AT&T has partnered with the U.S. Army after having won a contract that will see the company bringing unity and modernization to the agency’s communications network. That’s according to an announcement made via the U.S.-based carrier’s official website on October 9. As part of the deal, the announcement says, AT&T will be responsible for serving around one million Army users in locations all over the world. No pricing or cost assessments associated with the partnership was provided, as of this writing.
As to the deal’s specifics, AT&T likely isn’t willing to provide too much detailed information since the deal is in support of military operations undertaken by a government agency. It has, however, said that the deal won’t require the Army to purchase any new hardware in order to use its services, which could have been a key factor in the agency’s decision to go with the company. Instead, the mobile provider will be managing both classified and “highly secured unclassified” communications through the cloud. Services themselves will, of course, allow personnel to communicate through voice calls, as well as through chat and instant messenger services that are approved for military use. AT&T is said to have included video conferencing as a way for higher ranking Army officials to communicate and collaborate military functions and coordinate efforts undertaken by Army soldiers. Beyond that, screen sharing will be available to assist with any repairs being conducted by Army mechanics who don’t have immediate access to the information they need to complete their tasks. Finally, location sharing is also part of the package. All of that will be available to service members through a variety of communications platforms too, rather than just through Department of Defense or AT&T-approved mobile devices. That means active service Army users will also able to use their laptops and desktops on the network to conduct operations.
Meanwhile, the current President of AT&T’s Global Public Sector, Kay Kapoor, says that the company is honored to be taking part in the DoD’s efforts to include commercial options as part of its overall technological strategy. The services, Kapoor continues, will be helpful in keeping Army personnel connected as they work to “defend our nation.”