Second times a charm: Sprint Nextel snares piece of government contract

Sprint Nextel Corp. made the cut this time, snagging one of the prized contracts in a multibillion-dollar program to modernize the federal government’s telecommunications system.
The General Services Administration today awarded Networx Enterprise contracts to Sprint Solutions Inc. (Sprint Nextel), AT&T Inc., Level 3 Communications L.L.C., MCI Communications Services (Verizon Communications Inc.) and Qwest Government Services Inc.
Networx Enterprise, the second of two acquisitions that comprise the Networx Program, is designed to provide voice, Internet Protocol, wireless, satellite and IP-centric services to 135 federal agencies.
In late March, Sprint Nextel-a perennial government contractor-came up short in the awarding of Networx Universal contracts. The value of the combined Universal and Enterprise contracts is estimated at $20 billion, but has a ceiling of $48 billion, over a 10-year period.
“Sprint has built its success on being a telecommunications pioneer in the federal arena, and winning the Networx Enterprise contract, which is aligned with our forward-looking corporate strategy, now validates our continued strong commitment to the federal marketplace,” said Gary Forsee, chairman and CEO of Sprint Nextel.