Two agencies sign on to Sprint’s IP fiber network

Two security-conscious agencies are signing on to Sprint Corp.Â’s Peerless IP fiber network, which operates independently of the public Internet.

The FBI has signed a 36-month contract of undisclosed value for SprintÂ’s secure virtual private network services to 59 sites for its Digital Collection System Network, which caused controversy under a previous name, Carnivore.

DCSNetÂ’s purpose is to scrutinize details and contents of phone calls traced by law enforcement. Carnivore would have extended surveillance to e-mail communications.

SprintÂ’s government systems division in Herndon, Va., also will migrate the Army National GuardÂ’s asynchronous transfer mode network to Peerless IP, under a GuardNet contract valued at $18 million the first year.

It includes IP services plus routing technology from Cisco Systems Inc. of San Jose, Calif., and videoconferencing equipment from Tandberg of New York.

The guardÂ’s Lt. Col. James Lord said in a statement that the GovWorks Federal Acquisition Center competed the award, which has a potential value of $36 million over five years.

Reported By GCN Daily Updates, http://www.gcn.com

(20031022/WIRES security, daily-updates/)