DISA plans upgrades to Hawaii telecommunications infrastructure in 2018

Department of Defense personnel stationed in Hawaii will experience less latency and more communication features with the implementation of the Pacific Enterprise Services – Hawaii (PES-HI) Program in 2018.

PES-HI, which will be managed by the Defense Information Systems Agency, will upgrade legacy analog communications to an almost-Everything over Internet Protocol (IP) technology base. Improvements include enterprise services, such as Voice and Video over Internet Protocol and web conferencing and collaboration services, which include chat and presence.

“PES-HI will modernize the network,” said PES-HI Program Manager Leah Rogers, “and it will provide the capability to upgrade legacy voice and data services that are presently under the Joint Hawaii Information Transfer System (JHITS) contract.”

The JHITS contract is scheduled to end in June 2018. Legacy services provided through JHITS will be absorbed into the PES-HI program until customers fully transition to IP services.

JHITS currently delivers more than 45,000 Defense Switched Network telephone line services and 3,100 point-to-point intra-Hawaii dedicated transmission circuits using legacy Time Division Multiplexing technology.

Modernizing the network in Hawaii and other DOD locations in the Pacific over the next several years will enhance network services, eliminate legacy technology, make infrastructure more survivable and improve cyber capabilities in the Pacific theater.

DISA will provide a comprehensive transition plan that minimizes the impact on customer services with respect to service disruptions and operational changes.

To find out more about PES-HI, contact the DISA Infrastructure Directorate at 301-225-2000.

Posted Aug. 3, 2017