Mobile data services provider ClearSky Technologies has signed a multi-year contract with NEC to offer Femtocell as a Service (FaaS) to regional GSM/UMTS wireless carriers. Femtocell as a Service offers an alternative approach to launching services for many carriers.

ClearSky believes that femtocells can be deployed by rural carriers to cost effectively address a number of operational challenges including reducing roaming costs by filling coverage gaps in their own markets, offloading data traffic from their core networks, and eliminating poor coverage within their subscribers’ residences.

Earlier this year, company had entered in an agreement with NEC to support a Femtocell as a Service (FaaS) market trial for a national North American wireless carrier.

“With more than 15 years of hosting network infrastructure along with a reach of 80 carrier clients, ClearSky was the obvious choice to work with us in offering FaaS as a hosted solution,” said Harumi Ikeda, Executive Vice President, NEC Corporation of America, Carrier Solutions.