Digi Ventus Arms Channel Partners for the Managed 5G Services Boom

MINNEAPOLIS, MN – January 12, 2026 – Digi International has officially launched Digi Ventus™ Managed Connectivity Solutions, a comprehensive, channel-focused program designed to equip Managed Service Providers (MSPs) and resellers with a turnkey solution for delivering enterprise-grade cellular connectivity. The new offering combines Digi's established portfolio of cellular hardware with the robust, white-glove managed services of Ventus, a company Digi acquired in 2021, creating a powerful new avenue for partners to tap into the burgeoning 5G market.

As businesses from retail to healthcare accelerate their digital transformations, the demand for reliable, always-on connectivity at the network edge has become non-negotiable. However, for the channel partners tasked with deploying and managing these networks, the transition to 5G presents a dual challenge: immense opportunity coupled with significant technical and financial hurdles. The Digi Ventus Managed Connectivity Platform (MCP) aims to dismantle these barriers, offering a path to recurring revenue without the traditional heavy lifting.

Lowering the Barrier to 5G for Service Providers

For many MSPs and IT solution resellers, entering the managed cellular market has historically required substantial upfront capital investment in hardware, network monitoring infrastructure, and specialized expertise. Building a platform that can handle multi-carrier integrations, eSIM provisioning, and 24/7 support is a resource-intensive endeavor that puts the service out of reach for many. Digi Ventus directly addresses this core challenge by shifting the model from capital expenditure (CapEx) to operational expenditure (OpEx).

The program provides partners with a fully managed solution, bundling pre-certified Digi cellular hardware with multi-carrier 5G connectivity, proactive network monitoring, and round-the-clock expert support. This allows MSPs to offload the day-to-day operational complexities of connectivity management, freeing them to focus on customer relationships and higher-value solution selling. By providing a pre-packaged, reliable service, partners can accelerate deployments and more accurately forecast costs and revenue.

“Digi Ventus is designed to help our channel win without the large up-front cost of buying hardware and building network monitoring systems,” said Tony Puopolo, President of Digi Managed Solutions, in a statement accompanying the announcement. “By enabling an OpEx model to our MSPs and resellers, combined with proven managed connectivity expertise, enterprise-grade hardware, and white-glove support, we give our channel a turnkey way to deliver reliable cellular connectivity while strengthening customer relationships and growing recurring revenue.”

Powering the Enterprise Edge with Resilient Connectivity

Beyond the benefits to channel partners, the Digi Ventus solution is engineered to solve critical connectivity problems for a wide range of distributed enterprises. In an era where a moment of downtime can translate to thousands of dollars in lost revenue and reputational damage, cellular connectivity has evolved from a simple backup option to a primary and mission-critical component of network strategy.

Digi Ventus is positioned to support a variety of use cases where wired connectivity is impractical, unavailable, or insufficient. This includes providing primary connectivity for pop-up retail stores and temporary construction sites, replacing outdated and expensive Plain Old Telephone Service (POTS) lines for critical systems like fire alarms and elevators, and delivering resilient failover to ensure business continuity for branch offices and ATMs. The solution is particularly vital for industries like financial services, gaming, and smart infrastructure, where network uptime is paramount.

The service leverages Digi's enterprise-grade routers and gateways, which are designed for resilient edge networking. When combined with the managed connectivity service, it ensures that businesses can harness advanced 5G capabilities such as network slicing for guaranteed bandwidth and eSIM technology for flexible, reliable carrier access. This combination of robust hardware and proactive management promises the carrier-grade uptime that modern digital operations demand.

A Strategic Play in a Competitive Landscape

The launch of Digi Ventus is not a standalone product release but a significant strategic milestone for Digi International. It represents the most visible synergy to date from its $347 million acquisition of Ventus Holdings in late 2021. That acquisition brought deep expertise in Managed Network-as-a-Service (MNaaS), particularly within the demanding financial and retail sectors. Now, Digi is leveraging that expertise to enrich its hardware-centric business model and aggressively pursue a larger share of the services-based, recurring revenue market.

This move places Digi in direct competition with established players in the wireless WAN space, such as Cradlepoint (an Ericsson company) and Sierra Wireless (a Semtech company), both of which have strong channel programs and cloud management platforms. However, Digi is differentiating its offering by emphasizing the “fully managed” and “white-glove” aspects. While competitors offer powerful tools for partners to manage networks, Digi Ventus proposes to take on more of that management burden itself, offering a simpler path to market for partners who may lack the scale or desire to build a dedicated network operations center.

By integrating Ventus's service-led philosophy with its own extensive hardware portfolio, Digi is creating a more holistic value proposition. This strategic pivot from selling boxes to selling outcomes—in this case, guaranteed connectivity—aligns with broader industry trends and strengthens the company's long-term competitive position.

The Future of Channel-Led Advanced Networking

The introduction of Digi Ventus reflects a fundamental shift in how complex technologies like 5G and edge computing will be adopted by mainstream enterprises. As network environments become more distributed and complex, the burden on internal IT teams is becoming unsustainable. This creates a critical role for the channel ecosystem to act not just as resellers, but as expert service providers who can abstract away complexity for their clients.

Programs like Digi Ventus empower MSPs to fill this role effectively. By providing a reliable, scalable, and fully supported platform, Digi enables its partners to deliver the advanced connectivity solutions that their customers are demanding. This model of deep partnership between technology vendors and service providers is becoming the primary engine for digital transformation. Resellers, integrators, and MSPs are invited to explore the program, which promises to make cellular connectivity simple for both them and their end customers. By equipping its partners with a comprehensive, service-led solution, Digi is not just launching a product but is actively shaping the future of how businesses will consume critical connectivity.