DOD picks Sprint for data services

The Defense Department today announced that it selected Sprint to provide data communications services under the company's FTS 2001 contract with the General Services Administration.

Sprint will provide frame-relay service as well as X.25 packet switched service to DOD over the next eight years. A DOD statement said the frame-relay service will accommodate the department's high-bandwidth imaging, video and data transmissions, while the packet service will provide lower-speed connectivity for users who do not require frame relay.

Last month DOD selected the other FTS 2001 contractor, MCI WorldCom, to provide voice service. DOD officials have yet to determine which FTS 2001 vendor will provide high-speed advanced Asynchronous Transfer Mode services or videoconferencing or whether it will acquire these services outside of the FTS 2001 contract.