[Satellite TODAY 11-07-11] Inmarsat subsidiaries Stratos Government Services (SGSI) and Segovia have been awarded an indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity (IDIQ) contract by the U.S. Defense Information Technology Contracting Organization (DITCO) to provide satellite communications infrastructure and service for the U.S. Navy’s Military Sealift Command’s (MSC) Next Generation Wideband (NGW) program, the companies announced Nov. 4.

   A $315 million ceiling price was set under the terms of the contract, which will allow SGSI and Segovia to replace the MSC’s Afloat Bandwidth Efficient Satellite Transport (BEST) satellite infrastructure. The deal’s eight-year performance period includes a four-year base period plus four, one-year option periods.

   MSC operates approximately 110 noncombatant civilian-crewed ships that replenish U.S. Navy ships, conduct specialized missions, strategically preposition combat cargo at sea around the world and move military cargo and supplies used by deployed U.S. forces and coalition partners. SGSI and Segovia said they would develop a solution that supports a commercial-off-the-shelf NGW system through an end-to-end IP communications pathway linking globally deployed MSC ships and assets.

   The pathway includes space-segment services, satellite infrastructure, shipboard terminal hardware, supporting software and a terrestrial-backhaul infrastructure for redundant global connectivity. The SGSI/Segovia solution also includes worldwide installation and support services for the MSC fleet.