Broadband technology provider Calix, Inc. (NYSE: CALX) says it is delivering elements of its Intelligent Access Edge portfolio to Cumberland Connect, a subsidiary of Cumberland Electric Member Corp. (CEMC). Cumberland Connect is using the suite of equipment and services to deploy a fiber to the home (FTTH) network to bring high-speed broadband to its rural Tennessee members. Calix says Cumberland Connect is turning up 130 subscribers a week, with a near-term goal of 200 subscribers a week.
CEMC and its Cumberland Connect broadband services subsidiary serve more than 80,000 members in rural northern Tennessee. The companies aim to reach all of its members with FTTH infrastructure over the next six years. Cumberland Connect partnered with rural broadband specialists Conexion to embark on the FTTH project and decided Calix offered the best combination of equipment and services.
“Calix is enabling us to turn subscriber services up at an unprecedented rate and also helping us deliver a best-in-class subscriber experience over this fiber-to-the-home network,” said Mark T. Cook, P.E., broadband manager for CEMC. “Calix is an exemplary partner for us. Their leadership and teams consider the whole picture—not just the value of the fiber network, but also how to turn up services quickly and offer unmatched services in the subscriber’s home. Our whole team is delighted to be working with Calix to build a brighter future for our membership.”
The technology and services Calix is providing include:
- Intelligent Access EDGE systems, including the AXOS Services Management Connector (SMx) and E7-2 Intelligent Modular System
- Revenue EDGE software suite, including EDGE Insights, which provides subscriber and network intelligence to optimize the services delivered through the Wi-Fi 6 certified GigaSpire BLAST EDGE Systems, powered by Calix’s EXOS operating system
- Calix Services such as Deployment Enablement Services, which enables Cumberland Connect to scale its team to match subscriber demand, and the Remote Monitoring Service, which helps to troubleshoot network problems without truck rolls.
“Electric cooperatives tend to be aggressive in their broadband deployments, but Cumberland Connect is unique in rolling out a new fiber network and an unparalleled subscriber experience concurrently,” said Mark Dressler, senior vice president of global sales for Calix. “Since the original founding of the electric cooperative, the Cumberland team has provided essential services, which is exactly what broadband has become with so many people across the country working, learning, and entertaining from home. The importance of broadband services cannot be understated, and fortunately for the people of northern middle Tennessee, Cumberland Connect is connecting them at an uncommonly rapid pace. We look forward to growing this partnership as they continue to expand.”
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