Lit Fibre Adopt Calix Kit to Future-Proof 10Gbps UK FTTP Network

Full fibre broadband ISP Lit Fibre, which recently started building a new 10Gbps Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) network to reach 500,000 UK homes by 2026, has moved to “future-proof” their infrastructure and improve customer installation times by adopting Calix’s 10G XGS-PON hardware and services.

At present the operator – supported by an unspecified equity investment from Newlight Partners LP – has already started building in a number of towns across Gloucestershire, Hertfordshire, Suffolk, Worcestershire and Essex (here).

The operator has now revealed that they’ll be leveraging the software capabilities of the Network Innovation Platform and E9-2 Intelligent EDGE system from Calix, which will underpin their FTTP technology. This is the same solution that CityFibre announced they had adopted back in 2018 (here). More recently, Grayshott Gigabit has also adopted it.

Tom Williams, CEO of Lit Fibre, said:

“Lit Fibre has publicly announced we have work underway in eight towns and communities, and we’ve already launched services in three of these towns. A key reason we’ve been able to deploy so quickly is the simplified network and operations delivered by the Calix platform. We’ve reduced the time to deploy new services, accelerated subscriber installations, and cut operations expenses.”

Homes on Lit’s network typically pay from £25 per month on a 12-month term (£30 thereafter) for their unlimited 100Mbps package (includes a free install, symmetric speeds and a Wi-Fi 6 router), which rises to £55 (£65 thereafter) for 900Mbps (average).

Claimed Benefits of the Calix Solution (from press release)

Simplifying network operations: The Subscriber Management Module (SMm) and Routing Protocol Module (RPm) enable BSPs to simplify their network by consolidating subscriber management, aggregation, and access network functions. Aggregating multiple functions at the access edge creates an optimized, high-performance network that simplifies broadband service delivery.

Accelerating subscriber turnups: The E9-2 supports automated network service provisioning via SMx. This capability delivers massive improvements in network operations efficiency—simplifying ONT service activation by reducing the time required to install and turn up new services.

Optimizing back-office integrations: Consistent software operations—regardless of the physical infrastructure layer—simplify network operations and dramatically reduce OSS/BSS system integration time. By leveraging a common model, integration timelines are cut from months to days. With AXOS Sandbox, Lit Fibre can also test its API integrations against a virtual E9-2 instead of a dedicated lab blade.

Delivering an Always On 10G network: The AXOS toolbox, which includes tcpdump, VCA, and other critical tools, will assist Lit Fibre with troubleshooting and operations. By deploying the Intelligent Access EDGE, critical services remain operational even with fiber cuts. In addition, the Network Innovation Platform ensures zero downtime for maintenance and upgrades.