Comporium has hooked up with AirTies to bring a whole-home WiFi offering to customers in the Carolinas that matches the Air 4920, a mesh WiFi extender, and AirTies’s management software.

A premium, subscription product, Comporium is offering a two-device kit for $9.99 per month to new customers or existing ones that upgrade to a higher-speed internet service tier. Comporium will also use Remote View, a cloud-based platform from AirTies that monitors in-home WiFi performance and uses that data to help to optimize connectivity.

The Air 4920 is a 3x3 802.11ac and 2x2 802.11n dual-band concurrent access point.

The deal expands AirTies’s agreements with cable operators and other service providers that have added whole-home WiFi services to their arsenals. Other announced partners include Atlantic Broadband, AT&T, Frontier, Midco, Singtel, Sky, Swisscom, and Vodafone.

RELATED: AT&T Taps AirTies for Whole-Home WiFi

The trend has also opened up opportunities for other suppliers focused on whole-home WiFi gear and software, including eero, Arris and Plume, which has teamed with Comcast on the deployment of WiFi “pods” that aim to extend the reach of WiFi signals to all corners of the home.

RELATED: Blue Ridge Greenlights Eero for Whole-Home WiFi Offering

In other new Comporium news, NCTI has teamed with the Comporium Security, Monitoring and Automation (SMA) unit on a new online training course for SMA technicians.

Comporium SMA, which provided turnkey security, home automation and energy management services to the cable industry, and NCTI will make the course available to current and prospective Comporium SMA Solutions customers beginning in early-to-mid February.

The course, Home Security Technician, is currently comprised of three lessons, with two more to be added. NCTI estimates that most students will finish the course within four or five hours.  Upon successful completion, students will receive an NCTI certificate of achievement.

NCTI, the Colorado-based provider of cable and broadband technology training services, has signed a three-year enterprise license agreement with Schurz Communications, Inc.

Under the deal, Schurz will have the ability to select content applicable to its own specific business objectives at heavily discounted rates, NCTI said. NCTI is also helping Schurz to build career progression programs.

The program is expected to launch in mid-to-late February, beginning with technicians. 

RELATED: NCTI Rebrands as It Launches New Training Platform

“SCI ardently believes the most valuable asset to any company is its employees,” Tom Williams, VP of engineering and technology for Schurz’s broadband division, said in a statement. Vice President of Engineering and Technology, Broadband Division. “We want to attract and retain the best talent, and the best talent needs to know their employer cares enough to invest in their future.”

On the cable side, SCI operates Antietam Broadband (Hagerstown, Md.); Orbitel Communications (Maricopa, Ariz.); and Long Lines Broadband (Sergeant Bluff, Iowa).

NCTI, the Colorado-based provider of cable and broadband technology training services, has forged strategic alliances with two organizations focused on military veterans and reservists, Warriors4Wireless and The Learning Alliance, as part of a plan to help NCTI’s cable operator partners bolster their frontline workforce and to help improve the turnover rate for that important part of the MSO workforce.

W4W is a non-profit founded by military veteran leaders that originally focused on the wireless industry that works to help its partners meet demand for trained communication infrastructure technicians. The unit, focused on helping veterans with their careers in the telecom field, also provides training, advanced certification and transitional support, and is working with NCTI to expand into cable and broadband.

W4W will use NCTI’s online curriculum and complement that with instructor-led courses that focus on skill refinement. The plan is to start the first training later this summer, according to Stacey Slaughter, NCTI CEO, said.

The Learning Alliance (LAC) also trains and places individuals, including military vets and reservists, for jobs in the cable and broadband industry. Slaughter said the LAC program has been live for about six months, and that about 50 students per month are being on-boarded to the program.

Slaughter said the partnerships target a key demo as they aim to bring a new wave of skilled employees with strong leadership qualities to the cable industry, while also helping operators improve the churn rate for the frontline workforce.

The rate of churn for that portion of the cable workforce varies by MSO, but on an anecdotal level the average is about 40% per year, Slaughter said.

“By collaborating with NCTI, we have created a learning mechanism that provides the rigor and hands-on practical application skills needed to reduce the learning curve associated with career path within the cable and broadband industry,” said Cesar Ruiz, president and CEO of LAC. “Because of these efforts, we have been able to support an increased retention rate of 89%.”

