General Dynamics lands $325M U.S. emergency telecomm contract

A division of Falls Church-based defense contractor General Dynamics will provide priority telecommunications services to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security under a contract worth up to $325 million with federal Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Agency's (CISA) Emergency Communications Division (ECD).

CISA, which falls under the purview of Homeland Security, was created in November 2018 as a standalone federal agency to reduce and eliminate threats to the nation's critical physical and cyber infrastructure assets.

General Dynamics Information Technology (GDIT) will provide services allowing Homeland Security to provide priority voice, data, video and information services in order to maintain continuity of government operations during natural emergencies, acts of terrorism and war.

GDIT has provided support to the federal government's priority telecommunications services program for the last 25 years, providing critical services so that hundreds of thousands of registered users, including the White House, are able to communicate during times when communications systems are congested by increased traffic or physical damage. The new contract will allow GDIT to continue its support work for the program, including integrating 5G cellular network technology.