Hughes Network Systems has been awarded a Custom Satellite Communications Solutions (CS2) contract by the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) to provide commercial satellite end-to-end communications to government customers.

The contract is a multiple award, Indefinite Delivery Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) vehicle and the final component of the Future COMSATCOM Services Acquisition (FCSA) program, a joint acquisition program between the Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) and GSA that enables government agencies to purchase satellite communications. The term of the contract is for a base period of three years with two, one-year options.

"This contract ushers in the next generation in government satellite communications," said Tony Bardo, assistant vice president for government solutions at Hughes.

"The path-diverse nature of satellite technology enables agencies to provide mission-critical functions, such as emergency communications for Continuity of Operations (COOP) planning and emergency responder operations, as well as communications support in remote areas through distance learning and telemedicine."

Under the contract, Hughes will provide COMSATCOM end-to-end solutions to meet the unique needs of government customers, including fixed satellite services and/or mobile satellite services, components and equipment such as terminals, teleports, circuits, Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) cards and peripherals.

In addition, Hughes will provide the following services:

+ Design and engineering services

+ Ongoing maintenance and operational support services

+ Customer care and helpdesk support

+ Training

"Commercial SATCOM is essential to a resilient, adaptive and robust SATCOM architecture for the U.S. military," said Rick Lober, vice president and general manager, Defense and Intelligence Systems Division at Hughes.

"We look forward to implementing end-to-end, systems level solutions that utilize our broad array of cost-effective and bandwidth efficient SATCOM technologies to enhance communication and security both within and across federal civilian, defense and intelligence agencies."