Calix Innovations Awards

Every year, Calix awards the best-of-the-best with Innovations Awards. These customers are true giants in their categories, leading the way with Calix solutions. They’ve redefined the subscriber experience and built future-proof broadband businesses that reset nearly every standard. We also recognize our partners at the forefront of this transformative mindset, including those who collaborate with Calix customers to give every community what it deserves.

Awarded at Calix Connexions 2023

Giant of Marketing

Highline

Highline is going beyond speed, offering products and managed services that match their subscribers’ lives, be they gamers, work-from-homers, or anywhere in between, resulting in 95 percent growth in subscriber satisfaction (CSAT) and 11,000 new subscribers this year.

Giant of Customer Service and Support

Silver Star Communications

Not satisfied with building Wyoming’s first 10G network, Silver Star Communications has invested in unmatched customer service and support processes, resulting in an 83 percent increase in first call resolution and a 41 percent reduction in truck rolls.

Giant of Operations

Cumberland Connect

Cumberland Connect built a subscriber-focused operations infrastructure that allows support and field teams to respond efficiently and effectively to customer needs, resulting in a 98 percent customer satisfaction rating and an 8 percent reduction in support calls.

Giant of Engineering

Ellijay Telephone Company

As Ellijay Telephone Company updates to FTTH, engineers are using the opportunity to deliver innovative functionalities—reducing costs by $900,000 (with IPv4 address blocks) while delivering a modern network for subscribers.

Giant of Sustainability

ALLO Communications

ALLO Communications is making a sustainability impact by leveraging the Calix platform to reduce energy consumption by 73 percent while increasing their use of renewable energy.

Giant of “Calix Communities”

Tombigbee Fiber

With a relentless pursuit of connectivity for every Mississippian they serve, Tombigbee allows residents to stay connected inside their homes and anywhere in the community, helping them score a 91 NPS, which is far above the industry average.

Calix Partner Awards 2023

Partner of the Year

Innovative Systems

The partnership between Innovative Systems and Calix unlocks hidden potential in every customer, with a self-led subscriber solution that reduces time from website visit to advanced internet connection.

Partner Market Impact

Conexon

Conexon is the 2023 Partner Marketing Impact award recipient for their commitment to unlocking growth, with partner co-ops experiencing increased take rates and more subscribers on higher Wi-Fi tiers.  

 

Partner Innovation Award

GLDS

GLDS continues to invest in Calix and our shared customers with a commitment to improving outage management solutions and providing “customer experience first” call avoidance technologies.

 

Partner Community Impact

Bark

Bark is leading the campaign to protect kids online, with industry-leading social media monitoring solutions aimed at reducing cyberbullying and creating a safer internet.

Market Activation Partner Award

Pinnacle Marketing Group

Calix recognizes the market activation powers of Pinnacle Marketing Group, which provides outstanding marketing strategy, long-term planning, and faster go-to-market solutions for broadband service providers.

 

Partner Training Achievement

NRTC

Continuing education is at the heart of every good partnership, and NRTC exemplifies an enthusiastic approach to training that allows our partnership to continue delivering meaningful results. 

 

Community Champion

Community Champion Award

Jim Vaden

Jim Vaden has amassed more than 1,000 posts and comments in the Calix Community and is the second community member to achieve Black Belt level.

Awarded at Calix Connexions 2022

 

Giant of Marketing

MHTC

MHTC turned their business into a data-driven, customer-centric one—driving high conversions with new marketing campaigns.

Giant of Customer Support

YK Communications

YK Communications leveraged Support Cloud to identify the right customers for app-based self-service—achieving an 86 percent adoption rate.

Giant of Operations

Sterling Local Area Municipal Broadband

Sterling Local Area Municipal Broadband’s innovative use of all Calix platforms can now reduce provisioning times by 67 percent.

Giant of Engineering

Ciello

Ciello rearchitected their network to move Layer 3 closer to the subscriber, setting them up to realize incredible operational efficiency and security.

Giant of Sustainability

AcenTek

AcenTek saved 73 percent on energy demand to power their access network by replacing their legacy networks with Intelligent Access EDGE.

