US DoD to award mobile device contract in mid-2013

US DoD to award mobile device contract in mid-2013

The US Department of Defense (DoD) is evaluating industry bids to develop a DoD-wide mobile network and equip a broad range of personnel with mobile devices.
The Commercial Mobile Device Implementation Plan, announced on 26 February, will establish a framework to provide 600,000 mobile devices to the DoD workforce, from high-level policy makers down to the tactical edge, Major General Robert Wheeler, the DoD's deputy chief information officer for command, control, communications, computers, and information infrastructure (C4IIC), said at a Pentagon briefing.
He said the plan will also focus on improving three areas critical to mobility: mobile devices, wireless infrastructure, and mobile apps.
The implementation plan "works to ensure these areas remain reliable, secure, and flexible enough to keep up with fast changing technology today", Gen Wheeler said. "[We will] equip 600,000 mobile device users with secure classified and protected unclassified mobile solutions that leverage commercial off-the-shelf [(COTS) technologies], to promote the development of mobile apps to improve functionality, decrease cost, and enable increased productivity."
The department intends to conduct operational pilots that will incorporate lessons learned, ensure interoperability, refine technical requirements, influence commercial standards, create operational efficiencies for mobile users, and align with efforts in the Joint Information Environment, he added.