CenturyLink wins DISA's $750M DREN III contract

CenturyLink has won a 10-year, $750 million task order contract with the Defense Information Systems Agency to solve complicated and time-consuming problems with parallel computing and high-speed networking.

This contract, known as the Defense Research and Engineering Network III contract, was awarded by DISA’s Defense Information Technology Contracting Organization.

Under the contract, CenturyLink will provide a high-speed, fiber-optic network that connects the department’s supercomputers and researchers at speeds that range from 50 megabits to 100 gigabits per second, the company said in a release.

To this end, the company will supply Ethernet, internet protocol and optical wave services through a virtual private local area network service that links defense scientists and engineers at research institutions, laboratories and test facilities at a number of Defense Department locations across the United States, the company said.

Through the connectivity that the contract achieves, CenturyLink said, it allows researchers to develop solutions to problems as well as develop new technologies critical to the defense industrial base and national security.