Pineland Telephone Cooperative Deploys Wi-Fi CERTIFIED 6 EDGE System from Calix

SAN JOSE, CA — The Pineland Telephone Cooperative is deploying the latest Wi-Fi CERTIFIED 6 EDGE System from Calix to deliver a managed Wi-Fi experience to their fiber subscribers. The southeast Georgia cooperative first offered managed Wi-Fi in early 2018 with previous generation Calix systems and mesh satellites, fully managed by Calix Support Cloud. A quarter of their subscribers added the service. Now, Pineland has added the newly launched Calix GigaSpire BLAST u6 to ensure that its offering was best-in-market. The unifying Calix EXOS platform makes the system upgrades seamless, cutting 15-20 minutes from each installation while enabling Pineland technicians to turn up more subscribers every day to meet growing demand. The second generation, Wi-Fi 6 certified BLAST system delivers 35 percent improvements in speed and coverage over a Wi-Fi 5 gateway, which would require multiple extenders to match the u6.

“Now that our network is 100 percent fiber, we can offer full gigabit service to anyone, which highlighted the need for the latest cutting-edge systems,” said Dustin Durden, general manager for the Pineland Telephone Cooperative. “Calix has offered us a true carrier class solution—something you can’t buy off the shelf. When we first launched managed Wi-Fi, the adoption rate exceeded our expectations. When the pandemic hit, we saw record numbers of installations, and everyone wanting new systems. With Calix, our subscribers get the ultimate Wi-Fi 6 system on the market, all managed through the cloud. We anticipate that managed Wi-Fi adoption rates will continue to accelerate, and since the BLAST u6 installations are so seamless, we know we can get them up and running with ease.”

A Managed Offering with Wi-Fi 6 Speed

Founded in 1951, Pineland serves subscribers in a 1,300 square mile area in southeast Georgia. The subscriber base is mostly residential, but the rural cooperative also delivers business services and is partnering with local electric cooperatives to expand into adjacent territories. As Pineland prepares to take on new competitors, the centerpiece of their strategy is a managed offering with Wi-Fi 6 speed and coverage of the latest BLAST systems. Built more than a year ahead of the official certification, the GigaSpire BLAST system leverages advanced chipsets to deliver in-home coverage.

“Pineland recognizes that a great fiber network will disappoint if it does not have the right in-home Wi-Fi experience,” said Michael Weening, EVP global operations for Calix. “Subscribers are living more of their lives virtually and wirelessly, making Wi-Fi 6 absolutely critical. Nearly two years ago, we launched the first carrier-class Wi-Fi 6 system in the market. It is great to see the standards bodies catch up, so we can put an official Wi-Fi 6 certification on the BLAST u6. The world is changing rapidly, with remote working and learning becoming the new norm. Thankfully, Pineland subscribers have a rock-solid fiber network, Wi-Fi 6 certified GigaSpire BLAST systems, and a service team leveraging Calix Support Cloud to ensure that they have the ultimate experience any time of the day, regardless of the application.”