“Our partnership with NCTI will allow us to expand the opportunity for separating service members and Veterans to not just find a job but to embark on a career path,” Kelley Dunne, chairman and founder of W4W, said in a statement. “A career path that continues their service to our country by building out critical communication infrastructure following successful military careers.”

Slaughter finalized a deal to acquire NCTI in December 2015 (then known as Jones/NCTI) from Jones International, the conglomerate founded by the late cable industry cable pioneer Glenn R. Jones. NCTI followed with a rebranding of the company about six months after the acquisition was finalized. NCTI moved into its new Littleton, Colo.-based headquarters about a year ago. 

RELATED: NCTI Rebrands as It Launches New Training Platform

Slaughter said NCTI has north of 500,000 students, works with the top 50 operators, and issues about 12,000 college credits per year. NCTI has been adding more than 1,000 course registrations and enrollments per month.

NCTI, the Colorado-based provider of cable and broadband technology training services, has launched eBooks, a new component of its digital learning platform for frontline techs.

NCTI said its new eBooks offering is available in conjunction with its course curriculum, and that it follows the June release of Amp 2.0, its integrated learning system.

RELATED: NCTI Rebrands as It Launches New Training Platform

“Our customers asked for learning solutions that are readily accessible, cost-effective, support current adult learning trends and reduce our collective impact on the environment,” Stacey Slaughter, CEO of NCTI, said in a statement. “ Delivering our course curriculum with eBooks allows us to update content bi-weekly via rapid release methodology, and also supports how MSOs want content delivered to their teams—and the way teams prefer to learn.” 

RELATED: Stacey Slaughter Acquires Jones/NCTI

NCTI also expanded its DOCSIS 3.1 program with Advanced DOCSIS 3.1 Operations, targeted to engineers and headend technicians responsible for configuring and maintaining DOCSIS systems. It follows on last year’s release of DOCSIS 3.1: Customer Premises.

“The Advanced DOCSIS 3.1 Operations course will become the standard by which our courses are designed and delivered,” Paul Eisbrener, NCTI director of learning and development said.

NCTI (booth 661) will demo eBooks and Amp 2.0 at this week’s show in Philadelphia. 

NCTI, the Colorado-based provider of cable and broadband technology training services, launched a newly-integrated learning platform alongside a new website and brand.

Those additions and changes come about six months after CEO Stacey Slaughter finalized a deal to acquire the company, known then as Jones/NCTI, from Jones International, the conglomerate founded by Glenn R. Jones, the cable and distance education pioneer who died last July.

On the product front, NCTI introduced AMP 2.0, an integrated, multi-device training platform for human resource professionals and frontline employees that ties in analytics, tracking tools, and training content. NCTI said the new platform is available to all its customers.

The new website features a new NCTI blog, called Converge,  and applies a focus on product areas spanning Connected Home, Connected Business, Advanced Network, Technician Development, Customer Experience and Leadership Pathways, said the company, which recently opened its new corporate headquarters in Littleton.

“Industry consolidation, rapid technology advancements and fast-changing residential and business customer needs mean our MSO customers need to think about learning and development in new ways,” Slaughter said. “NCTI is supporting our fast-changing industry with a comprehensive approach that includes an emphasis on data-driven learning management and digital learning.”

“The new Amp experience unifies learning management, team and course administration, and learning activities into one intuitive, responsive and easy-to-use platform,” added David Hoyt, NCTI’s VP for client and student support. “ Leaders, training coordinators and human resource professionals gain a comprehensive view of learning and career progress across the enterprise. “

NCTI, founded in 1968, said it has trained nearly 500,000 frontline employees. It also offers an accredited college certificate and degree program through its partnership with Arapahoe Community College.

Two Colorado–based companies -- NCTI (formerly Jones/NCTI) and opXL LLC -- have come together to launch nine courses for frontline cable and broadband industry techs.

The courses, a three-part series focused on the HFC Outside Plant, and a six-part Safety Series, are being offered online and address two of the top training requests from cable operators in educating frontline teams, they said.

