According to an article in today’s Wall Street Journal, it looks like the government is going to get an overhaul of their communication systems.

In the past, many federal offices handed out smart phones, like the BlackBerry or devices running Windows Mobile software, only to their top executives. Rank -and-file employees either were tethered to office based computers running on private networks or, if they were in the military or other critical field operations, used expensive, specialized wireless devices.

This year the U.S. government will spend $70 billion on IT. This will include wireless devices, service contracts, and applications. The purpose of this overhaul is to make government workers more effective and efficient  by giving them access to important information irregardless of their location.

It looks like the main beneficiaries of this upgrade however are Research In Motion (BlackBerry manufacturer) and AT&T. Applications are being made for the BlackBerry phones to service the needs of government officials.

Officers can use online programs to direct them to a parolee’s house or set a calendar application to remind them to administer a drug test. They can also tap a secure Federal Bureau of Investigation database for mug shots and other information on people with criminal records.

Furthermore, AT&T gets a big boost from this because they will become the provider for the government.

In the past year alone, AT&T has announced contracts for $292 million to build a data network for the Department of Homeland Security, for $120 million to provide data networking services for the 1,300 offices of the Department of Veterans Affairs, for $80 million to supply a backup data network for the Social Security Administration, and $50 million to supply BlackBerrys and wireless data cards for field workers at FEMA.

While we don’t know the totals of all the contractual spending, it can easily be assumed that it is a multi-billion dollar account.

Man, wouldn’t you love to be the sales person who landed that account?!