Giant of “Calix Communities”

Frank Bulk

Frank Bulk is #1 on the leaderboard in our Calix Community—and the very first member to rise to the level of black belt.

 

Calix Partner Awards 2022

Partner of the Year

GLDS

GLDS has proactively invested in Calix, including alignment between our API portfolios to simplify service delivery and ramp up customer onboarding. Together, we’ve made deployment easy with automation across the end-to-end solution.

Partner Impact Award

Vantage Point Solutions

Vantage Point Solutions has enabled service providers to position themselves to deliver incredible value to their subscribers by securing nearly $3 billion in funding. Together, we’ve brought these conversations to organizations and individuals across the industry.

Partner Training Achievement Award

JSI

The JSI team has completed more classes than any other Calix partner in 2022—and provided substantial feedback on the program and their needs.

Partner Innovation Award

Camvio

Camvio has deployed real-time integration to CommandIQ and Calix Cloud—giving subscribers exactly what they need, when they need it. Now, a proof of concept can be built in less than 48 hours. Together, we’re redefining the industry with API-driven insights.

Market Activation Partner Award

Pivot

Pivot exhibits deep knowledge and creative expertise with proven acquisition campaigns. Launch time has been cut 60 percent by leveraging these campaigns, demonstrating true results from this partnership.

 

Strategic Partnership Award

Conexon

Conexon is our top performing partner for outstanding business performance and excellence in the sales and delivery of Calix solutions, stepping up with the new RUS funding bill for coops and municipalities.

 

Awarded at Calix Connexions 2021

Innovations in Revenue EDGE

Marketing

Norvado

A Calix customer since late 2019, Norvado has reimagined its value proposition, providing rural Wisconsin subscribers the types of services once only available in major metropolitan areas.

Customer Support

SC Telcom

SC Telcom has been a Calix customer since 2005. The cooperative began rolling out the end-to-end Calix Revenue EDGE solution in 2019, dramatically transforming its business.

Network Operations

Chariton Valley

A Calix customer since 2011, the Missouri-based Chariton Valley has used its Calix offerings to evaluate and improve network performance, accelerate turnups, and excite subscribers. 

Network Engineering

ABB

A Calix customer since 2018, Atlantic Broadband was recognized as one of the first large cable operators to successfully upgrade in scale from a coaxial-cable plant to a software defined fiber-based 10G XGS-PON overlay network.

 

Partner Leadership

Calix Partner of the Year

CCI Systems

This award recognizes CCI Systems for their overall business performance, the level of innovation they have shown across both business and technology, and the beneficial impact on our shared customers.

Impact Partner Award

Conexon

This award recognizes Conexon whose accomplishments throughout the year have had a substantial positive impact on shared customers and the broader industry.

Innovation Partner Award

CheckPoint Solutions

This award recognizes CheckPoint Solutions as a visionary partner for their commitment to delivering innovative solutions that help service providers reimagine the way they run their businesses and serve their subscribers. 

Market Activation Partner

Pivot

This award recognizes Pivot for delivering innovative support, services, and marketing campaigns that are designed to accelerate and maximize service providers go-to-market activities and excite their subscribers.

 

Community Champion

Community Champion Award

Frank Bulk

Frank’s quick and informed responses to new posts offer solid solutions and product advice to our members. He consistently provide valuable feedback for us through the Community and TAC surveys. With more comments and insights than the rest of the Community leaderboard combined, Frank truly ia a Calix Champion.

Awarded at Calix Connexions 2020

 
 
 

Marketing

Jade Communications

Jade Communications was named a winner because it has transformed its entire go-to-market strategy by including managed Wi-Fi as part of its internet service and deploying the Wi-Fi 6 BLAST u6 to all subscribers. Doing so helped Jade reduce its average new gateway integration time from four weeks to just one day. By leveraging EDGE Suites, Jade is taking control of its markets and decreasing subscriber churn. Jade subscribers represent the highest adoption of the ProtectIQ™ app among all Revenue EDGE customers.

