Calix Updates Smart Home, Business Offerings to Enhance Proposition for CSPs

Calix, Inc. has announced enhancements to both the Calix Smart Home and Business solution and the supporting Professional Services that are enabling communications service providers (CSPs) to accelerate and monetize the delivery of new and differentiated subscriber offerings.

The enhanced Calix Smart Home and Business solution, powered by EXOS, includes upgrades to the Calix Smart Home app for device identification and improved GigaSpire MAX connectivity to Bluetooth audio devices. In addition, the Calix Whole Home Wi-Fi and Smart Home Enablement Services have been updated to help CSPs reduce their time to market and monetize new whole home and managed Wi-Fi services.

The Calix Whole Home Wi-Fi and Smart Home Enablement Services support network operations, customer care, and field technicians in their assessment, support, and delivery of whole home Wi-Fi, managed Wi-Fi, and smart home services. Through a series of remote and onsite consultations, the Calix Services team partners with CSPs to accelerate their solution deployments with hands-on guidance during actual field installations, incorporating best practices for hardware placement, subscriber turnup, and troubleshooting to ensure success.

“The Whole Home Wi-Fi and Smart Home Enablement Services from Calix not only benefit those new to Managed Wi-Fi but service providers like Consolidated, that have been doing it for a while,” said Jeremy Witte, network manager for Consolidated Telcom. “By coming onsite and providing consultation, training, and stepping through the solution’s capabilities, and installation and troubleshooting best practices, it got the techs amped up about doing some installs!”

In addition to the enhanced services, the latest release of the Calix Smart Home and Business solution includes exciting improvements:
• Device Identification: improved back-end processes result in more accurate identification of devices that are connected to home networks and displayed to consumers within the Calix Smart Home App.
• GigaSpire MAX Connectivity: updated container-based functionality within EXOS allows for wireless connections to Bluetooth speakers for consumers seeking a premium audio experience.

While the long-term revenue potential of the smart home is significant, CSPs have recognized that its implementation is a multi-step journey that begins with sensational Wi-Fi coverage. Recent market research from Parks Associates, documented in a new white paper (commissioned by Calix) titled “Open for Business: Future Flexibility for Smart Home Service,” indicates that smart home use cases and their value propositions are still evolving.

“In order to bring new services to market, flexible platforms based on open technologies that enable a quick and seamless integration across a wide range of applications are important,” said Brad Russell, director, connected home for Parks Associates. “Partnerships with device makers and other connected companies are making it easier than ever to bring smart home services to market, but if past efforts have taught the industry anything, the ability to pivot quickly toward new opportunities is paramount.”

Rather than CSPs being limited to a single use case in the smart home, the continuously enhanced Calix Smart Home and Business solution, powered by EXOS, paired with professional services enable CSPs to quickly adopt and deploy an open, cloud-based platform with hardware-agnostic technologies that take advantage of an ever-expanding ecosystem of partners.

“For CSPs to capitalize on the incredibly complicated smart home opportunity, they need to ensure that the solutions they choose will enable them to grow and the services they engage will get the implementation right,” said Michael Weening, EVP of field operations for Calix. “Calix Professional Services give CSPs access to experts who can ensure they are deploying a best-in-class, future-proof smart home solution that will enable them to deliver a top-quality subscriber experience and elevate their revenue.”