GSA spent August 2026 asking telecom providers how its Multiple Award Schedule (MAS) telecom offerings should be organized, priced, and reported, including whether SINs should be consolidated. A month later, the Refresh 33 draft added three new subgroups under SIN 517312 Wireless Mobility Solutions, one of which reaches into enterprise WAN, fiber, and carrier Ethernet. If you sell telecom to the government, MAS is becoming a bigger lane.
What did GSA's 2026 Telecommunications Industry Working Group cover?
GSA held three virtual sessions on August 18, 19, and 20, 2026, to collect industry feedback across the full telecom acquisition lifecycle, from requirements and solicitations through ordering, provisioning, reporting, and closeout. GSA said the input would shape how it organizes telecom offerings under MAS.
The sessions ran in two phases. First, participants brainstormed what works and what does not. Then they ranked the issues by impact on service delivery, competition, and feasibility. The brainstorming agenda is the most useful part to study, because it tells you what GSA is already thinking about.
| Topic GSA put on the agenda | What it signals for your contract |
|---|---|
| SIN consolidation: benefits vs. challenges | Telecom SIN structure is open for redesign. Where your offerings sit may change. |
| Simplified pricing | Expect pressure to move away from long, carrier-style rate tables toward cleaner price structures. |
| Transactional Data Reporting and structured data exchange | Data quality will matter as much as price. TDR is already mandatory on MAS. |
| FAS Catalog Platform (FCP) | Telecom catalogs will be managed in FCP, so the platform's limits will shape how services get listed. |
| Barriers to competition and innovation | GSA wants more providers, especially commercial providers new to government, able to compete. |
The sessions are over, and GSA has not published a summary. The draft solicitation change that followed is the clearest indication of where GSA is heading.
Which telecom SINs are on MAS today?
The GSA MAS SIN table lists two SINs under the Information Technology category's Telecommunications subcategory: 517312 Wireless Mobility Solutions (NAICS 517112) and 517410 Commercial Satellite Communications Solutions (COMSATCOM). Both are open to cooperative purchasing. There is no standalone wireline SIN in that subcategory.
| SIN | Title | NAICS | Core scope |
|---|---|---|---|
| 517312 | Wireless Mobility Solutions | 517112 | Carrier voice and data plans, mobility infrastructure, enterprise mobility management, telecom expense management, mobile security, IoT |
| 517410 | Commercial Satellite Communications Solutions | 517410 | Leased transponder bandwidth, satellite subscription and managed services, satellite phones, terminals, and related equipment |
Check the live MAS SIN table on GSA.gov before you build an offer. The NAICS code and the SIN number for 517312 do not match, and that trips up offerors who assume they do.
According to GSA's Wireless Mobility Solutions page, SIN 517312 carries a governmentwide Best-in-Class designation. Contractors are awarded and cataloged across 11 existing subcategories, from Wireless Carrier Services to Internet of Things. Service-enabling devices may be sold only with the associated wireless service, never as standalone hardware.
What are the three new SIN 517312 subgroups in the Refresh 33 draft?
On September 24, 2026, GSA updated its Refresh 33 advance notice on Interact to add three subgroups under SIN 517312: Managed Mobility Services, Managed Wireless Service, and Enterprise Access, Connectivity, and Transport Services. New offerors and existing contractors may request placement, subject to GSA technical review.
