Intelsat General Corp. has been awarded a subcontract from TeleCommunication Systems, Inc., a world leader in highly reliable and secure mobile communication technology, to provide managed Ku bandwidth on Intelsat satellites, in addition to associated teleport and terrestrial services, for the U.S. Marine Corps.

The initial subcontract is for a base 12-month period starting August 1, 2013, with four, one-year option periods. The TCS contract was issued under the joint Defense Information Systems Agency/GSA Future Commercial Satcom Acquisition program. TCS is one of eight prime contract awardees under the $2.6 billion Custom SATCOM Solutions (CS2) vehicle, which was awarded in August 2012.

Intelsat General is also providing TCS with IGC Sat-View, a customized, encrypted, bandwidth-management-reporting tool that enhances the ability to monitor and manage satellite circuits on the network and includes a scheduling feature to enable a more efficient utilization of assigned satellite bandwidth.

TCS Government Solutions Group President Michael Bristol said: "Intelsat General and TCS have developed a strong, strategic partnership that is a part of our ongoing effort to supply our fighting forces with superior satellite communication solutions."

"Through our partnership with TCS, we will be able to provide satellite services that are vital communications links supporting Marine Corps operations and deployed forces overseas and in the United States," said Kay Sears, President of Intelsat General. "We will also provide a better means of monitoring and managing the satellite resources being used on the network."