New Delhi, March 23 (IANS): Reaffirming its commitment to investing further in the country, global networking giant Cisco on Thursday unveiled its first 'Made in India' router which can be used by small and medium businesses (SMBs) across multiple industries.

Unveiled in the presence of IT and Electronics Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad, the router, which will cost less than $1,500, is one of the most popular products in Cisco's core switching portfolio worldwide which is fundamental to network connectivity.

"I would like to compliment the Cisco team that I had requested them to take the initiative of Make in India and today is a great product which will help internet in office space and other places which is a clear mark of digitising India," Prasad told the gathering.

The global networking giant which is now focused on making a big foray into Cloud, Internet of Things (IoT) and cyber security, recently launched its manufacturing operations in Pune and announced it would build Nagpur as Smart City with its Next-Gen solutions.

"I compliment John Chambers (Cisco Executive Chairman) and the entire team present here. They have established a big premises in Pune. Good luck and keep it up," the minister added.

According to industry analysts, there are nearly 23 billion connected devices and the number is expected to double to over 50 billion by 2020 and Cisco is prepared to help governments and enterprises achieve this goal.

To achieve this, providing a secured ecosystem -- from hardware to software -- to the customers is the key.

"India is an incredible country for Cisco as it represents 360 degree value - a great growth opportunity, world class talent, and now an integral part of our global supply chain," said John Kern, Senior Vice President, Supply Chain Operations, and India Executive Sponsor, Cisco.