Calix, Inc. (NYSE: CALX) says customers using its E7 Ethernet Service Access Platform can now download home gateway software that will add residential services gateway (RSG) capabilities to 700GE optical network terminals (ONTs). The software is free to Calix Advantage customers.
The company also unveiled availability of the Wi-Fi-capable 836GE RSG to E7 GPON deployments.
The use of RSGs eliminates the need for an external router in the home, as well as enables such add-on services as whole home digital video recording (DVR), Calix says. In addition, the combination of home gateway functionality and Calix’s Consumer Connect software enables service providers to remotely manage and support the entire home network. This means service providers can remotely provision services, centralize firmware management, manage ongoing device maintenance, and troubleshoot network issues virtually, according to the company.
Calix adds that visibility into the home network also enables service providers to offer targeted service packages based on subscriber needs, including Wi-Fi network management, content filtering, and firewall maintenance.
"Consumer Connect has already been a valuable addition to our business and our customers' satisfaction," said Nick Colton, director of network operations at Allo Communications in Imperial, NE, via a Calix press release. "We have been able to drastically reduce the hours spent on firmware updates, as well as take time off our customer installs. Now with the ability to transform our Calix 700GE ONTs into residential services gateways, we expect to continue to reduce our operational costs even further, while we explore new service offerings such as in-home IT support services."
"With recent regulatory changes, service providers need to find new revenue streams, while keeping their capital and operational expenditures to a minimum," said John Colvin, Calix senior vice president of North America field sales and marketing. "With the introduction of innovations like downloadable home gateway software and Consumer Connect, our customers are finding clear paths to new revenue-generating services and operational efficiencies within the home. In fact, for many who fully leverage these tools, the impact to their business model could be truly transformational -- their next truck roll to a home gateway and Consumer Connected enabled home may be their last."
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