CENTCOM re-ups Artel for satellite services

Artel Inc. won two task orders from DOD to continue providing satellite services to the U.S. Central Command in support of forces in the Middle East and Southwest Asia.

Artel Inc. won two task orders totaling $70 million from the Defense Department to continue providing satellite services to the U.S. Central Command in support of forces deployed in the Middle East and Southwest Asia.

In areas where U.S. forces will be using Artel's services, little infrastructure is in place for terrestrial communications services and the military heavily relies on satellite services to carry out its missions.

To address this challenge, Artel of Reston, Va., will furnish satellite connectivity as well as real-time monitoring and control over the day-to-day physical and logical configuration of leased bandwidth, earth terminals and associated terrestrial interconnection resources.

The task orders were awarded under the Defense Information Systems Network Satellite Telecommunications Services-Global contract. DSTS-G provides a contract framework through which the Defense Department, federal agencies and other users authorized by DOD, can obtain global fixed satellite service bandwidth and related satellite-based services and applications.

DOD originally awarded Artel, one of three prime contractors, the DSTS-G contract in 2001.

Artel ranks No. 66 on Washington Technology's 2006 Top 100 list of the largest federal IT contractors.