Cisco has retrenched up to 40 local staff this week as part of a closedown of its broadband development group in Sydney.
The staff had been working in the Broadband, Edge and Mid-range Router (BEMR) unit.
Cisco A/NZ public relations manager, Peter Witts, confirmed the BEMR unit had been disbanded but said company policy prevented him from saying how many jobs had been lost as a result.
"It was a business unit decision from the US and some have been offered positions in San Jose," he said.
An official company statement said the cut resulted from a review that consolidated its global development location sites from five to four. Witts said India and the US were among the remaining sites.
The specialist software engineering group had developed applications for Cisco 7600 and 10,000 router units.
Witts was keen to stress the cut was about resource allocation rather than a withdrawal from the area.
"It is not reflective of any reduction in emphasis on broadband, edge, or mid-range routing," he said. "This area remains strategically important for Cisco and its service provider customers."