Left to right: Director of the Office of Minority Broadband Initiatives at NTIA, Dr. Jon Gant; Calix Chairman Carl Russo; Lt. Governor Garlin Gilchrist; U.S. Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications and Information and NTIA Administrator Alan Davidson; Jabil Executive Vice President of Operations Gerald (JJ) Creadon; and President and CEO of Midwest Energy and Communications Robert Hance at the Jabil manufacturing facility in Auburn Hills. (Image courtesy Jabil)
The company’s commitment to meeting ‘Build America, Buy America’ requirements includes manufacturing critical broadband hardware systems at Jabil’s facility in Michigan.
AUBURN HILLS, Mich., and SAN JOSE, Calif.—Broadband platform developer Calix detailed its strategy to expand its hardware manufacturing relationships in the United States at an event held recently at Jabil’s manufacturing facility in Auburn Hills. Calix’s strategy reflects the company’s commitment to meeting Build America, Buy America (BABA) requirements for the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program, the company said in a release.
As part of its commitment, Calix will expand a manufacturing services agreement with Jabil, whereby Jabil will manufacture—at its Michigan facility—critical broadband hardware systems from Calix’s U.S.-built software and cloud platform. Jabil, one of three U.S. manufacturing service providers that have longstanding partnerships with Calix, will produce optical network terminals (ONTs) and optical line terminals (OLTs) in Michigan.
“Jabil is excited to join Calix in supporting the BEAD program while bridging the digital divide to bring critical broadband access to those who need it most,” said Jabil Executive Vice President of Operations Gerald (J.J.) Creadon, in a statement. “We are extremely proud to ramp production of Calix’s industry-leading platforms here in Michigan, incorporating the latest automation and process technologies to accelerate the delivery of Calix’s industry-leading broadband-access equipment.”
In addition to its five-year partnership with Jabil, Calix said it has an eight-year partnership with Gemtek, which will produce optical line terminals at its California facility; and a 10-year partnership with Hisense Broadband, which will produce optical modules for Calix at its New Jersey facility.
Calix manufacturing service providers will hire workers in manufacturing, operations, engineering, quality assurance, and administrative roles as they ramp U.S. production of Calix optical products—a first step in the company’s BABA initiative. The ongoing collaboration with these manufacturers is expected to create more than 100 American jobs. Additional jobs are planned as Calix customers participate in the BEAD program over the next five to 10 years, the company said in the release.
Calix was joined at the event by United States Assistant Secretary of Commerce Alan Davidson and Michigan Lieutenant Governor Garlin Gilchrist.
“The ‘Internet for All’ initiative is not just a connectivity program; it’s a jobs program—for the people who build the networks and for the people who make the equipment those networks need,” said U.S. Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications and Information and NTIA Administrator Alan Davidson, in the release. “If network equipment can be made in America, it should be made in America. Companies like Calix are stepping up and answering that call.”
Calix was founded in the United States in 1999, with an exclusive focus on enabling rural broadband service providers (BSPs). Over the past 12 years, it has reportedly invested $1.2 billion to build the only end-to-end software and cloud broadband platform, further establishing Calix as a major technology partner to rural BSPs across the United States.
Nearly 100 percent of the company’s more than 1,300 active U.S. customers serve rural markets, where they are said to be “leading the way to close the digital divide.” Its decision to move manufacturing to the United States will ensure that its customers can leverage the BEAD program to meet this objective. It will also create new, high-value manufacturing jobs nationwide by building on decades of U.S.-led innovation across Calix Cloud®, software, and systems, Calix said in the release.
“We founded Calix 24 years ago in the U.S. by focusing on and partnering with U.S. rural broadband providers as they innovated to close the digital divide,” said Calix Chairman Carl Russo, in the release. “Cooperatives, tribal and community-owned, family and community run, and private equity-backed local broadband providers are the lifeblood of rural America, and we appreciate the opportunity to partner with federal and state leaders on broadband programs that help them expand the great work that they do every day. In doing so, they have created tremendous value for underserved communities across the U.S. as our America-led software and cloud innovation in broadband has enabled even the smallest BSP to thrive and provide the essential broadband services that enable economic growth, education, health, and safety.
“Calix, our customers, and our partners are tremendously thankful to the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) and the Commerce Department for their leadership in ensuring that we can deliver world-class broadband and life-enhancing managed services to every citizen and local business,” Russo continued. “More importantly, they are doing it through a program that will help us meet this objective through Calix America-led software and cloud innovation while contributing to America’s manufacturing renaissance.”