TSA taps Unisys for cellular communications program

Unisys Corp. has won a $10 million contract from the Transportation Security Administration to provide cellular phone services to agency employees through the Managed Services Wireless Personal Communications program, the company announced today.

Under the contract, Unisys of Blue Bell, Pa., will offer cellular phone services for between 6,000 and 8,000 agency employees assigned to 429 U.S. airports and TSA headquarters in Arlington, Va. The Wireless Personal Communications program aims to ease centralized management of cellular phone services as well as other wireless personal communications devices used by TSA

Specifically, Unisys will lead project planning, rate negotiations and service procurement; manage daily carrier operations; consolidate billing and reporting; and provide customer service to streamline and enhance wireless personal communications services and support across the agency.

Wireless providers, including AWS, Nextel, T-Mobile and Verizon Wireless, will support the company and permit pooling of cellular airtime minutes across TSA on a single rate structure, regardless of location, Unisys said.

Unisys already is implementing managed services for the Wireless Personal Communications program, which runs though August 2005.

In August 2002, Unisys was awarded TSA's Information Technology Managed Services contract for the agency's technology infrastructure. The Managed Services Wireless Personal Communications program is included in Unisys' responsibilities under ITMS.

Unisys has about 37,000 employees and annual sales of $5.6 billion. The company was ranked No. 20 in the Washington Technology 2003 Top 100 list.