Optical access specialist Calix announced that telecom veteran and fibre evangelist Bernd Hesse has joined the company as its senior director, technology development.
With more than 30 years in the industry, Bernd has extensive experience leading and forming interest groups and technology forums, driving interoperability programs and developing partnerships across broadband access and metro networking.
In April 2016, Bernd founded the NG-PON2 Forum, a collaborative group bringing together service providers, equipment suppliers, component vendors, and analysts, to focus on promoting the adoption of NG-PON2 technology for broadband access networks.
Bernd is also the founder and current chairman of the board of the WDM PON Forum.
“Bernd has been a telecom visionary throughout his career, playing a critical role in bringing next-generation fibre technologies to the masses,” said Michel Langlois, Calix senior vice president of systems products. “Bernd is not just a participant, but a founder of several influential industry groups, including the NG-PON2 Forum. Through these forums, Bernd will continue in his role as a facilitator in defining fibre access standards, driving adoption of the next wave of fibre technologies, and delivering an unmatched broadband experience to subscribers around the world.”
Bernd is the ideal partner for Calix, which wants to be seen as a technology leader on the forefront of standards and interoperability development. The vendor has participated in the Full Service Access Network (FSAN) group and the Broadband Forum for more than a decade.
From a technology perspective, Calix has used its AXOS platform to demonstrate advanced NG-PON2 capabilities, including technology co-existence and wavelength mobility, and has used bonded NG-PON2 wavelengths to deliver broadband speeds of 40Gb/s over a single fibre connection. With Bernd as a team member, Calix plans to push this technology towards mass market deployment.
Bernd joins Calix from Ericsson, where he was the team lead for Engagement Practices for Access and Transport Networks, and also held the role of executive director in the office of the CTO. Bernd holds two patents and has a Master’s degree in Telecommunication from the University in Siegen, Germany.
