Calix AXOS Drives Past 100 Gfast Service Provider Deployments

Calix, Inc. has accelerated past the 100 service provider deployment milestone for its AXOS Gfast solutions.

Armed with Calix AXOS Gfast solutions, which simplify the delivery of new services, service providers globally are cost-effectively upgrading their offerings to a true symmetrical gigabit experience in challenging multi-dwelling unit (MDU) environments.

By leveraging the Calix Gfast portfolio, the copper and coaxial cable infrastructure in many MDUs is no longer an obstacle to deployment, allowing service providers to offer a unified gigabit marketing message across their markets, and reap the benefits of AXOS, the world’s only Software Defined Access (SDA) platform, to deliver Always On services to all subscribers in record time. 

One example of a service provider taking advantage of game-changing Calix technology is Skywire Networks, a division of Xchange Telecom. Based in Brooklyn and serving the surrounding areas of New York City and New Jersey, Skywire is often challenged to bring advanced broadband services to residents and businesses in older MDU buildings where the in-building network infrastructure is extremely out of date. Through an innovative vision of bringing connectivity to these buildings wirelessly via fixed millimeter wave radios, the Company is utilizing Calix AXOS Gfast solutions to provide fiber-like speeds to their subscribers within the buildings without the cost of rewiring the building.

“Even though we serve buildings in some of the largest cities in the country, many MDUs in our area are lacking adequate connectivity coming into their locations due to aging infrastructure and high costs to upgrade. It’s an area we like to call the ‘Digital Desert’,” said Alfred West, Co-founder and Chairman of Skywire Networks, a division of Xchange Telecom. “However, through the fixed wireless connection to our buildings and the Calix AXOS Gfast solutions inside the MDUs, we can provide the high-speed services our customers are asking for, even business SLAs that rival those of a fiber network. Better yet, we can do it in the fraction of the time and at a fraction of the cost through Gfast.”

With the latest additions of the industry’s first 48-port, Amendment 3 Gfast solutions to the Calix AXOS Gfast portfolio, service providers like Xchange can more cost-effectively serve subscribers in higher-density MDUs such as those found in large cities. The E3-48F Gfast Remote Node (sealed DPU) and E5-48F Gfast Nodes leverage the frequency range up to 212 MHz, which doubles broadband speeds over copper and, when deployed with Calix cDTA and bonding technologies, delivers symmetrical speeds of up to 2 Gbps to subscribers. When combined with the Calix E3-16F and E5-16F Gfast nodes, the Calix AXOS Gfast portfolio comprises the industry’s largest number of Gfast tested configurations in the Broadband Forum Gfast Certification Program, and the broadest and most mature set of Gfast solutions on the market, further accelerating time-to-market for service providers with pre-tested, interoperable solutions.

“The deployment challenges for MDUs have been daunting for the industry as a whole, and Gfast has proven to be an efficient and cost-effective method to bring subscribers an unmatched broadband experience, no matter what type of infrastructure is in their building,” said Shane Eleniak, Calix vice president of systems products. “In working with our first 100 customers and many more to come, we are excited to see the combination of Gfast and AXOS allowing them to quickly deliver a gigabit experience – turning a challenge into an opportunity for competitive advantage. As AXOS enables us to bring new Gfast features and solutions to the market faster than any other vendor, we look forward to helping our customers extend the life of their copper network, quickly gain market share in an underdeveloped segment of the market, and win.”