CTC Selects Calix for Fiber-Fed Mobile Backhaul

PETALUMA, CA—March 21, 2011—Calix, Inc. (NYSE:CALX, news, filings) today announced that Consolidated Telecommunications Company (CTC) has selected Calix fiber access solutions for delivering mobile backhaul services to cell towers in its serving area in the region surrounding Brainerd, Minnesota. Leveraging advanced pseudowire emulation edge-to-edge (PWE3) technology over fiber, CTC is deploying the EXA Powered E7-2 Ethernet Service Access Platform (ESAP) and 760GX family of optical network terminals (ONTs) to cost effectively meet the stringent service level agreement (SLA) and operational requirements of wireless operators. CTC now joins hundreds of other Calix customers, from some of North America’s largest communications service providers to small rural telephone cooperatives, who are now using a combination of gigabit passive optical network (GPON) or point-to-point gigabit Ethernet (GE) technologies and the extensive flexibility of the Calix Unified Access portfolio to meet the wide range of requirements of today’s wireless operators.

“The wireless operators in our region need solutions today that allow them to meet growing traffic requirements while meeting their stringent reliability requirements and operational models,” said Kevin Larson, general manager of CTC. “Calix allows us to utilize our existing access infrastructure, yet have the flexibility to address the variety of issues that crop up in the field – from meeting varying powering, mounting, and space requirements to helping wireless operators transition from TDM to higher capacity Ethernet-based services. With these solutions, we can strategically position ourselves at cell tower sites, providing the most flexible and highest quality solutions for our wireless operator customers while snapping these solutions easily into our existing network operations and infrastructure.”

“The Calix mobile backhaul solution provides our customers with the superior reliability that they expect, but delivered over an all-fiber and all-IP infrastructure that is both more efficient for us to operate and capable of inexpensively scaling to our capacity requirements of the future,” adds Van Miles, senior network analyst at CTC. “Meeting the unique operational requirements of each wireless operator at a given cell tower has always been a challenge, and anticipating their individual rates of change has added a whole new dimension – timing. With Calix mobile backhaul solutions, we have the flexibility to move our network forward, while ensuring that our mobile operator customers can move at their own speed without sacrificing quality.”

The accelerating growth in wireless traffic presents a significant opportunity for wireline service providers who facilitate mobile backhaul services. Mobile data traffic globally is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 108 percent between 2009 and 2014 (source: Cisco VNI), overwhelming the current mobile backhaul infrastructure and necessitating a mass movement to Ethernet and fiber. Wireline service providers who can address this need head-on, balancing the need for high capacity with the unique operational requirements of each operator, will be advantaged in capturing the mobile backhaul business from each wireless operator that exists on a given cell tower. Unlike other more expensive technologies that require multiple transceivers or dedicated equipment, Calix GPON and point-to-point GE solutions from Calix offer a graceful transition to Ethernet and higher bandwidth capacity, delivering native Ethernet services and T1 emulation services like PWE3, while also supporting legacy native T1 services where necessary.

Fiber-based mobile backhaul solutions from Calix provide extraordinary flexibility, including:

• Support for native T1s and T1s over PWE3
• Full symmetrical line rate GE
• Ethernet operations, administration, and maintenance (OAM) support
• +24VDC and -48VDC powering options
• T1 / E1 in-band loopbacks which eliminate the need for smart jacks
• Multiple form factors, including rack-, wall-, and pole-mounted ONT options

“Flexible fiber-based mobile backhaul solutions have become an essential requirement for communications service providers, allowing them to both capture and lock-in lucrative backhaul transport business revenue,” said John Colvin, vice president of field operations at Calix. “Hundreds of communications service providers globally have discovered that Calix mobile backhaul solutions are a fraction of the cost of traditional SONET and carrier Ethernet solutions, and can provide substantial operational savings over copper-based solutions as well. We congratulate CTC on investing in Calix fiber access solutions for mobile backhaul, and are confident that these solutions will provide them with the edge they need in an increasingly competitive market.”

Calix Unified Access portfolio support for mobile backhaul services can be seen at the CTIA Wireless 2011 in Orlando, FL, and will be demonstrated during exposition hours on March 22 through March 24 at Calix Booth 1465.

About Calix

Calix (NYSE: CALX) is a global leader in access innovation. Its Unified Access portfolio of broadband communications access systems and software enable communications service providers worldwide to be the broadband provider of choice to their subscribers. For more information, visit the Calix website at www.calix.com.

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 the Company’s business. The reader is cautioned not to unduly 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 report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2010, filed with the SEC on February 24, 2011, available at http://www.sec.gov.

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