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September 20, 2021

CONNECTIONS™ session explores innovations in home networking and Wi-Fi among single family and MDU households

Session features executives from Calix, Airties, Nokia, McAfee, Linksys, and HomeGrid Forum

Parks Associates’Consumer Insights Dashboard: Consumer Electronics, featuring a 1Q 2021 survey of 5,000 US broadband households,finds 12% of households bought a home network router / Wi-Fi extender in past six months, while 27% plan to buy one in the next 12 months. Parks Associates will host the next CONNECTIONS™: The Premier Connected Home Conference virtual session, Home Networking and Wi-Fi, on September 22 at 12:30 pm CT US, featuring executives from Calix, Nokia, McAfee, Linksys, HomeGrid Forum, and AirTies. Event sponsors include Alarm.com, Calix, Cox Communications, SmartRent, Xfinity Home, Bitdefender, Tuya, Ayla Networks, Plume, and Airties.

Home Networking and Wi-Fi features visionary speaker Shane Eleniak, SVP Revenue Edge Products & Calix Cloud, Calix, followed by an executive Q&A session with Oz Yildirim, EVP and GM of American Business Unit, Airties, moderated by Parks Associates President Elizabeth Parks.

“Calix is committed to sharing information and insights at well-established events like CONNECTIONS,” said Shane Eleniak, SVP of Revenue EDGE Products & Calix Cloud, Calix. “I’m looking forward to discussing important topics around home networking and Wi-Fi, including the importance of industry standards, the pivotal role that service providers play in the ecosystem, and what key innovations are coming in the future.”

“Amid the pandemic, connectivity is almost as essential as electricity and water,” said Oz Yildirim, EVP and GM of American Business Unit, Airties. “People have come to depend on their home Wi-Fi more than ever, due to the ‘enterprization’ of the home, telemedicine, education, entertainment, and the need to stay connected with friends and family. As this level of connectivity provides significant opportunities and challenges for broadband operators, Airties remains dedicated to helping them innovate to meet these demands.”

The session’s interactive panel discussion features the following speakers:

  • Justin Doucette, Head of Nokia WiFi, Nokia
  • Pravat Lall, VP, Channel Delivery & Success, Consumer Business, McAfee
  • Aly Reyes, Director of Global Portfolio Strategy, Linksys
  • Livia Rosu, President, HomeGrid Forum
  • Oz Yildirim, EVP and GM of American Business Unit, Airties

“CSPs need a high-speed, reliable broadband offer into and throughout the home, but they often have no visibility of poor in-home network issues,” said Justin Doucette, Head of Nokia WiFi, Nokia. “A two-pronged approach is needed to fix this. Operators need a managed Wi-Fi offer including a mesh Wi-Fi network with local intelligence to detect and mitigate any issue in the home and complementary cloud platform for both reactive helpdesk management and pro-active network administration.”

“A fascinating problem to solve in this space is how to protect customers wherever they are, regardless of the device they use to connect online. I’m looking forward to talking more about this with my fellow panelists!” said Pravat Lall, VP, Channel Delivery & Success, Consumer Business, McAfee.

“We’re in a new era of remote and hybrid working,” said Aly Reyes, Director of Global Portfolio Strategy, Linksys. “As we’ve all experienced, the need for functional, fast, secure, and reliable Wi-Fi has never been clearer. This is top of mind for consumers, and at Linksys, we are excited by the opportunities in front of us.”

For 25 years, CONNECTIONS™ has brought together thousands of industry players from the consumer technology ecosystem for networking opportunities, consumer and industry research from the Parks Associates analyst team, insights from visionary speakers, and thoughtful, curated sessions focused on technology innovations, consumer behavior, and product and service adoption and trends.

To request data or an interview, contact Rosey Ulpino, [email protected], 972-490-1113.

About CONNECTIONS™

Parks Associates' 27th annual CONNECTIONS™: The Premier Connected Home Conference features an in-person conference on May 23-25, 2023 and multiple virtual sessions hosted throughout 2023. The event focuses on the adoption of technology including smart home, security, connected health, energy, and home automation.

Bringing together more than 1,500 senior executives, CONNECTIONS™ provides networking opportunities combined with visionary keynotes and virtual sessions. The Parks Associates analyst team leads all conference sessions, which are focused on technology innovations, consumer adoption and trends, product and service forecasts, and the evaluation of new business strategies, partnerships, monetization opportunities, and value-added service design.

Throughout the event, sponsors offer demos during networking events, spotlighting new technology innovations and services for the entertainment, mobile, and smart home market segments.

CONNECTIONS™ 2023 features an in-person conference on May 23-25, 2023, with virtual sessions on March 2, July 20, and October 5. For more information, contact [email protected], call 972-490-1113, visit www.connectionsconference.com.