• Ztango, a Reston developer of software for cell phones, has been chosen by T-Mobile to provide "ringback" service to the company's cellular subscribers nationwide. Subscribers can buy snippets of songs or other audio that will be played for people who call their cell phones. It's a twist on the musical ringtones that subscribers hear when their own phones ring. Terms were not disclosed for the deal with Ztango, which in October announced it has been purchased by WiderThan, a Korean company in the same business.
• RCN, which owns half of Washington area cable provider Starpower, said a U.S. Bankruptcy Court judge in New York has approved its plan to exit bankruptcy reorganization. The plan calls for RCN, based in Princeton, N.J., to trade $1.2 billion in debt for all of the company's equity. RCN also said it expects to close on the purchase of the other half of Starpower, now owned by a Pepco Holdings subsidiary, for $29 million by the end of this month.
• Anteon International, a Fairfax government technology contractor, was awarded a contract by Lockheed Martin to support development of the Objective Instrumentation System at the National Training Center in Fort Irwin, Calif. The contract could be worth $10 million over three years. Anteon will develop the video system to record, edit and review video of soldiers training in urban warfare operations at Fort Irwin's Combat Training Center. The video will be used in after-action reviews for soldiers in training.
• BAE Systems North America, a Rockville defense and aerospace company, won a $62 million contract from the U.S. Navy's Strategic Systems Programs to provide system engineering and integration support for the Trident I (C4) and Trident II (D5) Fleet Ballistic Missile Strategic Weapon System programs. The work will be performed primarily by the staff of BAE's systems technology solutions division in Silver Spring and will be completed by September. BAE will update system test procedures and plan for and participate in strategic weapon systems testing during submarine overhaul, refit and backfit.
• ManTech International, a Fairfax government technology contractor, won a contract from the Naval Air Systems Command to provide engineering and technical support services in support of the Naval Air Warfare Center's Aircraft Division Warfare Analysis Department. The contract could be worth $23 million over five years if all options are exercised. ManTech will support modeling, algorithm and software development initiatives that will be used to assess areas such as joint capabilities, threats, readiness, force levels, costs, survivability and vulnerability.
Compiled from reports by Washington Post staff writers.
