Maravedis names inaugural MDU Connectivity Awards winners

Maravedis Research announced nine winners in the first MDU Connectivity Awards, chosen from 40 entries by an independent panel of owners, operators, REITs, and industry experts. The awards spotlight deployment data, resident experience, retrofit economics, and PropTech as multifamily broadband competition intensifies.

Why it matters: - The awards put a spotlight on the vendors and deployments shaping managed Wi-Fi, PropTech, and resident connectivity in multifamily housing. - Real deployment data was required for each winning entry, which raises the bar for proof of performance in a market often driven by claims. - The results show where property owners and operators are placing value: resident experience, retrofit-friendly networks, and measurable operating gains.

What happened: - Maravedis Research announced the winners of the inaugural Maravedis MDU Connectivity Awards 2026 on Oct. 8 during a live online ceremony. - The program drew 40 entries and 25 finalists across nine categories. - An independent panel of property owners, operators, REITs, consultants, analysts, and trade media scored each entry. - Calix was the Platinum Sponsor of the awards program.

The details: - CBX Connect won Best Managed Wi-Fi Deployment for Hub Knoxville, a high-density deployment supporting nearly 2,000 residents, more than 10,000 devices, and 60 TB of traffic during move-in, with nine support tickets and no system-wide outages. - GFiber and Quext won the MSP Innovation Award for a partnership combining multi-gig fiber, Wi-Fi 7, automated onboarding, personal networks, and smart-building technology on a single platform, validated through a relationship with Irvine Company. - Xfinity Communities won Best Retrofit Deployment for Connected Building, a gateway that delivers community-wide Wi-Fi over existing coax without a full overbuild and adds PMS integration, smart-building capabilities, and senior housing deployment scale. - Elauwit Connection won Emerging Company to Watch for its Network-as-a-Service model, in which Elauwit builds and funds the network. The company says it has grown to more than 37,000 units across 25-plus states in just over two years. - SmartRent won Best PropTech Technology for an operating platform that combines smart hardware, cloud software, AI-enabled workflows, automation, and portfolio intelligence across 1.2 million connected apartments, with an estimated $6.7 million in damage prevented. - Quext won Best PropTech Deployment for The Collective at Norman, where residents enrolled within hours of launch and now make more than 3,300 digital unlocks a day with zero reported lockouts, delivered with Preiss, IRIS Technologies, Allegion, Schlage, Apple, and Google. - Calix won the Resident Experience Award for SmartMDU and CommandIQ, which give residents control over network settings, security, device priority, and guest access through private networks that roam property-wide. - Positron Access Solutions won the Technology Excellence Award for GAM, which delivers gigabit services over existing coax and telephone wiring where overbuild economics would otherwise block deployment, and integrates with XGS-PON environments while supporting multiple services and providers. - RUCKUS Networks won Best WLAN Vendor in Multifamily for a platform with adaptive antenna technology, DPSK-based resident security, Wi-Fi 7, cloud management, and AI-driven operations, backed by a global partner ecosystem.

Between the lines: - The judging criteria favored measurable results, future growth vision, and end-user impact, not just product features. - That matters because multifamily connectivity is moving from a network procurement decision to a resident-retention and owner-economics decision. - The awards also show a split in the market between new-build style innovation and retrofit solutions that work inside older buildings.

What's next: - Maravedis said the awards will continue to recognize innovation across managed Wi-Fi deployments, MSP innovation, technology excellence, resident experience, emerging companies, PropTech, retrofit deployments, and WLAN vendors. - The company is also highlighting the 2026 finalists, including Aervivo, Calix, CBX Connect, Discernity, Elauwit Connection, GFiber and Quext, Internet Subway, Positron Access Solutions, Quext, RUCKUS Networks, Seldin LLC, SmartRent, WiBUZ, and Xfinity Communities. - Maravedis is accepting attention around the broader awards program and related category details at award categories.

The bottom line: - The inaugural awards suggest the multifamily connectivity market is rewarding operators and vendors that can prove resident benefit, deployment scale, and retrofit practicality—not just promise it.