The Defense Information Systems Agency tapped AT&T to consolidate and upgrade the U.S. Coast Guard’s disparate data networks, handing the operator an 11-year $161 million contract for the work.
As part of the task order, AT&T will supply the Coast Guard with an IP-based Wide Area Network, as well as several other services including ethernet, virtual private networking, private line, fixed wireless, optical wavelength and commercial satellite communication. The operator will become the Coast Guard’s principal provider of global data telecom services and will manage those services across the agency’s 1,200 locations. Planning for the new network is currently underway.
Stacy Schwartz, VP of the FirstNet Program at AT&T said in a statement it is “vitally important” for the Coast Guard to have “a fast, reliable, and modernized data network to help ensure rapid flow of data to support their important work daily.” She noted “time is precious for the critical services the U.S. Coast Guard provides, from search and rescue to port security and military readiness.”
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The contract was awarded as part of the General Service Administration’s Enterprise Infrastructure Solutions (EIS) technology procurement program. The most recent data available from the government’s EIS transition progress tracking dashboard showed 21% of EIS task orders had yet to be awarded as of September 30, 2021, compared to 26.2% as of August 31. All government telecom purchase agreements must be sourced through EIS by September 2022.
AT&T noted in a press release the contract opens the door for the Coast Guard to expand its use of the operator’s FirstNet communications platform for public safety workers. The agency already uses FirstNet to communicate mission-critical guidance for day-to-day operations and in disaster situations and has distributed FirstNet-enabled devices to more than 1,300 pilots.
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The award is the latest in AT&T’s string of EIS wins. Earlier this year, it scored a $182 million contract with the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), a $725 million deal with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, $306 million worth of contracts from the Department of Homeland Security, a $175 million order from the Department of Transportation and a $231 million deal with the Department of Treasury.