Global Crossing has announced that the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) has signed a five-year contract for private line services with a total contract value of $10 million if all options are exercised.

Under the contract, Global Crossing will connect U.S. Forces via a cross-Pacific link. The contract is the first major deal inked by Global Crossing following its recent U.S. General Services Administration's (GSA) Federal Supply Schedule award.

Global Crossing's private line services will connect two Department of Defense (DoD) Large Data Joint Capability Technology Demonstration (JCTD) sites. The link will utilise InfiniBand-based data transport protocol to provide near-real time connectivity.

John Legere, Global Crossing CEO, said, "Global Crossing is supplying an OC-48 (STM-16) link that will connect Naval Research Laboratories in Washington DC and a location in the Pacific Command, enabling the DoD to exchange information between the two sites quickly and efficiently".

Earlier in 2007, both the GSA's Federal Supply Service and Southeast Sunbelt Region granted Global Crossing the right to put out tenders for request for proposals for data transmission services. The states covered in the GSA's Southeast Sunbelt region include Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee.