SAN JOSE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Calix, Inc. (NYSE: CALX) today announced that Grayshott Gigabit Limited (Grayshott Gigabit) is leveraging the Calix platform to bring world-class managed Wi-Fi services to the villages of Grayshott and Hindhead in the United Kingdom. Through the U.K. government’s “Project Gigabit” initiative, the alternative internet provider (altnet) ensures that East Hampshire, Surrey Hills, and surrounding areas have the same access to gigabit full fibre broadband as residents of larger cities. Since 2021, Grayshott Gigabit has leveraged the Calix platform—starting with the Calix Intelligent Access EDGE™ solution—to build a reliable 10G fiber network to help maintain property value and bolster the work-from-home economy in their communities. In 2022, they began rolling out Calix GigaSpire® BLAST systems to new subscribers—integrated with the Calix Revenue EDGE™ and Calix Cloud® solutions—to give residents improved speed and Wi-Fi 6 coverage to lay the foundation to easily deliver new managed services that grow with their subscribers’ needs. Because the expanding portfolio of GigaSpire BLAST systems integrates with the Calix platform, Grayshott Gigabit can continuously improve the subscriber experience while lowering operating expenses (OPEX). As a result, they reduced field OPEX by 90 percent. Grayshott Gigabit’s customer support team also leverages Calix Support Cloud, part of Calix Cloud, to slash average support response times by up to 92 percent to solve subscriber concerns in 24 hours or less.
“The communities of Grayshott and Hindhead are not just our subscribers, they are rural communities that were left behind due to the digital divide and lack of fibre rollout from the mainstream providers,” says Mashood Ahmad, founder and managing director at Grayshott Gigabit. “Coupled with little to no 4G mobile coverage, the community suffered from lack of connectivity. Through local public-private partnerships and local government engagement, Grayshott Gigabit launched Community Wi-Fi which enables retail outlets, SMEs, and community institutions with gigabit full fibre broadband, thereby providing UltraFAST Wi-Fi. We have a focus on connecting customers, enhancing subscriber experiences, and solving additional pain points through these initiatives. With our partnerships and local community engagements, we want to improve our communities through connected experiences in homes, public buildings, schools, and commercial areas. That’s a game-changer for businesses, residents, and visitors alike. By leveraging the Calix platform, we know we are bringing them the very best. We chose Calix specifically because they could simplify this entire community broadband solution.”
Launched in the U.K. last year, the Revenue EDGE solution continues to empower altnets like Grayshott Gigabit to deliver critical managed Wi-Fi to their communities while reducing OPEX. Grayshott Gigabit takes a people-first approach to close the digital divide in their communities by:
- Reducing field OPEX by 90 percent and passing the savings to subscribers. Since they began rolling out GigaSpire BLAST systems to every new subscriber, Grayshott Gigabit can seamlessly manage all aspects of their experience. Their dedicated subscriber education program has reduced support calls and truck rolls, resulting in 90 percent lower field OPEX. These monetised savings are then passed along to their subscribers, enabling them to avoid cost increases compared to other providers who are increasing prices relative to the retail price index and inflation.
- Cutting support time by a milestone 92 percent and solving subscriber issues faster with end-to-end visibility. By using full fibre and the Calix XGS-PON E7-2 network architecture—combined with Support Cloud—Grayshott Gigabit can shave their support response time down to less than 24 hours while providing an always-on and reliable network. This marks a significant customer support milestone that contributes to an exceptional subscriber experience.
- Empowering entire villages with reliable connectivity and community Wi-Fi. Grayshott Gigabit has transformed Grayshott and Hindhead with reliable fibre networks, world-class customer support, and the transformative coverage of the GigaSpire BLAST portfolio to service different use cases. Separate and secure Wi-Fi networks allow businesses to use unique SSIDs to isolate their private networks from their public hotspots. That also enables community Wi-Fi and mobile coverage where it didn’t exist before—a game-changer for emergencies, schools, and the economic vitality of the region—a great first step on a path to a full Calix SmartTown™ experience.
Rt Hon Damian Hinds MP recently praised the ongoing initiatives taken by Grayshott Gigabit at the altnet’s January 27th “Open Day” event with the local community. He stated, “Providing access to reliable, high-speed broadband is a key target for the government, and particularly important in rural areas like East Hampshire...I welcome the work being done by Grayshott Gigabit to deliver the service for local residents and businesses, and the work they are doing to support the community more widely.”
“We are proud to partner with Grayshott Gigabit as they bring incredible value to their once underserved communities by delivering reliable connectivity and exceptional subscriber experiences,” said Matt Collins, chief commercial operations officer at Calix. “The Calix platform, paired with the growing GigaSpire BLAST portfolio, enables innovative altnets like Grayshott Gigabit to be first to market with best-in-class Wi-Fi solutions that make a real impact on the lives of their subscribers. With each GigaSpire BLAST they connect, they open the door to introduce new managed services that will continue to deliver lasting value. With easy deployment, flexibility, and sleek form factors, Calix systems can help altnets of any size easily scale superior Wi-Fi experiences to meet and exceed their subscribers’ needs.”
Schedule a discovery call with Calix today to start transforming the residential and community Wi-Fi experience.
About Calix
Calix, Inc. (NYSE: CALX)—Broadband service providers (BSPs) of all sizes leverage the Calix broadband platform and managed services to simplify their businesses, excite their subscribers, and grow their value. The Calix platform and managed services enable our customers to grow their subscriber base, revenue, profitability, and subscriber satisfaction—and ultimately transform the communities they serve. Calix is dedicated to driving continuous improvement in partnership with our growing ecosystem to support the transformation of our BSP customers and their communities.
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