ClearSky Technologies, Inc., a leading provider of mobile data services to regional wireless carriers, announced the signing of a multi-year contract to deliver Femtocell as a Service (FaaS) to Cellular One of East Central Illinois. ClearSky commenced its FaaS operation in mid-2012 with a successful customer trial.

The number one reason wireless carriers lose customers is poor coverage. Today’s wireless customers expect consistent, high-quality coverage in exchange for their loyalty. Macro cellular networks alone cannot fulfill this expectation, so carriers across the world are turning to small cells to deliver ubiquitous coverage and avoid losing valuable customers.

Cellular One chose ClearSky’s FaaS to cost-effectively fill coverage gaps in their own markets, thus enabling them to:

• Expand network capacity wherever needed.
• Improve coverage in residential, commercial and outdoor spaces.
• Reduce in-network roaming costs.
• Increase off-network roaming revenue.
• Extend the battery life of handsets.
• Decrease CapEx by outsourcing the Femtocell Gateway infrastructure.

“ClearSky’s FaaS meets our need to deliver high-quality voice and data coverage, and does so at a fraction of the cost of expanding our macro network and/or purchasing a Femtocell Gateway of our own,” said Cassy Carter, CEO of Cellular One of East Central Illinois. “One of our primary objectives is to reduce churn by improving in-home coverage for subscribers on the periphery of our macro cellular network, and residential FAPs [femtocell access points] are ideal for that purpose.”

“ClearSky’s singular focus has always been to place regional carriers on equal footing with top tier carriers. As cellular networks continue to evolve, certain integral network elements, such as a Femtocell Gateway, are expensive and cannot be cost justified by regional carriers, yet the demand for the technology remains high,” said Tony Tagliareni, ClearSky Chief Sales & Marketing Officer. “Outsourcing the FaaS solution to ClearSky allows Cellular One to redirect precious capital toward promoting their brand, differentiating themselves from competitors, and most importantly, growing their subscriber base.”

About ClearSky Technologies, Inc.

For more than a decade, ClearSky Technologies has been a leader in providing mobile data solutions for regional wireless carriers, enabling them to offer the same advanced technology as national carriers such as AT&T, Sprint and Verizon. ClearSky’s powerful array of products and services includes LTE, femtocell, traffic and policy management, Multi-Generation SMS, MMS and mobile Internet gateway, along with P-SMS and carrier-branded content portals. Headquartered in Orlando, ClearSky currently provides mobile data services to more than 80 wireless operators serving 8 million subscribers across the Americas. For more information, visit www.csky.com.

About Cellular One of East Central Illinois

Cellular One of East Central Illinois is a family-owned and locally operated provider of cellular phone and wireless Internet services, and is one of the few independent cellular service companies in the country that has operated continuously under the same owners since first opening for business. The company has served the residents of Clark, Clay, Coles, Crawford, Cumberland, Douglas, Edgar, Jasper, Lawrence, Richland and Vermilion counties since 1991.

via ClearSky to Launch First American “Femtocell as a Service” Carrier Customer | Clear Sky.