Next Generation Interior Communications (NGIC) Capabilities and Response

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) is conducting communication technology market research from industry to support its design, installation, and testing of a prototype Next Generation Interior Communications (NGIC) capability for U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) Cutters aboard a USCG-designated 270ft-class Cutter.

The results of this Request for Information (RFI) will support S&T selecting Shipboard interior wireless and wired communication technologies in support of its design phase starting in the fall of 2024 and the shipboard testing phase starting in the spring of 2026. The purpose of this RFI is to identify, collect, and assess the current state of the voice and data wireless and wired communications technology based on current network communication standards and protocols (e.g. TCP, UDP, IP, HTTP, HTTPS, SFTP, SSL, SNMP, FTP, SMTP, etc.) that will effectively and efficiently work inside a Cutter’s hull and meet the USCG’s interior voice and data communications capability requirements under various operating environments.

This RFI may be used to invite selected technology vendors to participate in a DHS-funded technology demonstration in support of S&T’s NGIC design, installation, and test project. Respondents should be aware that unlike commercial cruise ships or office environments, a Cutter’s interior spaces are highly reverberant, resulting in chaotic electromagnetic propagation whose characteristics can change quickly. 5/6/2024 Update - We have identified and corrected an issue with the email address provided for submissions.

For those respondents who submitted their RFI response prior to 5/6/24, we ask that you resend your submission and we'll send you a confirmation of receipt. In addition, the RFI response date has been extended to May 31, 2024. 5/31/2024 Update- If your technical solution requires capabilities to be provided by the ship’s network and/or guidance systems, please identify those dependencies in your solution approach.

This will enable the Government to understand what organic Ship capabilities are required to implement your proposed solution. The Government is preparing a Q&A document to answer questions received in response to the RFI, it will be posted as soon as possible. In addition, the RFI response date has been extended to June 15, 2024.