Ellijay Telephone Company Saves $900,000 in Operational Efficiency With a Simplified Network Strategy, Earning Calix ‘Giant of Engineering’ Award

Ellijay Telephone Company is honored for securing massive efficiency gains—saving up to $900,000 with automating IP address management—by simplifying their network, enabling them to connect even more subscribers across Georgia and Tennessee

SAN JOSE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Calix, Inc. (NYSE: CALX) recognizes its customer, Ellijay Telephone Company (ETC), with a 2023 Calix Innovations Award as the “Giant of Engineering.” The award honors ETC for streamlining and dramatically enhancing operational efficiencies by pursuing a strategy to consolidate network functions, thereby modernizing their operations. With dramatic simplifications enabled by the Calix Intelligent Access EDGE™ E9-2 system, ETC is entering new markets quickly and cost-effectively, delivering multi-gigabit broadband-enabled managed services to subscribers, cutting truck rolls by 15 percent, and reducing costs up to $900,000 with automated IP address management.

ETC has a 120-year history of delivering communications technology in rural Georgia, and they have been a Calix customer for over a decade. To better serve their rural and unserved communities, ETC is focusing on market expansion and future-proofing their business. The challenges of increasing competition and growing maintenance costs from their hybrid fiber-coaxial (HFC) network required a consolidation strategy to facilitate their growth and accelerate time to market while enhancing operational efficiency. After developing their strategy, ETC simplified their network infrastructure by transitioning from a traditional network to one that consolidates and moves service-enabling network functions closer to the subscriber.

Since the start of this journey, over 15 percent of ETC’s subscribers have moved to XGS-PON-enabled managed services, and the company is steadily converting more subscribers to fiber each month. Moreover, implementing a simplified network strategy allows ETC to venture into new markets. By simplifying their network and reaping the benefits of a modernized network, ETC has:

• Migrated HFC cable plant to a simplified Intelligent Access EDGE XGS-PON network. As ETC expands its service offerings, the Calix Intelligent Access EDGE E7-2 and E9-2 systems—powered by the network innovation operating system AXOS®—provide a simplified approach. Migrating from a flat Layer 2 network to a resilient, highly scalable, consolidated network architecture enables broadband service providers (BSPs) to optimize network performance as the network grows while eliminating costly outside plant maintenance activities from active components. Consequently, BSPs can reduce unnecessary truck rolls by more than 15 percent, mitigate network outages, and remove capacity limitations.
• Reduced costs by $900,000 with automated IP address management. By implementing the Calix Automated Access Network Gateway (AANG) functionality to automate IP address management, ETC is reducing project costs while making resources available to focus on growth activities, reduce manual errors, and free stranded IPv4 addresses to make more efficient use of existing IP address space and eliminating the need to purchase additional subnets. Additionally, ETC has been able to defer the deployment of a carrier-grade NAT (CGNAT) solution, eliminate the need and expense of purchasing additional IP address space, and invest back into creating exceptional broadband experiences for their subscribers.
• Accelerated the time to market. The deployment of a simplified network using the E9-2 consolidated Layer 3 design has made it easy for ETC to expand into new markets. It is as simple as adding another E9-2 in the desired location. This provides access to the same global IP address repository and Layer 3 domain, making it easier to connect new subscribers.

“As ETC continues to expand into new territories, we differentiate ourselves by delivering customer-centric subscriber experiences,” said Frankie Rigdon, vice president of operations at Ellijay Telephone Company. “To grow quickly and cost-effectively, the Calix solution provides a simplified, cookie-cutter approach to network deployment, making it easier for our team to create incredible subscriber experiences leveraging the ETC brand. For more than a century, ETC has been committed to serving the best interests of our subscribers, and we will continue to provide unmatched value that surpasses our competitors long into the future.”

“Ellijay is among a growing number of BSPs putting together a network consolidation strategy and working toward network modernization,” said Shane Eleniak, chief product officer at Calix. “For ETC, the Intelligent Access EDGE helped consolidate service routing, subscriber management, and service delivery to provide the resilient architecture and visibility they needed to streamline and automate their network and service operations across 36 communities. To modernize their network, meet the increasing demand of subscriber expectations, and better enable the delivery of managed services, the Calix broadband platform was the right fit. It’s clear from the results and recognition as the Calix ‘Giant of Engineering’ that ETC’s dedication to improving the lives of their subscribers and community is at the heart of what they do.”

The award-winning Calix Intelligent Access EDGE solution is the first place for BSPs to start simplifying their network and building a path toward modernization.

About Calix

Calix, Inc. (NYSE: CALX)—Broadband service providers of all sizes leverage the Calix platform and teams to simplify their business and excite their subscribers to grow the value of their business and for their communities for generations. The democratizing power of the platform and portfolio of managed services enables them to operate efficiently, acquire subscribers, and deliver exceptional experiences. Calix is dedicated to driving continuous improvement in partnership with our growing ecosystem to support the transformation of our customers and their communities.

This press release contains forward-looking statements that are based upon management’s current expectations and are inherently uncertain. Forward-looking statements are based upon information available to us as of the date of this release, and we assume no obligation to revise or update any such forward-looking statement to reflect any event or circumstance after the date of this release, except as required by law. Actual results and the timing of events could differ materially from current expectations based on risks and uncertainties affecting Calix’s business. The reader is cautioned not to rely on the forward-looking statements contained in this press release. Additional information on potential factors that could affect Calix’s results and other risks and uncertainties are detailed in its quarterly reports on Form 10-Q and Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the SEC and available at www.sec.gov.

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