DENVER -- Qwest Communications International Inc. and TKC Communications, LLC, an Alaska Native Corporation, today announced that the two companies were jointly awarded a multi-year contract to build a high-speed network for secure communications among the NASA facilities throughout the United States. NASA will use the network to support the "One NASA" effort, which is designed to better unify the organization’s facilities.Under the agreement, Qwest and TKC Communications will construct a network that will provide a range of very-high-bandwidth services -- with some connections capable of simultaneously sending more than 600,000 emails per second -- and will connect NASA sites in multiple phases. The initial phase will connect Marshall Space Centre in Huntsville, Ala.; Glenn Research Center in Cleveland; NASA Headquarters in Washington, D.C.; Kennedy Space Center in Florida; Johnson Space Center in Houston; and Ames Research Center in Moffett Field, Calif. “Qwest has been providing network services for the NASA Research and Education Network (NREN) for more than a year, and we have shown NASA that Qwest is the company to turn to for cutting-edge network services,” said James F. X. Payne, senior vice president and general manager, Qwest government services division. “This is a unique project that will showcase Qwest’s ability to deliver a tailored communications solution to a high-profile federal agency with multiple sites throughout the United States – an important asset in today’s increasingly data-centric communications environment.” Qwest Communications International Inc.TKC Communications LLC