Northern Telecom Ltd has beaten AT&T Co and GTE Corp to a $147m contract to supply the US Air Force with integrated digital switching systems. The nine-year contract, one of the biggest awarded by the US federal government, is for 161,000 lines of voice and data communications at 54 major Air Force installations in the US, Korea, Japan, Guam and Greenland. It is projected to increase to as much as $250m depending on options and features ordered at each site. The Integrated Digital Telecommunications System contract is described as the cornerstone of the US Air Force’s Base Information Digital Distribution System programme to upgrade the total base communication facilities to take advantage of the cost savings and new features inherent in modern technology. The systems include Northern Telecom’s Meridian SL 100 and Meridian SL-1 integrated services networks which are tied together with other Northern Telecom equipment. Both basic rate and primary rate access integrated services digital network features will be incorporated.
