Windstream wins $3M fiber contract with the Department of Defense

Windstream (Nasdaq: WIN) has added another win to its public sector services column by being awarded a $3 million, 36-month contract from the Department of Defense (DoD) to bring new fiber connections to two U.S.-based military bases.

These new connections, which are in the process of being installed, will provide a faster connection for both Fort Knox in Louisville, Ky., and Red River Army Depot in Texarkana, Texas.

Both of these locations are quite sizable. Fort Knox covers more than 100,000 acres and spans three Kentucky counties, while Red River Army Depot is often recognized as one of the largest ammunition storage facilities for the United States Army.

Similar to the fiber contracts it recently won in January for military bases in Oklahoma and Texas, Windstream said these upgrades will enable the two bases to communicate more effectively "during day-to-day tasks and mission-critical operations."

Each of these new network connections will serve as a foundation as an intra-agency network that will connect three other military bases: Tinker Air Force Base in Oklahoma, Kelly Field Annex in Texas, Scott Air Force Base in Illinois and Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio.

The military has become a key point of growth Windstream's public sector practice. Over the past three years, the service provider has won nearly 20 contracts where it is extending its fiber network.

While it won't release its fourth-quarter 2013 earnings until Thursday, the public sector and other segments contributed to the telco's 1 percent year-over-year rise in the business services segment.

For more:
- see the release

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