Verizon Business Selected as a Prime Contractor for Networx Enterprise, Second Phase of GSA’s Multibillion-Dollar Communications Program

After recently being named a prime contractor for the first phase of the U.S. General Services Administration’s multibillion-dollar program to modernize federal
government communications, Verizon Business today was awarded a contract in
the program’s second phase.
 

Verizon Business, the largest provider of communications services to
the U.S. federal government, was named a Networx Universal prime contractor
in late March under the first phase of the GSA’s program. Today’s award is
for the companion Networx Enterprise program.
 Both Networx contracts authorize the company to offer its unsurpassed
portfolio of advanced wireline and wireless services to individual
government agencies around the world. Networx, among the largest federal
communications programs in history, has an overall value estimated at about
$20 billion over 10 years, spread among all awardees.
 

“Verizon Business is uniquely positioned to help government agencies
meet their individual operational requirements under both Networx Universal
and Networx Enterprise, including an unsurpassed portfolio of secure IP
wired and wireless solutions,” said John Killian, president of Verizon
Business.
 

“We have a proven track record of helping government agencies
transition to Internet protocol and other advanced services. Under FTS2001,
we helped our customers adopt advanced IP-based services. Our global IP
leadership, coupled with 20 years of experience serving the federal
government, makes Verizon Business the best choice under either Enterprise
or Universal for agencies to make the most of the benefits of advanced
communications,” Killian said.
 

While Networx Universal service providers are required to provide a
core set of Internet protocol and wireless services to all government
locations mandated by the GSA, Networx Enterprise has fewer mandatory
services and many optional services.
 

Networx will replace FTS2001 and several other telecommunications
agreements. The program is designed to allow the government to choose among
a comprehensive range of integrated telecommunications and network
services, ranging from converged voice, video and data services over a
single network to a variety of next-generation offerings, including
advanced IP services, managed services and advanced security services.
 

In addition, Verizon Business will act as a services and solutions
integrator to simplify and optimize each government agency’s network and
applications. As a member of the Verizon Business Networx team, Verizon
Wireless will provide voice and broadband data services and devices on the
nation’s most reliable wireless network.
 Susan Zeleniak, vice president for Verizon Federal, an organization
within Verizon Business dedicated to serving federal government customers,
said: “With our comprehensive suite of Networx products and services, an
advanced online customer portal and a state-of-the-art Government Network
Operations and Security Center, Verizon Business can provide agencies with
some of the best capabilities backed by some of the industry’s highest
service level commitments.”
 

As one of the two telecommunications service providers initially
awarded the FTS2001 contracts by the GSA in January 1999, Verizon Business
serves virtually every federal agency under that contract. As agencies
transition to Networx, Verizon Business will continue to offer the
telecommunications services it currently provides under the FTS2001 Bridge
Contract.
Under Networx — just as with FTS2001 — federal agencies will be able
to take advantage of Verizon Business’ advanced voice and data network
services as well as a variety of next-generation offerings, including
managed services; advanced security services; enterprise wireless; storage,
application, management and collaboration services; and teleworking, Web
hosting and advanced call-center services.
 Verizon Business is already meeting the government’s demands for next-
generation networking services. The company last year opened its new
Government Network Operations and Security Center (GNOSC) to support the
unique security and operational requirements of federal government
customers. The GNOSC, located in Northern Virginia and built to government
security standards, supports the managed network services Verizon Business
provides to a wide array of federal government agencies.

 The GNOSC, along with Verizon Business’s vBNS+ (Very High Speed
Backbone Network Service), also will play an important role in helping the
federal government adopt the next generation of Internet protocol — known
as version six, or IPv6 — and meet the Office of Management and Budget’s
mandated transition target of June 2008. Verizon Business is a pioneer in
developing and delivering IPv6 capabilities to market, helping to expand
the availability of IP address space and to accommodate the growing number
of IP-enabled network devices in the marketplace.

  Verizon Business today provides an unsurpassed range of communications
services to civilian and defense agencies, delivering government customers
many advanced services ranging from call-center applications to dedicated
security operations.
 

Verizon Business is an industry leader in helping government and
business customers shift to IP-based products and services. The company
combines one of the world’s largest wholly owned, most-connected IP
networks with an unsurpassed portfolio of enterprise wireline and wireless
devices, services and solutions.
 With its extensive global network and comprehensive portfolio of
services, Verizon Business can provide federal agencies with one-stop
shopping for their communications or connectivity needs. The company has
built the next- generation services that are helping to transform the way
government customers — and their constituents — do business.

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