The Beacon
December 2019
With the annual growth rate of online video at 32 percent (source: Zenith) and the average person spending 6.3 hours a day on the Internet (source: Meeker), subscriber demand for quality broadband access has never been higher, creating incredible opportunities for you, our customers, to deliver and monetize a flawless subscriber experience.
As Reid Hoffman, co-founder of LinkedIn, said, "First Mover Advantage doesn't go to the company that starts up, it goes to the company that scales up." So, while being first-to-market enables you to establish strong brand recognition and subscriber loyalty before competitors enter the market, it alone does not guarantee success. What separates the winners is how they use the additional time as the early market entrant. This time needs to be spent perfecting new product offerings and ensuring all new operational processes are in place.
Every quarter, we are working with many of you to do exactly this. For example, in October, Calix recruited 42 nimble and highly skilled early adopters for 13 different field evaluations. Each field evaluation involved a new Calix innovation. Highlights from 4Q include the Revenue EDGE Suites including ProtectIQ™ and ExperienceIQ™, Broadband Performance Testing capabilities for the GigaCenters, new XGS-PON support on the AXOS platform, and new Professional Services offerings.
With the dedicated support of the Calix solution engineering team, participants gained accelerated access to new software and systems to ensure quality and additional time to streamline their operations for deployment. In most cases, activities are completed in just over a month.
In 2019, we completed over 30 solution evaluations partnering with more than 100 innovative customers. It is clear from these engagments that your time to lead is now, just as we highlighted at Calix ConneXions. As we close out the year and head into the holidays, I would like to thank all of our early adopter participants for their time and effort to refine and validate each solution to get an early jump on leading their respective markets. These are partnerships build around their successes.
If you are interested in participating in a field evaluation in 2020, please contact your Calix sales representative. They can explain the simple process to enter the program. Our next quarterly evaluation starts in early February.
On behalf of Calix, I would like wish all of you a happy and safe holiday season.
Thank you for making ConneXions 2019 our best conference yet! Please see videos, photos, and sessions materials from our exciting week in Las Vegas.
AVP, Product Marketing Subscriber Experience,
Calix
In the last issue of The Beacon, I provided an overview of the Revenue EDGE. Launched at ConneXions, the Revenue EDGE is the industry’s only scalable application platform designed to help you deliver managed services that will delight your subscribers, elevate your service offering, and generate additional revenue. (If you want a summary of the Revenue EDGE, check out this short video.)
With the Revenue EDGE as the foundation, and working with a growing ecosystem of partners, Calix also provides applications that help manage, automate, and secure your network under the umbrella of EDGE Suites. These applications are deployed using the Calix EXOS platform and are available to subscribers with the CommandIQ™ mobile app. The first two EDGE Suites are:
You can find details on how Calix Support Cloud provides visibility into ExperienceIQ and ProtectIQ, allowing your customer service reps (CSRs) to determine how these new services are impacting subscriber experience, in this article.
A glance under the hood
Both of the initial EDGE Suites offerings are enabled by a classification engine that looks at aspects of the traffic flowing through the Calix GigaSpire system. The classification engine scans traffic flows to determine the:
This shared architecture (between the applications and the GigaSpire) results in improved flexibility, efficiency, privacy, and security.
As residential gateways continue to be targeted by cyber attackers, it’s more important than ever to expand the level of security protection being provided to subscribers. By implementing a proactive approach to securing subscriber home networks, you not only protect your own networks from potentially devastating attacks, but you also provide your subscribers with peace of mind.
The best is yet to come
These first two suites will help you deliver a truly elevated subscriber experience, but we are far from done. At ConneXions, we announced our new partnership with Samsung SmartThings, which will allow you to manage connectivity to more than 1,500 certified devices from more than 120 partners around the world. Available toward the middle of 2020, this is the next example of the power of our scalable application platform. We are also working with other partners in our rapidly growing ecosystem, in an effort to make it easier for you to bring additional services to your subscribers.
Want more information?
There are two great videos, summarizing both ProtectIQ and ExperienceIQ, available on the EDGE Suites web page. You can also watch our recent webinar, which provides additional detail on the Revenue EDGE and EDGE Suites. The next step is to contact your Calix sales representative to discuss how you can transform your business model with the Revenue EDGE, move beyond the ultimate Wi-Fi experience, and take the next step in your journey to elevating your subscriber experience.
The new EDGE Suites are designed to be a win-win for your subscribers and your business. While your subscribers are empowered to manage and protect their home networks, these new applications offer more opportunities to differentiate your business, generate more revenue, and maintain subscriber loyalty.
