Accelerating Hurricane Recovery for Residents after Helene
We recently had the privilege to discuss the deployment of outdoor Wi-Fi after the passing of Hurricane Helene and the extension of SmartTown outdoor Wi-Fi access across our communities.
”With guidance from Calix Success, MGW leverages the Calix Platform and SmartLife managed services like SmartTown community Wi-Fi to expand operations and network capabilities—providing invaluable support to Virginia communities during disaster recovery
SAN JOSE, CA—January 28, 2025—Leveraging their Calix, Inc. (NYSE: CALX) partnership and a 57-year history of serving Virginia communities, MGW ensures residents stay connected and protected even in the aftermath of natural disasters like Hurricane Helene. This commitment is driving investment in everything Calix has to offer, including the cloud-enabled Calix Broadband Platform, integrated Calix SmartLife™ managed services like SmartTown® community Wi-Fi, and guidance from the award-winning Calix Success team to transform MGW’s business. As a result, MGW is growing residential, small business, and community markets while streamlining operations and earning a Net Promoter Score℠ (NPS®) of 89 for customer service excellence.
Here is how MGW is transforming into a broadband experience provider, delivering secure connectivity to everyone in their community while deepening trust:
Revolutionizing how residents communicate with SmartTown, while strengthening disaster recovery responses. By securely connecting parks, fields, city centers, and side streets, SmartTown community Wi-Fi transforms how residents work, play, learn, and communicate. MGW began deploying SmartTown across Virginia last year, starting with the towns of Draper, Galax, Hiwassee, Independence, and Pulaski. When Hurricane Helene struck Independence, MGW quickly leveraged their existing network to deploy outdoor Wi-Fi for a seamless response. In 2025, MGW plans to extend SmartTown to at least eight more towns, including Deerfield, McDowell, Staunton, and West Augusta.
Partnering with Calix Business Insights for an action plan to build on the success of an impressive 89 NPS. MGW engaged Calix Business Insightsopens in a new tab, part of Calix Success, to run a subscriber loyalty analysis of NPS data. Findings revealed an exceptional 89 NPS among subscribers with call tickets resolved in under a minute. To build on this success, MGW integrated additional Calix Service Cloud insights into support workflows, enabling faster issue resolution and improved subscriber satisfaction—key to laying the foundation for new services. Optimized support strategies allowed MGW to expand their community Wi-Fi rollout, introduce tailored broadband packages, and deploy small-business solutions all within a year.
Providing secure, exceptional experiences for homes and businesses with SmartHome and SmartBiz managed services. When expanding residential services, MGW introduced tailored plans—“Casual Browser,” “Work from Home,” “Gamer,” “Modern Home,” and “Pro”—that go beyond speed-based options to meet diverse household internet needs. These plans feature SmartHome™ managed services like ProtectIQ® cybersecurity, ExperienceIQ® advanced content controls, Bark social media monitoring to protect children, Arlo Secure connected property cameras, and outdoor Wi-Fi. In November, MGW also launched SmartBiz™ to boost connectivity, security, and productivity for small businesses.
“To truly earn the trust of our communities, we need insights into what our subscribers want and need,” said Ryan Smith, vice president at MGW. “Calix not only helped us uncover those insights by analyzing our NPS data—something our small team couldn’t do alone—but their platform and managed services model enabled us to act on those insights quickly. MGW’s commitment to doing good in our communities is central to who we are. With Calix innovation and their Success team behind us, we’re confident our subscribers will stay satisfied and loyal, no matter what out-of-town competitors emerge.”
“With Calix innovation and guidance, MGW has transformed and expanded their business to deliver meaningful value to their communities,” said Matt Collins, chief commercial operations officer at Calix. “MGW exemplifies how innovative broadband service providers are evolving into broadband experience providers and trusted community partners. Fundamentally, their first commitment was to secure and protect every subscriber with SmartHome managed services like Bark and ProtectIQ. Building on that foundation, MGW has continued to expand their services by understanding subscriber needs—enhancing home experiences while ensuring reliable, secure broadband for businesses and public spaces. MGW delivers solutions that improve everyday life, and their role as a trusted partner proved invaluable during one of their community’s most challenging moments. We are proud to continue supporting MGW as they innovate and lead.”
Net Promoter®, NPS®, NPS Prism®, and the NPS-related emoticons are registered trademarks of Bain & Company, Inc., Satmetrix Systems, Inc., and Fred Reichheld. Net Promoter Score℠ and Net Promoter System℠ are service marks of Bain & Company, Inc., Satmetrix Systems, Inc., and Fred Reichheld.
