By Outrider Editorial Team · Updated August 20, 2026
Official definition
This industry comprises establishments primarily engaged in manufacturing radio and television broadcast and wireless communications equipment. Examples of products made by these establishments are transmitting and receiving antennas, cable television equipment, GPS equipment, pagers, cellular phones, mobile communications equipment, and radio and television studio and broadcasting equipment.
FY2025 obligations
$4.5B
Contract actions
6,941
IDVs
455
Top buying agencies
- Department of Defense$3.9B
- Department of Transportation$233.2M
- Department of Homeland Security$170.7M
- General Services Administration$60.7M
- Department of the Interior$33.4M
FY2025 federal contract obligations, USAspending.gov
NAICS 334220 obligated $4.5 billion in FY2025 across 6,941 contract actions. DoD is $3.9 billion, and the civilian remainder maps to three identifiable missions: DOT at $233 million is FAA ground communications and surveillance infrastructure, DHS at $171 million is border and tactical communications, Interior at $33 million is wildland fire and land management radio. GSA's $61 million is schedule-based catalog buying.
What belongs here
Radio and television broadcast and wireless communications equipment: transmitting and receiving antennas, GPS equipment, cellular and mobile communications gear, and studio and broadcast equipment.
- Radar, sonar, navigation, and guidance systems are 334511.
- Other communications equipment that is not broadcast or wireless is 334290.
- Selling the airtime and network service, not the equipment, is 517112.
Competing in this code
455 IDVs against 6,941 actions leaves a large share of this code competing directly, and the tactical radio market has a specific structure worth knowing: DoD buys against approved waveform and cryptographic requirements, so the qualifying gate is NSA certification and waveform compliance, and production capacity has little to do with it. The 1,250-employee size standard is generous, and a small manufacturer with a certified product competes credibly. On the civilian side, Interior and DOT buy commercially available equipment against Project 25 interoperability standards, which is a much shorter qualification path and a realistic first federal award.
Frequently Asked
NAICS 334220 questions, answered.
What is the SBA size standard for NAICS 334220?
SBA sets it at 1,250 employees, counted as a 24-month average headcount across your company and every affiliate, not revenue. At or under that number you are small on NAICS 334220 solicitations and eligible for the set-asides in this code.
Which agencies buy communications equipment under NAICS 334220?
FY2025 obligations: DoD ($3.9 billion), DOT ($233 million), DHS ($171 million), GSA ($61 million), Interior ($33 million). The FAA inside DOT and wildland fire radio at Interior are the two civilian buyers with recurring, standards-based requirements a commercial manufacturer can meet.
What certification is needed to sell tactical radios under NAICS 334220?
For DoD requirements, NSA cryptographic certification and compliance with the specified waveforms, which is a long and expensive qualification independent of your production capacity. Civilian requirements at Interior and DOT are generally written to Project 25 interoperability standards, which commercial land mobile radio manufacturers can already meet.
What is the boundary between NAICS 334220 and 334511?
Function. 334220 covers equipment that transmits and receives: antennas, radios, GPS receivers, broadcast gear. 334511 covers equipment that searches, detects, navigates, or guides: radar, sonar, guidance sets. Both codes carry billions in DoD spending, and registering in the wrong one puts you in front of the wrong program offices.
Register Under NAICS 334220
Classify your business correctly to maximize visibility to federal buyers and access small business set-asides.
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