PARIS, March 16 (UPI) -- Astrium Services of France has received a new government contract to provide private communications services to deployed troops.
The multi-year award is from the French Ministry of Defense's logistics and supply agency, Economat des Armees.
Astrium delivered such services previously under a previous Passerel contract and will continue to provide Internet and telephone service but will add mobile telephone service.
It will also provide professional communications services to deployed military staff, it said.
"In signing this new framework agreement, the French Ministry of Defense reaffirms its faith in Astrium Services, the market leader in the provision of welfare telecommunications services to European defense ministries for troops on overseas operations," Astrium said.
"Astrium Services has been delivering Passerel services since 2007, in addition to similar services to the British (Ministry of Defense) since 1999, the Bundeswehr since 2011, the Republic of Ireland's U.N. peacekeeping troops since 2009, and the Belgian military since 2012."
