C9300-48T-A – 48x1G Data Ports – Modular Uplink – Network Advantage

Selection Guide

1. When Network Advantage Is Required From Day One

This SKU is the right order when the closet’s design already calls for BGP, EIGRP, VRF/VXLAN segmentation, NETCONF/RESTCONF automation, or MACsec-256; ordering the Network Essentials variant instead would block those features until a new license order replaces the hardware’s built-in Network Stack license.

2. Downgrade Path To Network Essentials

If the deployment turns out to need only Layer 2 switching, routed access with a 1000-route OSPF cap, and basic telemetry, the C9300-48T-E delivers the same hardware at a lower license cost; moving to Essentials only makes sense before the order is placed, since the Network Stack license is not field-upgradable afterward.

3. Uplink Module Selection Before Order

Because the uplink slot ships empty, the target network module (for example C9300-NM-8X for 10G/1G SFP+, or a 25G/40G module) must be chosen and ordered separately; leaving it unordered means the switch has no uplink path until a module is purchased and installed.

4. Port Count Versus The 24-Port Sibling

If the closet needs fewer than 24 downlink ports of headroom, the C9300-24T-A at the same Network Advantage tier draws less power and costs less than this 48-port model; moving up to the C9300-48T-A only pays off once the port count actually approaches the 48-port ceiling.

5. PoE Requirement Boundary Against C9300-48P-A

If any connected endpoint in the closet needs Power over Ethernet, this data-only SKU cannot serve that port at all; the C9300-48P-A must be ordered instead, since the 350W default supply on the C9300-48T-A has no PoE circuitry to fall back on.