Cisco Enlisted For DoD IP Conferencing

Cisco will provide networking equipment under a Department of Defense (DoD) contract that ranks as the largest single voice and video conferencing project in the federal government.

The award flows through defense contractor Northrop Grumman , which assembled a team of companies to build network hubs supporting military operations worldwide.

Cisco's IP Video Conferencing 3540 Multipoint Control Unit for video conferencing and MeetingPlace for video, voice and Web conferencing will be the foundation of the system.

"[This contract] represents a significant validation of our overall intelligent information network strategy and affirms our position as a major player in video and rich media conferencing and collaboration," Charles Giancarlo, Cisco's chief development officer, said in a statement.

A Cisco spokeswoman declined to say how much revenue the San Jose, Calif., company expects from the project.

The DoD award is the second major video-related announcement from Cisco this month. Earlier, it said it would pay $6.9 billion for set-top box maker and video networker Scientific-Atlanta .

Other firms will also team with Northrop Grumman on the video conferencing project. Video conferencing technology from Radvision will work with government encryption devices to provide high-quality, real-time video, voice and data communications.

Radvision said it expects revenue related to this contract to be between $6 million to $8 million over the next 15 months.

Other companies on Northrop Grumman's team include: telecom carrier AT&T ; networking services provider FC Business Systems; video conferencing firm CritiCom; systems integrator Netconn Solutions; and construction giant Parsons.

The work will be performed in Falls Church, Va., and various worldwide locations.