The U.S. Department of Treasury has signed a deal worth up to $1 billion with AT&T Government Solutions and its partners for a new secure high-speed network for its operations.
In an announcement Tuesday, Vienna, Va.-based AT&T Government Solutions said the new network will connect more than 1,000 Treasury Department locations around the nation, linking tens of thousands of users around the world with voice, video and data communications.
Jim McGann, an AT&T spokesman, said the Treasury Communications Enterprise contract covers three base years and includes seven option years. If all the option years are taken, the total contract would be worth $1 billion.
The new network is scheduled to be in operation by August, he said, and will replace the department"s existing older network.
The contract, signed last Friday, calls for the construction of a secure, high-speed IP virtual private network that allows Treasury Department workers to communicate with any location or data center over a common network infrastructure. The network can be expanded for future needs such as voice over IP and real-time video services.
The network will use a Web-based interface so users can access online ordering, billing, help desk support and network performance information.
AT&T"s subcontractors for the project include Accenture LLP, BAE Systems Inc., DreamHammer Inc., GTSI Corp., Lucent Technologies Inc. and SRA International Inc.
"We have assembled the best companies in the industry to assist us in implementing a secure IP network that will accommodate the future convergence of voice and data while transitioning smoothly from current technology," Lou Addeo, president of AT&T Government Solutions, said in a statement. "We"re proud to serve the Treasury Department and look forward to using our network integration skills to deliver a solution that could become a model for agencies that are thinking about how to prepare for the networking of the future."
A spokesman for the Treasury Department couldn"t be reached for comment Wednesday.