Cedar Falls Utilities Crowned Fastest Internet in the United States According to PCMag

Industry takes notice as northern Iowa municipal broadband provider leverages Calix AXOS to connect subscribers to unmatched symmetrical bandwidth

SAN JOSE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Calix, Inc. (NYSE: CALX) today announced that PCMag has named Cedar Falls Utilities (CFU) the fastest Internet Service Provider in the country. With a simplified 10G fiber to the home (FTTH) network built on the Calix AXOS® platform, CFU has been an Intelligent Access EDGE trailblazer, delivering symmetrical Gigabit service since 2013. CFU has deployed the future proof AXOS platform to minimize annual operating expenses while ensuring scalability that will meet subscriber bandwidth needs as the market evolves. The flexibility of the AXOS enabled E7-2 Intelligent Modular System means that CFU can embrace an everyPON strategy without increasing operational complexity or adding integration work. CFU is taking advantage of this reduced time to market to leapfrog the competition once again and extend 10G capabilities to individual residences.

CFU did not stop with an unbeatable AXOS based fiber network. They coupled that award winning network with the best managed home Wi-Fi experience on the market. Since their market launch, they have been deploying the Calix GigaCenter® while managing customer interactions via Calix Support Cloud. The combined solution ensures that Cedar Falls residents have an amazing Wi-Fi experience, whether working from home, learning via video conference, or enjoying the latest high bandwidth games.

“We rolled out Gigabit service seven years ago and recently made the jump to 10 Gigabit,” said Rob Houlihan, chief technology officer for Cedar Falls Utilities. “Our community expects world-class communications services, and our partnership with Calix has enabled us to exceed that expectation. With AXOS, we can turn subscribers up quickly or upgrade them on the fly, ensuring we can deliver an unparalleled experience. We are proud to be named the nation’s fastest ISP. Our goal is to provide our customers with the absolute best broadband experience in the country.”

Cedar Falls is a prime example of a municipal utility helping its community thrive as the world shifts to work-from-anywhere. Around the country, state and local governments have worked collaboratively to speed rural deployment and help bridge the digital divide, but CFU has been ahead of the curve. The utility began providing communications services in 1995—one of the first municipalities to do so. Since then it has built on this lead, deploying an FTTH network and rolling out symmetrical Gigabit service ahead of competitors, many of which have still not caught up to the speeds offered by CFU. The massive scalability of fiber and the AXOS platform’s ability to simplify network operations enable CFU to deliver 10G service to individual subscriber homes—far ahead of demand.

“We congratulate Cedar Falls Utilities on its recognition as the fastest ISP in the country, but we are not surprised,” said Michael Weening, EVP of Global Operations. “CFU cares about the local community and was one of the first municipalities to understand that broadband was becoming lifeblood—as essential as water and electricity. They stepped up with a goal of making their community first seven years ago, delivering full symmetrical gigabit services while other communities were languishing with copper or—almost as bad—coax broadband. This forward looking investment in fiber has positioned their community to thrive through the ongoing work-from-anywhere shift and remote learning sweeping through society. As employees stream out of big cities in search of affordable housing and safe communities, they can look at Cedar Falls to raise their families while performing their jobs at the highest level possible thanks to the best network in the country supported by a premium managed subscriber experience.”

For more information on the Intelligent Access EDGE solution or the everyPON strategy, visit us online. Also, click here for more information on Calix solutions designed for municipal broadband providers.

About Calix

Calix, Inc. (NYSE: CALX) – Innovative communications service providers rely on Calix platforms to help them master and monetize the complex infrastructure between their subscribers and the cloud. Calix is the leading global provider of the cloud and software platforms, systems, and services required to deliver the unified access network and smart premises of tomorrow. Our platforms and services help our customers build next generation networks by embracing a DevOps operating model, optimize the subscriber experience by leveraging big data analytics and turn the complexity of the smart, connected home and business into new revenue streams.

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