The US Army selected AT&T to provide mobile devices and service for personnel at 72 military installations across the country, a contract which could reap as much as $13 million over the course of three years.

Connectivity will be provided via FirstNet, a dedicated public safety network the government commissioned AT&T to build and run in 2017.

AT&T will also supply more than 700 signal boosters to improve indoor coverage and 3,000 FirstNet-compatible devices preloaded with specialised apps: the Army’s order showed these will include providing access to police and government databases; mapping tools; video communications; and information about hazardous materials in cargo trains.

Colonel Kevin Comfort, command provost marshal for the US Army’s Installation Management Command, stated the deal will “improve vital communications on our installations, depots and arsenals, including during catastrophic disasters or emergencies when communications capabilities are strained”.

The initial contract term runs until 29 September 2021, with two optional annual extensions available. The Army noted the contract value for all three years combined would total $13 million.

Last week, AT&T also won contracts to participate in 5G testing at three military bases.