Written by Billy Mitchell

The U.S. Army awarded AT&T a contract to unify and modernize its communications capabilities, the telecom provider announced Monday.

The Army awarded the five-year contract to AT&T last month for more than $35 million to provide integrated voice, video, instant messaging/chat and screen-sharing capabilities powered by the cloud for 1 million authorized Army users on classified and unclassified networks.

The services will “make it easier for Army personnel to connect, collaborate and share information in support of daily operations globally,” an AT&T release says.

“Army mechanics overseas can share screens with experts at a home station to speed repairs. Commanders and their staffs can use live video links to collaborate across different locations or direct troop operations abroad,” the release says. “Army personnel in the U.S. and abroad will have access to these services on demand from their desktops, laptops, and approved mobile devices.”

The Army, in a statement provided to FedScoop, touted the benefits of avoiding a capital investment through the commercial off-the-shelf contract. “There are many benefits to COTS including saving money on initial investment, meeting IT requirements while avoiding costs, lowering maintenance investments, cost-effective new upgrades and features and using technology that has already been tested,” the statement says.

“We’re honored to deliver capabilities that complement our vision of a ‘Network of the Future’ for the Army,” Kay Kapoor, president of AT&T’s global public sector team, said in a statement. “These services will help the heroes that defend our nation to connect, share and keep us safe.”

The contract aligns with a Defense Department-wide push toward cloud-first operations. The Pentagon last month published a new plan for cloud adoption rooted in the creation of the DOD Cloud Executive Steering Group.