Antietam Broadband performs live network upgrade via Calix Intelligent Access EDGE

At its ConneXions 2022 event (Oct. 15-18), a conference focusing on innovation and customer success, Calix, Inc. (NYSE: CALX) and Schurz Communications, Inc. announced that Schurz's subsidiary Antietam Broadband performed what the partners billed as the industry’s first-ever live network upgrade via the Calix Intelligent Access EDGE platform -- a job which, according to information in a press release, resulted in zero downtime and no subscriber interruption.

According to the partners, the system upgrade to the Calix Always On system took less than 10 minutes per OLT with 60 percent labor savings—"and 100 percent less downtime for subscribers."

No more midnight shifts

Antietam Broadband reported that, only weeks before, its upgrade to another vendor’s system technology took five nights of midnight shifts spread over two weeks—with up to an hour of subscriber outage time each night.

With the prior platform, Antietam said it also had to touch every subscriber ONT and reset every system in the field manually.

Calix notes that its Always On system, however, eliminated the need for Antietam to individually touch its thousands of subscriber ONTs—greatly simplifying operations and reducing upgrade-related opex.

In addition, with the Calix Intelligent Access EDGE platform, Antietam can now automate future upgrades for greater efficiency, scalability, and reliability, not to mention further opex reductions.

Tom Williams, chief technology officer of Schurz Communications, the parent company of Antietam Broadband, commented:

“We partner with Calix because of their unceasing dedication to continually deliver innovations that translate into an amazing experience for our subscribers. Too many broadband service providers focus on speed but, in today’s environment, focusing on speed alone is not enough to break away from the competition. The key to differentiating lies in service, efficiency, and experience. Calix delivers the innovative platforms like Intelligent Access EDGE that enable our own service providers to stand apart. Our Antietam live network upgrade is the perfect example of the service and efficiency that translate into a seamless subscriber experience.”

Brandon Smith, network operations analyst at Antietam Broadband, which serves rural Central Maryland, explained:

“The live network upgrade we achieved far exceeded our expectations for success. Honestly, it was too easy. Calix engineers were on hand to walk us through the process and give us the insights and confidence we needed, because we had never done anything like this before. And then, it was done in minutes and not a single subscriber experienced any outage. The Intelligent Access EDGE delivers the simplicity, reliability, and automation that every network operations team needs to continue improving the subscriber experience.”

Calix maintains that its cloud and software platforms "enable service providers of all types and sizes to innovate and transform." Calix customers can employ real-time data and insights from the company's platforms to simplify their businesses and deliver better experiences to subscribers.  

Speaking on Antietam's live network upgrade, Shane Eleniak, executive vice president, products, at Calix, concluded:

“This is an unrivaled global industry milestone. Over the last 11 years we have invested more than a billion dollars to develop the platforms and services that are transforming the industry. This groundbreaking live network upgrade is the ultimate proof point for the power of the Calix Always On network and Intelligent Access EDGE platform. We will continue to invest in developing industry-first platforms and services that enable our customers to simplify their business, excite subscribers, and grow value for themselves and their communities.”

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