D--NETWORK TESTING OF LTE SIM CARD

SOURCES SOUGHTThe US Geological Survey (USGS) is conducting market research to determine the availability of qualified businesses capable of providing a demonstration of one (1) LTE sim card with LTE coverage for monitoring of device health and near real-time transmission of data and images at various Grand Canyon field sites as described in the attached Statement of Work.This sources sought announcement is not a request for quote or proposal and the Government is not committed to award of a purchase order or contract pursuant to this announcement. The information resulting from this market research is simply for planning purposes to assist the Government in determining its acquisition strategy. The Government will not pay for any costs incurred in the preparation of information for responding to this notice.The North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code: 334111, Electronic Computer Manufacturing, and associated size standard 1,250, along with Product Service Code:

DD01, IT and Telecom - Service Delivery Support Services.All responsible sources may submit a capability statement detailing the ability to meet the Statement of Work included with this announcement.Responses to this announcement shall only be accepted through electronic mail addressed to yangzhideng@usgs.gov and must be uploaded and received in their entirety no later than 02/14/2024 at 1500 PST. Proposals submitted by hardcopy or any web portal shall not be accepted or considered.PROJECT BACKGROUND AND DESCRIPTION STATEMENTThis is a request for the acquisition, for network testing purposes, of one (1) LTE sim card with LTE coverage provided by low earth orbit satellites for scientific data and image transmission.We require sim cards that can enable satellite-based LTE coverage to install into unmodified industrial LTE modems at field sites throughout Grand Canyon. LTE data coverage will enable two-way, low latency, communication between us and field sensors allowing for monitoring of device health and near real-time transmission of data and images. LTE modems consume significantly less power than commercially available broadband satellite dishes and would enable telemetering of field sites in areas with low solar availability, common in Grand Canyon. Access to near real-time data at field sites saves time and energy by reducing site visits and increases data quality by allowing for rapid identification of equipment malfunctions. Data bandwidth must be high enough to allow for rapid transmission of high-resolution images from field cameras to reduce power consumption. Field sites are in remote geographic areas where LTE data coverage provided by terrestrial cellular towers and antennas is not available. LTE data signal must be provided using satellites in a low earth orbit network. The geography of Grand Canyon prevents the effective use of geostationary satellite signal due to major obstructions caused by canyon walls and a narrow upward view of the sky.Other Considerations:We currently own and operate three LTE modems using terrestrial cellular networks and have developed a workflow to connect sensors and cameras in the field to our cloud hosted databases. We are looking to expand this workflow, using LTE from low earth orbit satellites, to expand the number of connected sensors and cameras.