The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has awarded AT&T an initial $74.3 million deal to begin initial work building a new nationwide, high-bandwidth telecommunications network that will be the backbone of the agency’s Brand New Air Traffic Control System (BNATCS).
The FAA posted the award notice to SAM.gov for the FAA Enterprise Network Services (FENS) program on Aug. 12. The agency said it anticipates the indefinite-delivery, indefinite- quantity award will result in a “multibillion-dollar” contract with AT&T for up to 15 years.
The FAA and the Transportation Department have a goal of implementing the BNATCS system by the end of 2028.
In the notice, the FAA said, “This accelerated acquisition is required to support the December 2028 operational deadline for BNATCS.”
“The current FAA Telecommunications Infrastructure network can no longer adequately support [National Airspace System] operations or BNATCS requirements,” the FAA said. “A competitive procurement would require a minimum of 22 months, making the December 2028 deadline impossible to meet.”
The FAA told MeriTalk that the FENS program will replace antiquated technology by providing a modern, secure, and resilient IP network platform that connects over 4,600 FAA facilities and 30,000 services nationwide.
In a statement to MeriTalk, the FAA said, “Under the initial contract, AT&T will begin program management and engineering activities, network design, transition planning from legacy network services, and other technical, testing, and implementation efforts needed to support the future FENS network.”
“Authorizing this initial work now helps maintain the schedule to complete the program by the end of 2028 and ensure a smooth transition from the current network while the FAA and AT&T negotiate and finalize the long-term FENS contract,” the FAA added.
In March 2023, the FAA originally awarded Verizon a 15-year, $2.4 billion contract to design, build, operate, and maintain the FAA’s next-generation communications platform under the FENS program. AT&T served in a support role.
AT&T is now taking over the primary role, and Verizon is focusing on its core network delivery capability. However, Verizon will remain a part of the FENS program as the FAA delivers the future modernized network.
In justifying the new award, the FAA said AT&T “is the only Tier-1 provider currently willing and able to commit resources to meet the BNATCS timeline.” The agency also noted that AT&T participated in the original FENS competitive procurement.