| New subgroup | Scope in the draft Significant Changes document |
|---|---|
| Managed Mobility Services | End-to-end lifecycle management of mobile devices: provisioning through deactivation, MDM, MAM, MCM, Mobile Threat Protection, Unified Endpoint Management, remote lock and wipe, asset inventory, and support for GFE, COPE, COBO, and BYOD models |
| Managed Wireless Service | End-to-end management of wireless connectivity for users, sites, and devices, covering cellular, Wi-Fi, Li-Fi, fixed wireless access, private wireless networks, and satellite-enabled wireless, for primary, temporary, or backup connectivity |
| Enterprise Access, Connectivity, and Transport Services | Enterprise WAN, MAN, and LAN environments providing access to the Internet, cloud, and private networks through Carrier Ethernet, broadband, fiber, optical transport, and managed wireless, satellite, or Wi-Fi/Li-Fi services |
Timing matters. On September 11, GSA moved Refresh 33 of solicitation 47QSMD20R0001 to October. Once issued, the mass modification must be accepted within 90 days. I covered the rest of the refresh in my breakdown of the Refresh 33 delay and the 90-day acceptance window.
Why does the transport subgroup matter more than the other two?
Managed mobility and managed wireless mostly relabel work already sold under 517312. The transport subgroup is new territory: WAN, fiber, Carrier Ethernet, and optical transport are traditional network services. Putting them on MAS gives agencies a schedule path for services that have long been bought through GSA's dedicated telecom contracts.
This is my read, not a GSA statement. GSA has not said the subgroup replaces anything. But the timing lines up with GSA's own planning:
- The working group raised SIN consolidation and simplified pricing in August.
- The Refresh 33 draft added a transport subgroup in September.
- GSA's July 2025 market research on a successor to Enterprise Infrastructure Solutions (EIS) asked whether commercial offerings can meet enterprise network needs and pointed to Executive Order 14217 on commercial, cost-effective solutions.
When I was a Contracting Officer, a new subgroup nearly always meant the program office had already seen demand it could not route anywhere clean. Program offices do not add scope for its own sake. They add it because buyers keep asking where to go.
How do EIS and MAS telecom work together?
EIS is GSA's large telecom and network contract, with a $50 billion ceiling and a final option period ending July 30, 2032. GSA says EIS is not taking on new vendors. MAS is open to offers continuously, so it is the realistic federal telecom entry point for most providers.
| Factor | EIS | MAS telecom SINs |
|---|---|---|
| New vendor access | Closed; GSA says it is not onboarding new vendors | Open continuously through eOffer |
| Contract horizon | Option period 2 runs through July 30, 2032 | Ongoing solicitation, refreshed periodically |
| Typical buy | Large enterprise network transitions | Wireless, mobility management, satellite, and (per the draft) managed transport |
| Ordering | EIS task orders | FAR subpart 8.4 schedule ordering, eBuy, GSA Advantage |
In its July 2025 post on planning beyond EIS, GSA said EIS is set to sunset in 2032. It cited Section 5124(b) of the Clinger-Cohen Act, which directs GSA to coordinate federal telecom acquisition, and said its successor research is exploratory. If you want federal telecom revenue before whatever replaces EIS arrives, MAS is the door that is open today.
What reporting and pricing obligations come with telecom SINs?
Every MAS contractor now reports under Transactional Data Reporting (TDR) through GSAR 552.238-80 Alternate I. SIN 517312 adds more: if you are awarded Wireless Carrier Services, you must also submit Agency Billing Summary Report data through the GSA TSC Reporting Portal, on top of standard sales reporting.
- TDR grace period: GSA's guidance on Interact says contracts moving to TDR get a grace period through the reporting period ending December 31, 2026. Contracting Officers can enforce compliance starting January 1, 2027.
- Service-plan pricing: for each plan, you must show eligibility, coverage area, monthly charge, included minutes, overage and roaming charges, and volume discounts.
- Industrial Funding Fee: 0.75% of reported MAS sales unless the solicitation states otherwise, paid within 30 days after each quarter ends.
For background on why TDR replaced the old price-reduction regime, see my post on Refresh 31 and the end of the Price Reductions Clause. "Simplified pricing" appeared on the working group agenda for a reason. Carrier-style rate tables are hard to load into FCP and hard to reconcile against TDR data.
What will GSA look for when you request a new subgroup?
