Firefly Fiber Broadband Achieves Spectacular Teamwide Operational Efficiency, Reducing Repeat Truck Rolls on Installations by 80 Percent with Calix Deployment Enablement Services

Investment in a simplified and more efficient premises installation process is giving the Firefly Fiber Broadband℠ operations team more than one workday back per week and helping grow value for the business and the community with over 50 percent take rates among excited members

Calix, Inc. (NYSE: CALX) today announced that its expansive Deployment Enablement Services is helping Firefly Fiber Broadband℠ (Firefly) radically simplify premises installations and accelerate the rollout of fiber broadband service to eager members across wide swathes of central Virginia. With Deployment Enablement Services and the MobilePRO app significantly bolstering the efficiency and quality of installations, Firefly has helped its OPEX, seen its number of repeat truck rolls on installations plummet by an extraordinary 80 percent, and slashed its installation inspection times by more than an entire workday per week. Operated by a subsidiary of Central Virginia Electric Cooperative, Firefly plans to rapidly extend its exceptional fiber broadband service to 15,000 subscribers by the end of 2021—and will surpass their impressive 50 percent take rate with members.

With Calix Deployment Enablement Services and the MobilePRO app, Firefly contractors and installers are remotely onboarding highly satisfied subscribers by guiding them through an easy GigaSpire® BLAST u6.1 system installation process. Firefly is further streamlining the installation process and extending the Firefly brand by utilizing the CommandIQ® Premier Personalization Service with the CommandIQ app. This allows installers to demonstrate the capabilities of the personalized CommandIQ app at the time of installation—and helps subscribers optimize the management of their connected home as well as ensure a truly exceptional Wi-Fi experience. With Deployment Enablement Services, Firefly has practically eliminated supervisor travel time and the time needed for installation quality audits by more than an entire workday per week—as high-quality reviews can now be remotely performed on all subscriber installations.

“Calix Enablement Services has helped Firefly technicians and contractors simplify and massively improve the quality of premises installations. This salient increase in efficiency has resulted in an incredible reduction in return visits by roughly 80 percent—bolstering subscriber satisfaction and greatly contributing to our ability to quickly and efficiently scale home internet deployments,” said Dennis Reece, General Manager, Firefly Fiber Broadband. “Moreover, Calix has provided us with the ability to monitor installation activity in near real-time and remotely conduct high-quality assurance checks. With Calix Deployment Enablement Services and the MobilePRO app, we have improved our installation quality and reduced our OPEX.”

A Calix customer since 2017, Central Virginia Electric Cooperative established Firefly Fiber Broadband to fulfill the cooperative’s commitment to its members to build a fully fiber network by the end of 2022. Approximately 6,000 subscribers were connected to fiber broadband service by the end of 2020—and Firefly is on track to extend service to 15,000 subscribers in 2021 as it moves ever closer to making fiber broadband service available to all interested 37,000 electric cooperative members by the close of 2022.

“For service providers like Firefly Fiber Broadband, getting installations right the first time not only positively impacts the subscriber experience, but also reduces the cost involved in repeated trips to resolve connectivity issues,” said Martha Galley, senior vice president of customer engagement and services for Calix. “Better-trained technicians are clearly more efficient. With installation supervisors now saving more than an entire workday per week—Firefly will be able to grow its value for the community and scale that much faster as they join other Calix customers who have sharply reduced truck rolls and the associated expense. We are thrilled to help Firefly dramatically improve the quality and efficiency of its GigaSpire BLAST u6.1 system installations and look forward to continuing our partnership as they roll out an exceptional subscriber experience to all Central Virginia Electric Cooperative members in the coming years.”

To learn more, view a replay of our recent webinar featuring Firefly, "Speed, Quality, Cost: Don't Compromise on Your Broadband Installations!"

About Calix

Calix, Inc. (NYSE: CALX) – Calix cloud and software platforms enable service providers of all types and sizes to innovate and transform. Our customers utilize the real-time data and insights from Calix platforms to simplify their businesses and deliver experiences that excite their subscribers. The resulting growth in subscriber acquisition, loyalty, and revenue creates more value for their businesses and communities. This is the Calix mission; to enable broadband service providers of all sizes to simplify, excite, and grow.

This press release may contain forward-looking statements that are based upon management's current expectations and are inherently uncertain. Forward-looking statements are based upon information available to us as of the date of this release, and we assume no obligation to revise or update any such forward-looking statement to reflect any event or circumstance after the date of this release, except as required by law. Actual results and the timing of events could differ materially from current expectations based on risks and uncertainties affecting Calix’s business. The reader is cautioned not to rely on the forward-looking statements contained in this press release. Additional information on potential factors that could affect Calix's results and other risks and uncertainties are detailed in its quarterly reports on Form 10-Q and Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the SEC and available at www.sec.gov.

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