TSTT and Calix Team to Bring Advanced IPTV Services to Trinidad and Tobago

TSTT’s Blink Entertainment Service Leverages the Calix Unified Access Portfolio, Calix Professional Services, and Calix Compatible Partners to Deliver Over 100 HD and SD Channels and Advanced Interactive Features to Communities Across the Twin Island Republic

PETALUMA, Calif. — Calix (NYSE:CALX) today announced that Telecommunications Services of Trinidad and Tobago (TSTT) is leveraging the Calix Unified Access portfolio, Calix Professional Services, and Calix Compatible partners to deliver Blink Entertainment, the twin island republic’s most advanced IPTV service. The Blink Entertainment service, featuring packages that can deliver over 100 high definition (HD) and standard definition (SD) channels, video on demand (VOD), pay-per-view (PPV), digital video recording (DVR), and other interactive features, provides TSTT with a powerful new service to deploy across its broadband infrastructure, and new ways to expand its broadband relationships within the country.

A first-of-its-kind service in Trinidad and Tobago, Blink Entertainment leverages a secure, pre-encoded content feed to bring a compelling mix of international content tailored to the unique tastes and demographics of local subscribers. Fifteen communities among the twin island republic’s over 1 million residents now receive advanced IPTV services over both fiber and copper, using gigabit passive optical networking (GPON), very high-speed digital subscriber line 2 (VDSL2), and asymmetrical digital subscriber line 2 plus (ADSL2+), as well as 10 gigabit per second Ethernet (10GE) transport technologies across Calix Unified Access portfolio. Expansion into additional service areas across the country is planned on a phased basis in the future. Calix Professional Services and the Calix Compatible program played key roles in working closely with TSTT to bring this initiative to fruition and to meet quality of service assurance objectives, from recommending and validating the deployed advanced services ecosystem, to implementation, system integration, and ongoing monitoring and maintenance.

“Our vision has been to bring world-class entertainment services to the people of Trinidad and Tobago, and with Blink Entertainment we believe we have achieved just that,” said Gary Barrow, executive vice president of converged services, TSTT. “Calix has played a key role in bringing this vision to reality, providing the partnerships, the expertise, resources, and the technology necessary to make this initiative a success.”

From the project’s infancy to its continued, ongoing phased expansion, Calix has assumed the role of primary consultant to TSTT’s Blink Entertainment initiative. This has included the following project responsibilities and contributions:

• Recommendation of partners and components to the advanced IPTV ecosystem
• Validation of ecosystem interoperability through the resources and relationships of the Calix Compatible program and lab
• Implementation of the Blink Entertainment initiative under an aggressive timeline with Calix as the prime vendor
• Program management of system installation and introduction of processes for troubleshooting and fault isolation
• Ongoing system monitoring for quality assurance and participation in continued ecosystem upgrade and enhancement

“TSTT asked us to assist them in redefining the subscriber video entertainment experience in Trinidad and Tobago, and with Blink Entertainment we believe that we’ve helped TSTT raise the video entertainment bar to a world-class level,” said Omar Ramadan, Calix vice president of customer service. “With more than 235 video deployments under our belts across some of the world’s most competitive video markets, and internal resources like the Calix Compatible program and lab that assure ecosystem interoperability, Calix has the expertise, experience, and resources to make video implementations not only a reality, but a success. As TSTT’s Blink Entertainment continues to expand, the Calix Unified access portfolio and professional services will be there every step of the way.”