DISA awards $2.5 billion Pacific communications pact to Verizon

The Defense Information Systems Agency awarded a $2.5 billion contract to Verizon Business Network Services on Monday to provide communications services for military and other federal agencies in the Pacific region.

Under the 10-year pact, called the Defense Information Systems Network transmission services-Pacific II contract, Verizon will provide a range of terrestrial and satellite telecommunication services to military bases and units that are part of the U.S. Pacific Command, including installations in Hawaii, Guam, Japan and South Korea.

Verizon provided these services under the original transmission services contract to the Pacific Command. Under the new contract, the company also will support the Defense Department's Northern and Southern Commands, which have units and installations in what DISA called "the expanded Pacific region."

MCI, which Verizon acquired in 2006, won the original DISN transmission services-Pacific contract in 1999, which had a value of $4 billon.