Subgroup placement goes through technical review, so treat it like a scope evaluation. For SIN 517312, GSA already requires two relevant project narratives from the past two years. Map each narrative directly to the subgroup's scope language, not to your general marketing description.
- Read the final Refresh 33 subgroup descriptions when they are issued. Do not rely on the draft alone.
- Choose the one or two subgroups your recent projects actually prove.
- Write each narrative so it repeats the subgroup's own terms: WAN, Carrier Ethernet, UEM, fixed wireless access.
- Price each service the way a buyer will order it, with every recurring and nonrecurring charge shown.
- After award, select only your awarded subcategories in eBuy.
As a Contracting Specialist, I saw scope requests fail on narrative fit far more often than on price. The reviewer holds your project description next to the SIN language. If it does not match, they send it back with a clarification request, no matter how capable the company is.
Across our 70+ GSA contract awards, the offers that moved quickly were the ones where the technical narrative read like it was written for that exact SIN. That comes from eighteen years in federal acquisition, where the pattern held at every agency I worked for.
What should you do now?
Treat the working group as notice that MAS telecom is being restructured, and treat the Refresh 33 draft as the first concrete change. Position your contract before the refresh is final, and sequence your modifications so your catalog migration does not block you.
- Existing 517312 holders: identify which new subgroup matches your delivered work and draft the project narratives now.
- Network and transport providers without a Schedule: the Enterprise Access, Connectivity, and Transport subgroup may be your first practical path onto MAS while EIS stays closed to new vendors.
- Satellite providers: compare 517410 COMSATCOM with the satellite language in the new 517312 subgroups, and decide which SIN fits how agencies actually buy from you.
- Everyone: accept the Refresh 33 mass modification within 90 days, and file any SIN or subgroup additions before your FCP Baseline freeze.
- Watch Interact: any consolidation decision will appear first as a MAS refresh notice.
I am Pedro Rubio. I spent 18 years as a Contracting Specialist and Contracting Officer at GSA, IRS, DoD, DOI, HHS, FTC, and Energy, and I hold FAC-C Level III and a Harvard Master of Liberal Arts. If you want to add a telecom SIN or subgroup, or get a new Schedule in place before the telecom lane is redesigned, start with Blackfyre's GSA Schedule service.
Frequently Asked Questions
What was the GSA Telecommunications Industry Working Group?
It was a series of three virtual GSA sessions on August 18, 19, and 20, 2026. GSA asked industry for feedback on MAS telecom offerings across the acquisition lifecycle, including SIN consolidation, simplified pricing, TDR, and the FAS Catalog Platform.
What are the new subgroups under SIN 517312?
The Refresh 33 draft, updated September 24, 2026, adds three: Managed Mobility Services, Managed Wireless Service, and Enterprise Access, Connectivity, and Transport Services. Both new offerors and existing contractors can request placement, subject to GSA technical review.
Which telecom SINs are on the GSA Multiple Award Schedule?
The GSA MAS SIN table lists two SINs in the Telecommunications subcategory: 517312 Wireless Mobility Solutions and 517410 Commercial Satellite Communications Solutions. SIN 517312 uses NAICS code 517112, not 517312.
Can a new telecom provider get on EIS?
GSA's EIS page says EIS is not onboarding new vendors. GSA points new sellers to the MAS Roadmap instead. EIS option period 2 runs through July 30, 2032.
When does Refresh 33 take effect?
GSA moved Refresh 33 to October 2026. Contractors must accept the mass modification within 90 days after it is issued. Changes apply to new orders issued after the effective date.
What extra reporting does SIN 517312 require?
Contractors awarded Wireless Carrier Services must submit Agency Billing Summary Report data through the GSA TSC Reporting Portal. This is in addition to standard MAS sales reporting and TDR.
Do I need past performance to add a SIN 517312 subgroup?
GSA requires two relevant project narratives from the past two years for SIN 517312. Placement in the new subgroups is subject to technical review, so each narrative should map directly to the subgroup scope.