TeleCommunication Systems (News - Alert) (TCS), a provider of reliable and secure mobile communications technology, has been awarded a Global Tactical Advanced Communication Systems and Services (GTACS) contract by the Department of Defense.

TCS is one of 20 companies the Defense Department has selected for this contract, which gives access to the company’s satellite communication equipment to the Warfighter Tactical Communications Systems (News - Alert) and Services (WTCSS) through the Department of the Army, Assistant Secretary for Acquisition, Logistics, and Technology, Program Executive Office Command, Control, Communications-Tactical (PEO C3T), Special Projects Office and the Northeast Regional Response Center (NRRC).

The Defense Department can spend up to $10 billion on the company’s turnkey fleet of deployable satellite systems over five years under the Indefinite Delivery - Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) provisions of the contract.

“This is very exciting news for TCS,” said the senior vice president and general manager. “This contract is the successor to the World-Wide Satellite Systems (WWSS) contract vehicle. WWSS transformed TCS into a major defense integrator of deployable C4ISR communication systems. GTACS has twice the ceiling of WWSS and an expanded scope of work. This award gives DoD agencies the opportunity to purchase TCS' TotalCom solutions, consisting of deployable SATCOM and baseband equipment, as well as field support staff and other related services in order to strengthen their vital mission of protecting our nation. TCS looks forward to supplying our current and new DoD customers for the next five years via this contract."

In other news, TCS has also opened a new sales office in Johannesburg, South Africa.

“In recent years, we've intensified our focus on international expansion, particularly in Africa,” said Jay Whitehurst, senior vice president of Commercial Software Group at TCS. “By establishing a sales office in Johannesburg, we are able to demonstrate our strong commitment to this key market and provide an opportunity to showcase our location-based services and offer customers competitive platform solutions.”