SAN JOSE, CA – January 17, 2019 – Calix, Inc. (NYSE: CALX) today announced Winnebago Cooperative Telecom Association (WCTA) has selected the GigaSpire BLAST, the industry’s first Wi-Fi 6 system available exclusively to communications service providers, as the centerpiece of its smart home offering. Powered by EXOS, the Experience Operating System, the GigaSpire BLAST delivers the best available in-home connectivity. This enables WCTA members to dramatically improve their in-home Wi-Fi coverage to support smart home functionality without service interruptions. WCTA will also manage its members’ Wi-Fi networks through Calix Support Cloud (CSC). This will give its customer support teams the visibility to proactively spot and remotely solve network problems before they impact the member experience.
The GigaSpire is the first residential system that combines industry-best Wi-Fi coverage with the open ecosystem capabilities of EXOS and seamlessly integrates with the full remote management capabilities of Calix Support Cloud. The modular design of EXOS enables service providers to access a vast ecosystem of pre-integrated smart home partners, significantly increasing their ability to deliver and monetize new solutions to members while decreasing time to deployment. Because the software layer is abstracted from the hardware, the system is always on, allowing service providers to push updates without downtime. The GigaSpire will also support WCTA members looking to upgrade to more advanced residential services, as it can optimize bandwidth delivery across hundreds of devices connected to a smart home network.
“Calix is a trusted partner in delivering on our mission of providing our members with top quality communications solutions and first-class customer service,” said Mark Thoma, general manager for Winnebago Cooperative Telecom Association. “As the demand increases for bandwidth-intensive services in the smart home, we have enhanced our managed Wi-Fi offering to provide the best available residential connectivity. In addition to the powerful smart home system, Calix has armed us with a complete set of tools and analytics that will enable us to ensure our members’ networks continue to run flawlessly.”
Based in Lake Mills, Iowa, WCTA is comprised of more than 70 companies, which serve 27 communities in northern Iowa and southern Minnesota. The rural broadband provider has partnered with Calix for 15 years connecting its members spanning a unique geographic footprint and a complex company structure to its robust FTTH network. WCTA is now expanding this partnership into its members’ homes and leveraging the cutting-edge technology Calix provides for the premises and via cloud platforms.
“Throughout our lengthy partnership, WCTA has experienced remarkable growth, yet remained steadfast in their commitment to providing all members with the best possible broadband services,” said Michael Weening, executive VP of field operations for Calix. “We are excited to continue our partnership with WCTA as it raises the bar once again, delivering the best available home Wi-Fi that will elevate their member experience now and in the future.”
