

Cisco and Apple collaborate on innovations that optimize users’ connectivity to the digital world by delivering application-specific optimizations between devices and wireless networks.

September 10, 2020

NETWORKING

Guest Wireless Access Made Simple (and Profitable), with Google’s Orion WiFi and OpenRoaming

2 min read

Google Orion WiFi works with the OpenRoaming standard to help venues use their Wi-Fi networks to serve cellular data users -- and to get paid for it.

March 19, 2020

NETWORKING

Cisco Transfers OpenRoaming Standard to Wireless Broadband Alliance

2 min read

OpenRoaming, the zero-touch standard for connecting to Wi-Fi access point quickly and securely, is now a standard, as Cisco transfers the specification to the Wireless Broadband Alliance.

December 5, 2019

NETWORKING

How Wi-Fi 6 overcame one of the toughest wireless environments on the planet

3 min read

Mettis Aerospace has been at the forefront of metallurgical innovation for over 80 years, and now relies on network connected sensors, cameras, and robotics to manufacture their products. Cisco and its partners play a role in Mettis' forging, machining and sub assembly for the aerospace and defense sectors.

June 24, 2019

NETWORKING

OpenRoaming: A Seamless Access Solution that Benefits Customers and Carriers

3 min read

With OpenRoaming, users will be able to step out and employ their mobile carrier identity for authentication, granting them seamless access to participating wireless networks around the world.

April 29, 2019

NETWORKING

OpenRoaming: Automatic and Seamless Roaming Across Wi-Fi 6 and 5G

4 min read

What if getting on Wi-Fi was as easy and secure as getting on cellular? It is possible, and Cisco is going to make it happen. Introducing OpenRoaming.