The online courses, which feature video clips and animation to illustrate concepts, are optimized for iPads and Android tablets, they added. NCTI will market and sell the opXL-developed courses and offer them at www.ncti.com

The HFC Outside Plant Technician Basics Series provides an overview of cable math, AC power and RF theory. The Safety Series delivers safety refreshers in the following areas: Bucket Truck Safety; Ladder Safety; Electrical Safety-Outside Plant; Electrical Safety-Customer Premises; Slips, Trips and Falls; and Driving Safety

"Our customers told us they want basic training for HFC Outside Plant Technicians and need safety refresher courses to keep technician teams safe, and support corporate risk management goals,” said Stacey Slaughter, NCTI’s CEO, who acquired Jones/NCTI late last year. “We are pleased to collaborate with opXL to offer these important and relevant new courses in a learner-friendly format. Our superior delivery system and this high quality content creates a win-win for operators."

"NCTI provides opXL with a fantastic avenue to deliver our interactive HFC Technician and Safety courseware to the service provider market,” added Tom Gorman, president of opXL. “The HFC Tech Series gives advanced techs the knowledge and skills they need to be more effective in their job - which is invaluable as technology changes. The skill level of service techs must evolve as well.  And safety - among both field employees and contracted technicians - is of critical, and often overlooked, importance. In addition to the personal health benefits, the amount of savings an operator can realize by reducing reportable accidents is significant."

"opXL Learning Systems' HFC Tech Series and Safety Series programs are a great addition to NCTI's robust curriculum,” opXL principal Neil Sullivan said. “The HFC Tech Series is ground-breaking, online, interactive content that can be delivered via any web format and is available 24/7. Our Safety courses have been developed with employee welfare in mind. One of our MSO clients has reported a reduction in accidents of 50% since they started using the programs."

Stacey Slaughter, the CEO and CFO of Jones/NTCI, has finalized a deal to acquire the cable and broadband technology and services training company from Jones International, and plans to keep the firm based in the Denver area.

Slaughter (pictured) said she joined the bidding for the company when the Jones International board decided to seek a buyer for Jones/NCTI, a process that started following the passing of cable pioneer Glenn Jones in July. Jones International Academy closed its acquisition of NCTI,then a rival cable education and training firm, in January 2006.

Financial terms of the acquisition of Jones/NCTI were not disclosed, but Slaughter, who is coming up on her 20th year with Jones International, said she is now the sole owner of Jones/NCTI and financed the deal on her own.

Slaughter said she tossed her hat in the ring when the sales process for Jones/NCTI got underway in the late summer.  

“I believe strongly in what we do,” she said. “I believe in this team and believe in the services we provide, the products that we develop and the partners that we have in the MSO industry. I have a strong commitment to see that [business] continue to grow.”

Slaughter said all 30 Jones/NCTI employees (in true Jones form, she refers to them as “associates”) will stay with the company, which will be rebranded as “NCTI" in the coming months. 

Plans are also underway to move the company out of its current location, at the Jones headquarters building in Centennial, Colo., and set up new base of operations in nearby Littleton. Negotiations for the new space are ongoing, but Slaughter hopes to execute the move by February 2016.

“I wanted to make sure this team continued on their trajectory,” she said of her decision to buy the company, noting that developing training and courses for DOCSIS 3.1, fiber networks, and WiFi installation and troubleshooting will continue to be a near-term focus. NCTI, she added, will also focus on the “evolving the customer experience” as support increasingly links call centers with field technicians.

“I feel great about our prospects in 2016,” she said, adding that plans are underway to relaunch NCTI’s learning platform in the first quarter of next year.

Jones/NCTI, which has trained nearly 500,000 frontline employees since its founding, also offers a fully-accredited college certificate and degree program through a partnership with Arapahoe Community College. 

Slaughter joined Jones International in January 1996 as a staff accountant and worked her way up from there. She was named CFO of Jones/NCTI in 2012, appointed acting CEO in late 2013, and named permanent CEO in 2014, when Glenn Jones was appointed executive chairman of the Jones/NCTI  board.  She received her undergraduate degree in accounting from the University of Washington in Seattle, and a  Masters’ degree from the University of Colorado in 2001. She is a Certified Public Accountant and a member of the Colorado Society of CPAs.