We’re Serving Subscribers Our Competitors Can’t Reach—Thanks to Calix Operations Cloud

As a network technician, I see first-hand how our network operates at scale, which means visibility is critical. Calix Operations Cloud (Operations Cloud) gives us unprecedented insight into our network, with more transparency in the access layer and a view of our operations in aggregation instead of per subscriber. The result? We save time and resources by strategically and proactively deploying our operations team while also gaining a competitive edge in our market. 

With Operations Cloud, we can deploy a solution quickly and effectively while anticipating potential issues before they become full-scale problems. How does that translate into our day-to-day operations? Network downtime is minimal, and our customers stay connected even during our harshest winter months. With Operations Cloud, we are able to not only provide excellent service to our subscribers, but to implement these solutions at scale. This means that, as our subscribers increase and our network grows, our service and reliability remain consistent.  

Gaining a Competitive Edge Through Efficiency and Scalability 

At Canadian Fiber Optics (CFOC) up here in Calgary, we’ve been working with Calix for the past year to bring fiber broadband to some of Canada’s most remote areas. These rural communities are some of the most beautiful and welcoming places in the country. But they have traditionally lagged well behind Canada’s more urban areas in terms of internet connectivity. 

There’s a reason for that. The economics of deploying a super-fast network across a scattered footprint in harsh terrain is challenging. That’s why we pride ourselves on running a lean operation. That means keeping network operation maintenance costs at a minimum and our staff focused on the things that matter.  

In fact, we couldn’t make it work without Operations Cloud, which gave us a foundation that helped us ramp up quickly. With Operations Cloud, we no longer hold our operations team back from the high-value work they want to accomplish. And because our customer support team is empowered to troubleshoot with our subscribers on a case-by-case basis, our technical team can focus on large-scale issues within the network. This frees up resources in our head office, and lets team members like myself focus on high-value projects.  

The comprehensive tools provided by Operations Cloud lighten the load. For example, now I can work on designing our backbone, researching potential data centers, and exploring all the ways we can compete with the big internet providers in our region. This competitive edge is possible because of the automation, data analytics, and ease of use we get from Operations Cloud. And because the Calix Customer Success team is there helping us every step of the way, we can quickly onboard team members, customize our tools, and seize new growth opportunities. 

Reaping the Benefits of End-to-End Network Visibility 

We use Calix solutions across our access network—spanning Intelligent Access EDGE and Revenue EDGE. Operations Cloud, therefore, provides complete end-to-end network visibility, from the OLT through to the Calix GigaSpire® BLAST systems we provide for the home.  

This unlocks a number of advantages for our operations teams, including:  

• Reducing OPEX via fewer truck rolls. Rolling out a truck to one of our remote communities is costly. By using Operations Cloud to remotely identify and address issues, we are seeing 10 percent fewer truck rolls.  
• Precise troubleshooting. Using Operations Cloud, we’re able to zoom in on individual PON points to monitor activity remotely so we can act quickly to prevent overloading on a PON point.   
  
• The ability to provide historical data. By accessing the historical view on Operations Cloud, we can see when issues have occurred in the past—even if everything is working fine at the time of investigation.  
  
• Proactive customer alarms. We set our own thresholds for vital metrics such as light levels. If the number dips below our thresholds, we can address the issue before it becomes an issue for subscribers.  
• Proactive network maintenance. Our remote communities suffer harsh winters! Using Operations Cloud, we can predict in advance what may need attention during the winter months and address the issues earlier in the year.  
• Better allocation of ops team's resources. With a limited team of field technicians available, we can schedule resources in advance. 
• Putting network intelligence in more hands. New ops personnel can quickly get up and running in Operations Cloud. Even our senior managers are using the tool. 

Supporting Us on Our Growth Journey  

In just a few years, Canadian Fiber Optics has made tremendous progress in our mission to connect rural Canada. As a lean and agile company, we focus on adapting to the needs of our market with every new community we launch. Operations Cloud plays a vital role in this journey. While working with Calix, they have helped us deliver a truly scalable solution, empowering our highly experienced team to deliver even richer benefits to our customers. With Operations Cloud being optimized for our team’s needs, we have saved time, money, and critical resources—preparing us to deliver even greater results in the future. 

Learn how you can optimize your network operations and keep your subscribers happy.