Home Telecom Expands Calix SmartTown to 12 Communities, Delivering Secure Wi-Fi for Festivals, Farmers Markets, and Sports Fields
In a remarkable step toward strengthening communities across South Carolina and beyond its traditional footprint, Home Telecom continues to excel as a broadband experience provider (BXP). The company is rapidly expanding Calix SmartTown®, a secure, high-performance Wi-Fi solution designed to power outdoor spaces such as festivals, farmers markets, recreational complexes, and sports fields. This innovative initiative not only deepens subscriber engagement but also fosters stronger relationships with the communities they serve.
Today, Calix, Inc. (NYSE: CALX) announced that Home Telecom is accelerating its SmartTown rollout, extending seamless connected experiences to public spaces across South Carolina’s Tri-County Area—including Berkeley, Charleston, and Dorchester counties. Built on the Calix Broadband Platform, SmartTown delivers reliable Wi-Fi that follows subscribers as they leave their homes and venture into town centers, parks, and event venues. With this milestone deployment, Home Telecom now includes SmartTown at no additional cost in all lifestyle-focused residential Wi-Fi plans, reaching 84 percent of its fiber subscribers across rural and suburban markets. Impressively, SmartTown usage has grown more than 21 times in just seven months, demonstrating its rapid adoption and value.
By expanding secure Wi-Fi to areas where people live, work, and play, Home Telecom is not only enhancing subscriber loyalty but also establishing a powerful competitive edge. Importantly, these efforts benefit entire communities—not just their own customer base—by fostering inclusivity, accessibility, and connectivity.
A Legacy of Innovation and Community Impact
Home Telecom, one of South Carolina’s largest independent broadband service providers (BSPs), has spent the past two decades transforming its business model to prioritize subscriber experiences. Their longstanding partnership with Calix has been instrumental in this evolution. In 2013, Home Telecom made history by connecting the first multi-gig community in South Carolina, subsequently doubling its subscriber base over the next seven years. Their commitment to innovation and community impact earned national recognition in 2024 when they received the Digital Inclusion Award from BroadbandNow for their affordability-focused Community Connect Program.
In 2025, Home Telecom became an early adopter of the Calix SmartTown Alliance, a coalition of BSPs working together to deliver secure Wi-Fi to subscribers traveling beyond their home networks. Additionally, the company plans to launch a dedicated first responder network before the end of the year, joining other broadband leaders like Tombigbee Fiber and Jade Communications in bringing critical connectivity to rural and urban emergency services.
Enriching Subscriber Experiences Across Communities
Home Telecom’s integration of SmartTown Wi-Fi with tailored residential offerings reflects its dedication to delivering lasting value to the communities it serves. Here’s how the company is making an impact:
Enhancing Connected Experiences at Local Events
In March, Home Telecom launched SmartTown in downtown Moncks Corner, providing reliable Wi-Fi for the “Let the Shenanigans Begin” St. Patrick’s Day event. To accelerate deployment, they replaced existing systems with Calix GigaSpires®, ensuring full support for SmartTown and its benefits. This upgrade enhanced experiences for both subscribers and visitors while enabling local vendors to conduct secure digital transactions. Main Street, the town’s hub for farmers markets, holiday festivals, block parties, and live music, now enjoys seamless, community-wide connectivity.
Elevating Subscriber Experiences Through Tailored Wi-Fi Plans
Home Telecom recently unveiled new value-based offerings built on Calix SmartHome™. Plans like “Connected Family,” “Home Office Hero,” “Pro-Level Gamer,” and “Digital Minimalist” cater to the unique lifestyles of their subscribers. Every residential plan includes access to SmartTown Wi-Fi, allowing users to enjoy seamless and secure connectivity not only at home but also on the go.
Increasing Accessibility and Community Inclusivity
Home Telecom is powering a full recreational complex with reliable SmartTown Wi-Fi, extending connectivity beyond its subscriber base to guests and staff. The site features the Miracle League Field, built with synthetic, wheelchair-accessible turf to support players with disabilities, as well as baseball, softball, soccer, and football fields, basketball courts, and walking trails. Plans are underway for an all-inclusive playground and wellness facility. The complex also hosts major community events, such as Fourth of July celebrations featuring fireworks, food trucks, and dancing.
A Vision for Community-Centric Connectivity
“At Home Telecom, we are community builders first,” said William S. Helmly, president and CEO of Home Telecom. “That’s why we moved so quickly to deploy Calix SmartTown—it was fast, seamless, and made an immediate impact for thousands of residents during our launch. The success made one thing clear: SmartTown needed to be everywhere. We are now determined to deliver secure Wi-Fi to both rural and more populated areas, connecting ballfields and downtowns like Moncks Corner, while helping neighbors in remote areas stay connected when it matters most. Next, the natural step is the SmartTown Alliance and bringing together broadband leaders who believe, as we do, that technology is meant to strengthen communities. We are proud to lead that effort here in South Carolina.”
Pioneering the Future of Broadband Experience
“Home Telecom shows exactly what it means to lead as a broadband experience provider, turning secure, reliable Wi-Fi into a competitive edge that attracts new subscribers, strengthens brand loyalty, and enriches community life,” said Michael Weening, president and CEO of Calix. “Their team embraces the Calix Broadband Platform to deliver innovative experiences that reach far beyond the home. We are proud to partner with Home Telecom—and we are just getting started. This August, we will launch our 3rd generation cloud, purpose-built to enable broadband service providers to simplify operations, innovate through new experiences, and grow value in the communities they serve.”
About Calix
Calix, Inc. (NYSE: CALX) – Calix is a platform, cloud and managed services company. Broadband experience providers leverage Calix’s broadband platform, cloud and managed services to simplify their operations, subscriber engagement and services; innovate for their consumer, business and municipal subscribers; and grow their value for members, investors and the communities they serve.
Our end-to-end platform and managed services democratize the use of data – enabling our customers of any size to operate efficiently, acquire subscribers, and deliver exceptional experiences. Calix is dedicated to driving continuous improvement in partnership with our growing ecosystem to support the transformation of our customers and their communities.
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.