But let’s not forget that the success of any new product or service you launch is heavily dependent on the customer care strategy behind it. The reality is that your customer service reps (CSRs) are the first to hear when your subscribers have questions or concerns. Their ability to respond quickly and succinctly will ultimately support the successful launch.
Raise your CSR IQ
With visibility into ExperienceIQ™ & ProtectIQ™ from Calix Support Cloud, your CSRs can easily look at how these new services are impacting subscriber experience and quickly mitigate any issues. For example, if a subscriber reports trouble accessing certain websites or downloading files, CSRs can dive into the network security logs and parental control settings that give them the intelligence to break down and address any concerns.
With a detailed view of detected threats, threat level, and blocked time and destinations, CSRs can easily see what was blocked, why, and when to have an informed conversation with the subscriber about how their network and devices are being protected and provide them peace of mind. Similarly, visibility into parental control settings for content, applications, and websites by individual device, allows CSRs to verify if they were blocked as a usage policy and recommend any changes.
Measure your success
With Calix Marketing Cloud, you can continuously gauge and analyze your roll out strategy and overall success across the subscriber base. The trending lens tracks the adoption rate of the new services over time, allowing your business to adjust and recalibrate your game plan as needed.
For a closer look at the countless ways EDGE Insights are ensuring service providers are profitably growing and meeting the needs of their subscribers, schedule a demo with our Revenue EDGE specialists.
Senior Director, Solutions Marketing, Calix
If it seems like 10G PON has been around for years, it actually has. The first 10G PON standard, 10G EPON, was approved over 10 years ago in 2009. During this same period, growth of GPON continued, but that growth has leveled off in recent years.
However, the stars have aligned in 2019 to bring the purpose of 10G PON into focus. The key drivers are new and exciting applications like Google’s Stadia Cloud and Facebook’s Oculus VR where you can watch your favorite sports teams at home, while feeling like you are in the front row of their stadium. These applications are priced in a range that makes them widely accessible and attractive.
While the bandwidth requirements from these applications are not driving the need for most subscribers to upgrade to 10G services, the aggregate subscriber bandwidth across 2.5G GPON is driving a need for change. Many Calix service provider customers are identifying their high-bandwidth users with Calix Marketing Cloud and moving them to 10G PON. This is reducing the overall strain on their GPON networks while ensuring high-bandwidth users have an excellent experience.
Since the initial 10G EPON standard 10 years ago, several more standards have been approved. As we exit 2019, it appears that the market is aligned with the 10G symmetrical XGS-PON and 10G multi-wavelength NG-PON2 standards based on the latest reports from Ovum. But this choice has many asking, “Which 10G PON should I deploy?” Since each 10G PON technology has a purpose, Calix has ensured you don’t need to choose. The Calix everyPON strategy ensures you can deploy the right PON for the service to every subscriber in your network.
So, why do we think 2020 is finally the year of 10G PON? It’s clear in the numbers. Just today Calix announced over 75 service provider customers worldwide who are deploying 10G PON. With that number now substantially increasing each quarter, it is clear that 2020 will be the year of 10G PON.
When it comes to broadband service, your installers are your front-line ambassadors to make the subscriber experience memorable. But are the technicians delivering your Managed Wi-Fi experience up to speed with best practices including fiber drop placement, ONT installation, and proper premises system placement to ensure a satisfied subscriber and reduce repeat visits?
In a recent webinar entitled “Accelerate Network Deployment and Improve Quality in Three Easy Steps,” we asked service providers what the most common reasons are for repeat visits on their premises installations. The majority indicated problems due to installation errors and quality defects such as power issues and system placement. The rest were split between features not working correctly – such as low bandwidth – and the technician not having the proper equipment to complete the installation.
Quality defects, lack of installation standards, and technician preparedness can drive up premises installation costs (both in time spent and site revisits) and lead to subscriber dissatisfaction. Also, lack of documentation on benchmark tests such as speed, latency, and signal strength taken at the time of the install can leave customer support teams with limited information on how best to handle subsequent trouble calls.
Calix Professional Services has developed a suite of enablement tools and resources that can help improve installation efficiency and reduce follow-up visits to help service providers improve performance metrics on premises installations. The Deployment Enablement Services leverage expertise, communication tools, and installation and construction best practices gained from performing thousands of successful deployment projects. The Services consists of:
The enablement tools have driven great results, including:
To find out more how Deployment Enablement Services can help you implement your Revenue EDGE strategy, visit the Calix Professional Services web page and schedule a demo with a Calix Professional Services expert.
