AcenTek Goes Green To Differentiate, Reducing Energy Usage 73 Percent With Calix Intelligent Access EDGE and Home System Energy Usage 50 Percent With Revenue EDGE

SAN JOSE, CA—June 30, 2022—Calix, Inc. (NYSE: CALX) today announced that AcenTek is using energy-efficient Calix end-to-end platforms to reduce network power consumption 73 percent while saving subscribers 50 percent on home Wi-Fi network energy usage. A Calix customer since 2005, AcenTek is the primary broadband service provider (BSP) for its rural communities in Michigan, Minnesota, and Iowa. To support its transition from copper to more environmentally friendly fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) AcenTek embraced the Calix Intelligent Access EDGE™ platform. With the Intelligent Access EDGE E9-2 (E9-2), AcenTek streamlined the access network and consolidated functions to eliminate legacy Broadband Network Gateways (BNG) routers and DHCP Servers—reducing energy usage by 73 percent. Additionally, the Network Innovation Platform E7-2 (E7-2) enabled AcenTek to eliminate hundreds of remote cabinets and outdated DSL to achieve an 85 percent reduction in power usage. Finally, by putting GigaSpire® BLAST systems, part of the Revenue EDGE™ platform, in subscribers’ homes, AcenTek provides whole-home Wi-Fi coverage with a single gateway. More than 90 percent of AcenTek subscribers with a GigaSpire BLAST have experienced a greater than 50 percent drop in home system power usage versus competitive mesh-dependent solutions. By leading the way on sustainability, AcenTek is simplifying its business, enhancing its value proposition, and proving it truly cares about its communities.

AcenTek’s green strategy leverages the Intelligent Access EDGE and Revenue EDGE platforms to optimize power savings. As a result, AcenTek can:

• Reduce energy consumption in the access network by 73 percent. AcenTek used the Network Innovation Platform’s advanced routing module (ARm) and subscriber management module (SMm) to consolidate functions within the E9-2 system and deployed the Aggregation Service Manager card (ASM). This caused energy consumption in the network to plummet by 73 percent.
• Reduce energy consumption 85 percent by eliminating high-power remote cabinets and outdated DSL systems. AcenTek also vastly reduced energy consumption and eliminated non-environmentally friendly copper. They did so by upgrading subscribers across their network from DSL to the fiber-based E7-2. This upgrade enabled AcenTek to remove 113 remote cabinets and DSL systems and replace them with as few as 10 central office-based E7-2 systems. Ultimately, this upgrade reduced network energy consumption an additional 85 percent.
• Enable 50 percent energy savings on the subscriber’s home systems using GigaSpire BLAST in Revenue EDGE. AcenTek has launched the Calix GigaSpire BLAST system, part of the Revenue EDGE platform, to deliver managed Wi-Fi services to subscribers. This also delivers energy benefits. A single GigaSpire BLAST provides complete, whole-home Wi-Fi coverage in more than 90 percent of AcenTek subscriber homes that have it. This eliminates the need for additional energy-consuming hardware such as mesh units or pods and reduces home system energy consumption by more than 50 percent.

“After 17 years of partnership, Calix continues to be an invaluable guide as we drive to fulfill our green power initiative,” said Ethan Webinger, chief operating officer at AcenTek. “We’ve reduced our core routing power footprint by 73 percent by eliminating routing systems with the Intelligent Access EDGE E9-2 system. We’ve also increased network capacity and simplified operations and management as a result of deploying the Network Innovation Platform on all our systems. Calix is the only company that consistently delivers innovative, end-to-end broadband solutions like these to rural communities like ours, who are generally overlooked by the industry giants. Calix green innovations will enable us to continue to grow our value in our communities.”

AcenTek began in 1950 as the Fillmore County Telephone Cooperative, formed by a group of farmers determined to improve rural telephone service in rural Minnesota. Today, AcenTek (“Ascending Technology”) brings broadband innovation and transformation to 25,000 subscribers in 33 communities.

“Calix is changing the game with arguably the world’s greenest broadband network architecture thanks to over a billion dollars of investment in the platform that lets a broadband service provider use a single system to consolidate the Broadband Network Gateways (BNG), Aggregation Router and Switch, Lawful Intercept, and DHCP Server,” said Michael Weening, president and chief operating officer at Calix. “At the same time, that simplicity makes it the easiest to operate in the world which leads to lower people costs, higher margins and greater operational reliability. Community-focused BSPs that are investing in their region with high-speed fiber broadband can also contribute to the health of their community. How? By being green, they demonstrate their commitment to sustainability while establishing themselves as community leaders. That is the power of innovation and partnerships.”

Learn how Calix helps even the smallest BSPs build green broadband networks.

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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