Texas Cooperative Deploys GigaSpire, Calix Support Cloud to elevate customer experience

Calix, Inc. has announced that Five Area Telephone Cooperative in Muleshoe, Texas has upgraded its Managed Wi-Fi offerings with a tiered solution that now includes Wi-Fi 6 featuring the GigaSpire™, powered by EXOS™.

Already serving numerous West Texas communities, including the towns of Needmore and Earth, the rural cooperative is elevating the subscriber experience to the industry’s ultimate Wi-Fi connection while delivering future proof services with two new plans.

The deluxe plan, featuring the GigaSpire BLAST delivers Wi-Fi 6 connectivity that is remotely monitored and managed through Calix Support Cloud (CSC). The GigaSpire MAX based premium plan delivers the same future proof Wi-fi but adds Alexa Voice Service and support for Zigbee, Z-Wave, and Bluetooth LE—the top three smart device protocols.

The launch of these ultimate experience bundles also enables Five Area Telephone to meet the upcoming FCC CAF testing deadline while ensuring the highest level of performance thanks to the integrated CAF Performance Testing solution from Calix.

Five Area Telephone successfully launched their first managed Wi-Fi offering in 2016 with the GigaCenters and CSC. However, to provide home automation services while delivering the ultimate experience that their members demand, the cooperative knew it needed to upgrade to Wi-Fi 6. Five Area Telephone selected Calix to expand subscriber insights and automation while embracing the future proof capabilities of the EXOS subscriber platform.

With the EXOS platform, the rural cooperative is now capable of quickly deploying new revenue generating services as they become available from Calix and Calix partners.

“From our founding, we have been committed to leveraging the top technology available to deliver the best communications services possible,” said Jackie Ethridge, plant manager for Five Area Telephone Cooperative. “We were early adopters of managed Wi-Fi with the GigaCenter, so we jumped at the opportunity to deploy the GigaSpire. The industry-best Wi-Fi connectivity positions us to provide the advanced services our subscribers demand—both now and in the future. This one solution enables us to capitalize on the smart home and ensures we remain compliant with ACAM regulations.”

Five Area Telephone Cooperative was chartered in 1950 with the mission of being a technology leader delivering fast, reliable services to meet the needs of the communities it serves. The cooperative has made it a priority to customize its Wi-Fi solution tiers for different subscriber needs. As a CAF recipient, Five Area Telephone must also meet FCC network performance requirements, which it has already begun to address by pre-testing on the GigaSpire.

“Five Area Telephone is forward thinking, taking the steps necessary to outmaneuver larger competitors by delivering the ultimate subscriber experience,” said Michael Weening, EVP of field operations for Calix. “The services they provide are addressing the digital divide and ensuring the vitality of the rural communities they serve. These rural communities have the chance to compete with major suburban areas as the nature of work shifts in the marketplace. As companies embrace work anywhere, community centric organizations such as Five Area Telephone have the opportunity to attract new families and businesses to their communities by enabling world class broadband and subscriber experience. CAF funding has been a great step forward to enabling this shift, and we are happy to support their ability to demonstrate FCC compliance ahead of the January 2020 deadline so that they can qualify for addition funding in the future to further the success of their communities.”