Verizon secures NWS network transition, modernization order

Verizon has booked an eight-year, $80 million task order to work with the National Weather Service on transitioning the agency's voice and data network to the government's next-gen telecommunications vehicle.

NWS sought to hire a prime contractor on the Enterprise Infrastructure Solutions vehicle to improve network performance and incorporate new technologies into the agency's transformational roadmap, Verizon said Monday.

A total of four carriers bid for the order to help migrate NWS away from the Networx vehicle, according to Federal Procurement Data System records.

“Through the modernization of network infrastructure, we can help enhance the capabilities of this vital federal agency as they continue to provide timely and reliable - and in some cases, life-saving - weather information to the American public," Michael Adams, associate vice president for federal civilian services at Verizon, said in a release.

NWS is a component agency of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the latter of which Verizon is also working with under a three-year Cooperative Research and Development Agreement to deploy uncrewed aircraft systems.

Verizon and NOAA are using that fleet of aircraft to collect and distribute imagery of damage resulting from severe storms, such as tornadoes and hurricanes.