Customer Experience

WCTEL

Since March of 2020, WCTEL has brought customer experience to a whole new level. For its outstanding efforts in responding with agility and creativity to better serve subscribers during the global Coronavirus pandemic, we are pleased to award WCTEL with the Innovations in Revenue EDGE Award, in the category of Customer Experience. 

Influencers to Watch

ALLO

ALLO has been recognized as an “Influencer to Watch” for its work in communicating the benefits of fiber and ultimate Wi-Fi, as well as its campaigns—including those in response to work-from-home, and “Settle for More.” 

GVTC

GVTC has been recognized as an “Influencer to Watch” for its work on promoting the benefits of Wi-Fi on LinkedIn 

SCTelcom

SCTelcom has been recognized as an “Influencer to Watch” for its work in promoting the CommandIQ™ app and Revenue EDGE Suites.

 

Innovations in Intelligent Access EDGE

 

Network Operations

Cumberland Connect

We’re excited to name Cumberland Connect as an Innovations award winner in the category of Network Operations. Cumberland Connect began taking subscriber orders May 1, in the most underserved parts of Tennessee, rapidly ramping to 200 installs per week. With member experience as a guidepost, it focused on proactively resolving issues and providing fun promotions like gigabit service for all when they hit 1,000 subscribers.

Network Engineering

Acentek

Many congratulations to Acentek on being named a Calix Innovations award winner in the category of Network Engineering. Acentek has been in business since 1950, and participated through the years in the growth of broadband building out a fiber network.  They realized that challenges they were seeing in their network were actually an opportunity to take advantage of new architectures and systems and, most importantly, gain operational efficiency with a software platform. 

 

Calix Partner of the Year

 

Consulting Engineering

Conexon

Conexon is a leader in providing education and consulting exclusively for the electric cooperative community around the best ways to deploy fiber-to-the-home networks. We’re delighted to award Conexon the inaugural Consulting Engineering Partner of the Year Award in honor of the tremendous value it provides to its customers and their subscribers. 

Awarded at Calix Connexions 2019

 

Innovation in Next Generation Networks

 

3 Rivers Communications

This Montana-based cooperative is accelerating its FTTH build out, which will reach 100 percent of its members within the next five years, with the assistance of Calix Professional Services and the MobilePro application.

 

BrightRidge

Based in Johnson City, Tennessee, local electric utility BrightRidge is expanding its offering to bring broadband services, including 10G speeds, to the entire community over a Calix AXOS-powered network.

 

Cruzio

After suffering a fiber cut years ago that left the town of Santa Cruz, California without an Internet connection, Cruzio has been on a mission to transform the community’s broadband infrastructure and is utilizing the Calix AXOS platform and systems to deliver an always-on experience.

FTC

The largest member-owned telecommunications cooperative in the state of Alabama, Farmers Telecommunications Cooperative is preparing its community for the influx of 5G through the Calix AXOS platform, while utilizing Calix Cloud to become more efficient in customer support and marketing.

 

Great Lakes Energy/Truestream

In northern and western Michigan, electric cooperative Great Lakes Energy (GLE) has created a successful FTTH pilot project built on a full suite of Calix software, systems, and services as it prepares for a membership-wide expansion of its broadband service under its Truestream subsidiary.

 

Innovation in Subscriber Experience

 

GVTC

Texas-based GVTC Communications, which is delivering broadband services near some of the nation’s fastest growing cities, is taking Managed Wi-Fi to the next level with Calix Support Cloud, EXOS, and the GigaSpire BLAST solution.

Home Telecom

By identifying the right subscriber segment that was most in need of 1 gigabit service through Calix Marketing Cloud, Home Telecom drove unprecedented marketing campaign results while providing subscribers the broadband experience they desired.

SCTelcom

With the assistance of Calix Marketing Cloud and Calix Support Cloud, Kansas-based SCTelcom has transformed its business, turning all employees into marketers and driving new levels of success in marketing campaigns and customer support metrics.