I had my credit card number ‘compromised’ recently. I started seeing fraudulent charges appear on the account and the bank decided it was best to issue me a new credit card number. It wasn’t the first time this had happened, so after a deep sigh I settled into the process of updating my accounts that keep a credit card number on file. As I went through the process, three revelations struck me.
First, I have many new subscription services that were not on my master list the last time my card number was stolen. Netflix was on the list, but now I also have Spotify, HBO Now, and Hulu. Beyond the newspaper, I now have a monthly donation charge to KQED, my local public radio station, and Ooma, my VoIP service. And we have our card on file with Intuit, Adobe, and Symantec so our software automatically renews every year. I realized my card number is everywhere.
Second, subscription services come in many names. Some are ‘subscriptions,’ like the newspaper, but most change their name to something more appealing. Just as the word ‘customer’ evolved to ‘client’ to shift the focus from transactions to relationships, so too has the language of subscriptions changed to something evoking a long-term commitment. I am now a loyal ‘member’ of organizations and clubs that have recurring fees.
Third, I like subscription services. I used to avoid any product that required an ongoing fee, but I’ve grown comfortable with monthly fees, have grown confident in their utility, see the efficiency I get from having automatic billing and renewal, and highly value the benefit they deliver. I don’t ever want to go back to buying boxes and having to figure it all out on my own, even though I’m perfectly capable of managing my own personal IT department.
It was an easy emotional shift when I moved from monthly cable TV to OTT entertainment subscriptions like Netflix. Now, I’m also quite happy paying subscription fees for computer security software, convenience services like Amazon Prime, and increasingly, smart home services. When I see the value, I sign up for the service. And I know many others feel the same as I do.
This is all excellent news for service providers. You have more opportunity than ever to provide new monthly services that your subscribers will see the benefit from and happily pay for. In doing so, you also strengthen the ongoing relationship with your brand-loyal subscribers, though I wouldn’t suggest calling yourself a club just yet.
For some recurring subscription service ideas, check out the Revenue EDGE Suites.
What’s your perspective?
There’s plenty more to read and share on the Calix Perspectives pages. I look forward to hearing yours.
In northeastern Indiana, municipal broadband provider Auburn Essential Services (AES) has dramatically simplified its network and operations by adopting the Calix AXOS platform. As AES transitions to a full FTTH network, AXOS, the E7-2, and SMx Connector provides the solution to allow its team to benefit from a common operational service model and accelerate the deployment of new services.
The AES network is being built with the future in mind, as the utility is already offering gigabit services to homes and business and utilizing XGS-PON for 10G services. By selecting AXOS, AES has a straightforward upgrade path to NG-PON2 and can incorporate the technology where and when it is needed.
Additionally, having already deployed Fiber to the Business with a unique strategic partnership alongside the City of Garrett since 2015, AES will be providing these same broadband services to every residential home in the Garrett Municipal Electric Territory, with construction starting in 2020.
Learn how AES is building the last network it will ever need with support from AXOS and an everyPON strategy.
As we close out 2019 and look to a new decade, we often wonder what the future holds in the next 10 years. Will we see highways filled with autonomous vehicles? Will our homes be run by smart devices using artificial intelligence? Will most of our purchases be done using mobile payments?
However, do your team members possess the job skills to support this network of the future? Have you sufficiently invested in your most valuable capital resource – your employees? By developing a culture of learning, you can encourage employees to develop knowledge and the skills needed to support these next-generation networks.
Some ways to promote a learning culture:
Here’s another way that Calix Academy can help you today to start building your culture of learning. With over 90 courses, you can decrease the knowledge gap and increase your teams’ skills needed for current and emerging technologies like Wi-Fi 6 and 10G PON.
New and updated eLearning courses we’ve introduced in the fourth quarter of 2019 include:
You can see a full list of courses and their descriptions in our course catalog.
If you want to find out more, you can set up a consultation with an Calix Education Services Expert or view past webinars on the Calix Webinar Hub.
Don’t forget there are only a few more weeks to get a coupon for a free E7 AXOS certification exam with the purchase of an Education Services Subscription. This offer is only good through the end of the year.
Benefits include:
Sign up for an upcoming Circles of Success! Circles of Success are small, interactive peer conversations among Calix customers, facilitated by a Calix Customer Success expert, talking about solution adoption, best practices, and user tips.
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Role: Customer Success Manager
Location: Greenville, South Carolina
Years of Service: 10 months
Calix Expertise: Calix Support Cloud
School: Clemson University – Go Tigers!
Favorite Movie: Forrest Gump
Favorite Vacation Spot: South Africa - I’ve only been once, but would love to go back.
Fun Fact: I’m a diehard college football fan.
Most passionate cause: Adopt, don’t shop!
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