LINCOLN, Neb. & SAN JOSE, Calif., October 20, 2025 — Calix, Inc. (NYSE: CALX) today announced that ALLO Communications has launched Smart Schools, an innovative program built on Calix SmartTown® for Education and fully integrated with the Calix Broadband Platform. Smart Schools will provide safe, secure community Wi-Fi for Lincoln Public School (LPS) students in grades 6-12 who opt into the program—promoting digital equity and extending learning beyond the classroom.
Leveraging their Calix technology investment, ALLO is bridging the “homework gap” by enabling reliable online learning experiences across homes, libraries, parks, and other community spaces. Built on Wi-Fi Alliance Passpoint® architecture, Calix SmartTown® allows broadband service providers (BSPs) like ALLO to deliver secure, authenticated online experiences throughout shared public spaces and entire communities. In Lincoln, every LPS student in grades 6-12 receives a Google Chromebook and the option to sign up for Smart Schools—giving them access to more than 43,000 SmartTown Wi-Fi access points. Smart Schools is designed to scale for districts of any size. Plus, ALLO includes a free first year of service for participating districts and is helping LPS secure long-term funding.
On October 17, ALLO CEO Brad Moline, Nebraska Governor Jim Pillen, and members of the LPS administration and board will gather at Lincoln High School to celebrate the program’s launch. For media inquiries, please reach out to Tanna Hanna, ALLO chief brand officer, at 303-633-7815.
This launch marks the latest milestone in a 16-year ALLO-Calix partnership built on innovation and community impact. Leveraging the Calix Platform and SmartLife™ managed services like SmartTown and SmartHome™, ALLO continues to set the standard for sustainable fiber broadband and safe, secure online experiences at home and throughout the community. ALLO was the first BSP to deploy SmartTown, an idea sparked by a 2022 conversation between Brad Moline and Calix CEO Michael Weening that has since grown into a nationwide movement for connected communities. Demonstrating continued innovation, ALLO and Calix also completed a groundbreaking 50G PON trial in Lincoln, underscoring the scalability of ALLO’s investment and paving the way for even more powerful subscriber experiences.
SmartTown for Education enables BSPs like ALLO to transform learning opportunities with safe, secure community Wi-Fi that drives inclusion, innovation, and lasting impact through:
Advanced security that protects students wherever they log on. SmartTown combines Passpoint technology with advanced cybersecurity and content filtering to shield students from online threats. It also provides parents and teachers with visibility and tools to set safe boundaries.
Simplified operations, innovative experiences, and measurable community value. Integrated with the Calix Platform, SmartTown is quick to deploy, easy to manage, and leverages a BSP’s existing network. Calix Service Cloud makes SmartTown easy for BSPs to provision, turn up, and troubleshoot. By extending SmartTown to meet student needs, BSPs like ALLO embrace a community-first approach that boosts retention and raises Net Promoter Scores℠ (NPS®).
Hands-on support to accelerate launch success. The award-winning Calix Success team—recently recognized by Leading Lights and the Stevie Awards—guides BSPs through every step. For ALLO and LPS, support included assistance with testing secure student logins on SmartTown with Chromebooks and providing guided documentation and troubleshooting through weekly touchpoints.
ALLO plans to quickly expand Smart Schools across their footprint in Nebraska, Arizona, Colorado, and Missouri. By extending secure, personalized Wi-Fi into more spaces where people learn and live, ALLO will continue to advance digital equity, strengthen community well-being, and deepen local trust.
Brad Moline, president and chief executive officer at ALLO Communications, said: “Education is the backbone of every healthy community, and all students deserve the digital tools to succeed. Smart Schools, built on proven Calix SmartTown infrastructure, delivers the secure, high-performance online experiences students need to keep learning after the bell. What began as a bold idea I shared with Michael Weening is now fueling a movement to ensure no student has to worry about finding a secure and reliable connection to finish their homework. Just a few years after our first SmartTown deployment, we are incredibly proud to see that vision transforming education in our communities.”
Michael Weening, president and chief executive officer at Calix, said: “Three years ago, Brad called me with a bold idea: transform every Wi-Fi router into a secure network so every child could access safe, reliable internet for their homework. His vision was that no child should have to search for a signal in a McDonald’s or Walmart parking lot to keep up in school. We built SmartTown to make that vision real—creating segmented, secure Wi-Fi for students, subscribers, and first responders at no additional cost by leveraging the provider’s existing network. The Calix team is proud to stand beside Brad and ALLO as they deliver Smart Schools in Lincoln, Nebraska, and soon, across their footprint. This is what it means to be a broadband experience provider: going beyond speed to enrich lives, drive growth, and earn lasting community trust.”
Read the blog “Bridging the Educational Gap: How Calix SmartTown for Education Empowers Students Everywhere,” to learn how BSPs can deliver equal access to digital resources for students and educators in their communities.