C9500-48Y4C-E - Cisco Catalyst 9500 48-port 1/10/25G Gigabit Ethernet Switch NW Ess License

Cisco C9500-48Y4C-E — Catalyst 9500 48-Port 10/25/40GbE Switch (Network Essentials)

What it is

C9500-48Y4C-E is a Cisco Catalyst 9500 Series enterprise core/distribution switch.
It’s a high-performance Layer 3 switch with 48 multigig 10/25 GbE ports and 4 40 GbE uplink ports, running Cisco IOS-XE and licensed with the Network Essentials feature set — ideal for campus cores, data center aggregation, and high-throughput enterprise networks.

Why buyers pick C9500-48Y4C-E (plain English)

High-density multigig access
48 ports capable of 10/25 GbE support a mix of server and uplink speeds on a single platform.

Powerful uplinks
Four 40 GbE QSFP+ uplinks provide dense aggregation and high-capacity backplane connectivity.

Enterprise IOS-XE ecosystem
Same operating system family as Catalyst 9000 gear — consistent features, telemetry, and automation.

Layer 3 routing performance
Built-in advanced routing, segmentation, and QoS for campus core and distribution.

Modular optics flexibility
Supports SFP-28, QSFP+, and modular optics to adapt to evolving network designs.

60-second spec box (C9500-48Y4C-E)

Switch type
Enterprise core/distribution switch

Access ports
48 × 10/25 GbE (RJ-45/SFP-28 combo)

Uplink ports
4 × 40 GbE (QSFP+)

Operating system
Cisco IOS-XE

License
Network Essentials

Layer support
Layer 2/Layer 3

Stacking
StackWise-Virtual / StackWise-480

Use case
Campus core/distribution, Data center aggregation, High-capacity enterprise networks.

Where it fits (and when to choose something else)

Perfect for:

• Campus backbone and distribution layers

• Aggregating multigig Ethernet servers and uplinks

• High-performance Layer 3 routing domains

• Organizations standardizing on Catalyst 9500 IOS-XE

Choose something else if:

• You need advanced analytics/telemetry → Network Advantage license

• You need 100 Gb uplinks → Catalyst 9500-32C or 9600 Series

• You’re building a small access network → Catalyst 9200/9300 Series

TL;DR

C9500-48Y4C-E is Cisco’s Catalyst 9500 multigig enterprise switch with 48 10/25 GbE ports and 4 40 GbE uplinks (Network Essentials):
a high-capacity core/distribution platform for modern, high-bandwidth enterprise networks.