 

GoSEMO Fiber

With its first foray into broadband service, GoSEMO, a subsidiary of SEMO Electric Cooperative, is delivering gigabit speeds and Managed Wi-Fi service with great success to previously underserved areas in Missouri.

Triangle Communications

Through its investment in Calix Cloud, Montana’s Triangle Communications broke down the data silos across the company to become more efficient in its marketing and customer support efforts and deliver an overall elevated member experience.

 

Innovations in Marketing

 
 

Winner—Pioneer Telephone Cooperative

With booming growth in its community, Pioneer built an Experience Management team and utilized the data from both Calix Marketing and Support Cloud to create an awareness and upgrade campaign, which has driven a considerable ARPU boost for the cooperative and elevated their subscribers’ experience.

 

Finalist—ALLO Communications

Recognizing the passion its Nebraska-market subscribers had for the University of Nebraska Cornhusker football team, the all fiber-based ALLO Communications built its successful “We Believe” campaign around this common interest. 

 

Finalist—Tbaytel

The largest independently owned telecommunications provider in Canada, Tbaytel outpaced its competition by becoming the first in its market to deliver Managed Wi-Fi service and has continued to see success with its Calix GigaCenter-based offering.

Awarded at Calix Connexions 2018

 

Innovation in Subscriber Experience

 

ALLO Communications

While rapidly growing to connect Lincoln, Nebraska and eight other communities with fiber, ALLO has found new customer support excellence through its Calix Support Cloud implementation.

 

ITS Fiber

Offering Whole Home Wi-Fi with premium technical support powered by GigaCenters, 804Mesh satellites, and Calix Support Cloud, ITS Fiber is prepared to lead the adoption of smart home devices.

 

Nex-Tech

While driving continued adoption of GigaCenters through its successful Premium Wi-Fi service, Nex-Tech has leveraged materials from Calix to accelerate and streamline its marketing campaigns.

 

Innovation in Next Generation Networks

 

CityFibre

CityFibre and Calix enter a strategic partnership to leverage AXOS and the E9-2 to deliver the UK's first software defined access (SDA) network.

 

Gibson Connect

With the AXOS platform serving as the foundation of its fiber network expansion, Gibson Connect is delivering broadband services to underserved areas of Tennessee while bringing new efficiencies to its electric network.

 

HDC Maldives

Housing Development Corporation of Maldives has partnered with Calix Services to create Asia’s first gigabit-enabled Smart City in Hulhumalé which will boast an open access network to support a target population of 240,000.

Innovations in Marketing

 

Triangle Communications

Calix ConneXions 2018 saw the presentation of the inaugural Innovations in Marketing award. Montana’s Triangle Communications received the award from an impressive pool of submissions from Calix customers, as it showcased how targeted marketing campaigns have led to new levels of success for the company. Hear directly from Triangle in its’ award-winning video.

Previous Innovation Awards

2017 Innovation Award Winners

Cedar Falls Utilities

Momentum Telecom

NCTC

Northpower Fibre

Paul Bunyan Communications 

Pilot Fiber

2014 Innovation Award Winners

Citizens Telephone Cooperative

Finger Lakes Technologies Group

Reedsburg Utility Commission

TDS

Ucom

Waitsfield Champlain Valley Telecom

West Carolina Tel

 

2011 Innovation Award Winners

BEK

Dickey Rural Networks

Palmetto Rural Telephone Cooperative

Reservation Telephone

Sebastian

Volcano Communications

2016 Innovation Award Winners

CenturyLink

Midwest Energy Cooperative

702 Communications

 
 

2013 Innovation Award Winners

Allo Communications

CenturyLink

HBC

ITS Fiber

Nemont

Northpower Fibre

Saddleback Communications

2015 Innovation Award Winners

Alma Telecom

Adams Fiber

FTC and HTC

Gila River Telecommunications, Inc.

Silver Star Communications

 

2012 Innovation Award Winners

Arrowhead Electric/CTC

Cincinnati Bell

Consolidated Telcom

Endeavor Communications

Highland Telephone Cooperative

Home Telecom

Smithville

South Slope

TMS