Calix Launches Broadband Academy To Help Leaders Planning New Broadband Businesses Understand the Principles To Build a Winning Service Provider That Will Enable Communities To Bridge the Digital Divide

SAN JOSE, CA—May 18, 2022—Calix, Inc. (NYSE: CALX) today announced the industry’s only comprehensive education service developed exclusively for business leaders who plan to introduce new high-speed fiber broadband services to America’s rural communities. Calix Broadband Academy prepares these leaders for success as future broadband service providers (BSPs) by sharing best practices for launching and operating a future-proof broadband network. Calix is uniquely positioned to offer this program. With its powerful end-to-end platforms that reflect more than a decade of continuous innovation—Intelligent Access EDGE and Revenue EDGE—Calix enables even the smallest BSPs to innovate for their future subscribers. Calix applied the deep expertise accumulated over tens of thousands of engagements with hundreds of rural service providers that have transformed their communities. Broadband Academy will prepare community leaders to confidently navigate the initial planning phases of a broadband business that will create community value for decades.

Calix is launching Broadband Academy in partnership with the Utilities Technology Council (UTC). Broadband Academy will give enrollees training, expert insights, and best practices. The self-guided e-learning curriculum covers five core competencies:

• Identify and secure funding to grow a thriving broadband business. Securing funding is a critical step for any broadband business. More than $100 billion in unprecedented federal, state, and local funding is earmarked to build new broadband networks in underserved and unserved communities. The funding learning path will help BSPs navigate how to identify the right type of funding to grow their business—and secure it.
• Design a scalable, future-proof network that maximizes investment. Designing a world-class broadband network is a complex undertaking. Broadband Academy will teach BSP leaders to architect efficient, scalable end-to-end networks that deliver the latest services and capabilities. These leaders will not only supply critical managed Wi-Fi to their communities but also create economic and social value that leaves a lasting multi-generational impact.
• Plan for a smooth broadband buildout. Even for companies with deep infrastructure experience, building a broadband network can present new challenges. Lessons will help BSPs find the right partners for the key construction phases of the network. They will also examine industry best practices to keep future subscribers engaged and excited for their upcoming service.
• Learn how to ensure highly efficient broadband operations. Subscribers now have very high expectations for their broadband experience. The operations learning path will share insights and best practices to help BSPs operate broadband networks with peak performance while ensuring subscribers enjoy the ultimate broadband experience.
• Develop critical marketing skills to excite subscribers and grow revenue. Companies just entering the broadband space may not have the marketing skills they need to compete. Learners can take advantage of the extensive curriculum available in Calix Broadband Marketing Academy. Courses cover marketing strategies and tactics for digital, email, social media, mobile, and more—enabling even the smallest teams to create exciting subscriber experiences.

Delivered by Calix Education Services, Broadband Academy is the latest addition to Calix University and is initially available as a member benefit to UTC member utilities. Starting in July, the program is open to all electric cooperatives and will include content for other non-traditional providers including municipalities and tribal communities later this year. Pre-registration is now open.

“As the nation’s leading utility telecommunications and IT organization, we see the issues that face our member electric cooperatives, investor-owned utilities, and public power utilities as they deploy broadband infrastructure to unserved and underserved communities,” said Sheryl Osiene-Riggs, president and chief executive officer of the Utilities Technology Council. “Calix has a long history of helping utilities successfully deploy broadband networks, too, through our Broadband Workshops. We are thrilled to launch the Broadband Academy with Calix and deliver a curriculum to our members that leverages user-centered design and content.”

Broadband Academy joins Broadband Solutions Academy and Broadband Marketing Academy as a part of Calix University, the digital campus that offers a personalized learning approach to enable broadband industry professionals to quickly uplevel their skills.

“While demand for broadband continues to surge across the United States, nearly one-fourth of the population in rural areas—14.5 million people—are still effectively unserved,” said Martha Galley, executive vice president of customer engagement and services at Calix. “There is an enormous opportunity for non-traditional service providers, such as electric cooperatives, to deliver high quality broadband to the communities they’ve served for generations. To help new providers get started, we have launched Calix Broadband Academy, in partnership with UTC. Calix Broadband Academy courses will give new operators the knowledge and enablement they need to start and grow their broadband businesses and improve their communities. We’re taking the experience Calix, and our Education Services organization, has gained working with more than 100 of the country’s electric coops who have already become BSPs and making it available to new providers who want to expand their services into broadband.”

Pre-register now for the opportunity to learn how to build successful broadband businesses and bridge the digital divide in your community.

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 contains 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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John Husson
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john.husson@calix.com

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