Zentro and Calix have forged an award-winning partnership—recognized by Parks Associates for property innovation—to win a rapidly growing MDU market with SmartMDU on the Calix Broadband Platform by delivering rapid innovation and enhanced resident experiences while giving property managers unmatched operational efficiency

SAN JOSE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 22, 2026-- Today, Calix, Inc. (NYSE: CALX) announced that Zentro—a leading managed service provider (MSP) specializing in multi-dwelling units (MDUs)—is accelerating deployments across major urban markets with award-winning SmartMDU™, a simple, scalable solution on the Calix Broadband Platform. SmartMDU enables secure, reliable property-wide managed Wi-Fi for multifamily communities, helping Zentro personalize resident experiences and increase efficiency for property managers. Zentro provided valuable, critical input throughout the conception and development of SmartMDU and was an early adopter of the solution. Since then, the MSP has streamlined deployments, reduced property issue resolution time 30 percent, lowered operating expenses, and earned recognition as a leader in property innovation.

With nearly one-third of U.S. households—over 35 million—living in MDUs, Zentro is driving business value for owners and developers while transforming connected living for residents with next-generation experiences. SmartMDU recently earned the 2025 Brilliance Award for Property Management Software, highlighting how innovative, scalable, and secure managed Wi-Fi is transforming resident experiences and streamlining operations in multifamily communities.

Working closely with the award-winning Calix Success organization, Zentro launched SmartMDU (branded as Zentro Bliss) in May 2025 to bring unmatched subscriber experiences to a premier high-rise in Atlanta, Georgia. The deployment provided real-world insights that helped refine SmartMDU. The building also received a 2025 Property Innovation Award from Parks Associates, recognizing Zentro Bliss for transforming connectivity into a premium amenity. Leveraging Calix Service Cloud, Zentro efficiently manages and monitors their network to ensure smooth, exceptional experiences for multifamily communities. Residents can tailor their in-unit Wi-Fi experience with the intuitive ZentroIQ mobile app, featuring personalized, private primary and guest SSID configuration, advanced security (ProtectIQ®), and customizable content and application priority controls (ExperienceIQ®). With SmartMDU, Zentro also delivers reliable Wi-Fi for residents and staff across lobbies, fitness rooms, pools, courtyards, and more—and offers guests convenient access via a brandable splash page.

Leveraging SmartMDU and capabilities of the Calix Platform, Zentro is enabling:

• 30 percent less time spent by property managers to resolve Wi-Fi service-related issues. Leveraging SmartMDU, Zentro enabled the property team at an upscale Atlanta high-rise to proactively resolve issues with real-time, remote network management. Everyday tasks were simplified with PropertyWorx—an intuitive property manager portal—enabling staff to save substantial time in their daily workflows while streamlining resident onboarding, adding or removing IoT devices, changing SSID passwords, and more.

• Rapid deployment of exceptional experiences built on Wi-Fi 7 and XGS-PON technology. In the heart of downtown Chicago, at an upscale high-rise condominium, Zentro rapidly deployed SmartMDU over an XGS-PON (10 Gbps passive optical network) in-building network. The deployment consolidated service delivery and management while delivering higher performance with lower space and power. With a Calix GigaSpire® 7u10txg Wi-Fi 7 system in each unit, the 1960s property has become a model for engaging large national property owners. Zentro is also leveraging GigaSpire p4 systems to deliver instant-on connectivity and advanced management tools, enabling residents, guests, and staff to access secure managed Wi-Fi anywhere in the building.

• 95 percent resident satisfaction, exceptional in the complex MDU segment. To optimize service property-wide in the Atlanta high-rise, the Calix Platform enabled Zentro to deliver five dedicated networks, purpose-built to the property’s requirements, including in-unit, property-wide roaming for staff and guests, as well as separate networks for IoT devices and security systems. This, paired with the robust management capabilities in Calix Cloud, has delivered near-perfect (99.9 percent) uptime and eliminated connectivity dead zones, resulting in 95 percent resident satisfaction post-deployment.

Greg Guerra, chief commercial officer at Zentro, said: “Excellence in multifamily connectivity is our core focus. SmartMDU on the Calix Broadband Platform lets us tailor solutions for every partner property while delivering exceptional resident experiences at scale—more efficiently, more consistently, and with stronger returns.”

Shane Eleniak, chief product officer at Calix, said: “SmartMDU is more than a solution; it’s a catalyst for industry transformation. By enabling providers like Zentro to deliver seamless, property-wide managed Wi-Fi and next-generation resident experiences, we’re demonstrating how purpose-built innovation accelerates adoption across the MDU market. With SmartMDU on the Calix Broadband Platform, we’re setting a new standard for operational efficiency and resident satisfaction in multifamily communities. Our platform’s ability to deliver measurable outcomes—like 30 percent reductions in troubleshooting and near-perfect uptime—proves that Calix is not just keeping pace with market needs but is also defining what’s possible for the next wave of broadband innovation.”

Learn more about Zentro and their success with Calix SmartMDU by watching their Product Innovation presentation from ConneXions 2025.

About Calix

Calix, Inc. (NYSE: CALX)—Calix is an appliance-based 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.

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Source: Calix, Inc.