WOSB Certification for Telecommunications Companies

Federal certification for businesses at least 51% owned and controlled by women.

Telecommunications offers some of the largest diverse supplier programs in the world. Here's why certification matters:

Billion Dollar Roundtable Members: AT&T, Verizon, and Comcast NBCUniversal are all charter or long-standing members of the Billion Dollar Roundtable, each spending over $1 billion annually with diverse suppliers. AT&T alone has spent over $230 billion with diverse suppliers since it began tracking this metric.

Regulatory Expectations: State public utility commissions, such as the CPUC in California, require telecommunications companies to report diversity procurement. Verizon reported over $5.7 billion in diverse supplier spending in 2024. T-Mobile exceeded $1.4 billion in diverse spend in California alone in 2023.

Infrastructure Investment: The telecom industry is investing heavily in 5G deployment, fiber-to-the-home expansion, and data center construction. These massive capital projects require contractors, material suppliers, equipment vendors, and professional services firms—creating opportunities for diverse suppliers at all tiers.

Broad Procurement Needs: Telecom companies buy everything from network construction and fiber installation to marketing, fleet management, facilities services, IT consulting, and customer equipment. Diverse suppliers across many industries can sell into telecom.

BEAD Program: The Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) Program is distributing $42.45 billion to expand broadband access. This creates additional subcontracting opportunities for diverse suppliers in broadband construction and deployment.

Note: Several major carriers have been restructuring their diversity programs in 2025 in response to evolving legal and regulatory landscapes. However, the scale of telecom procurement with diverse suppliers remains substantial.

51% owned by women citizens, women control management and daily operations, meets SBA size standards.

What counts as a women-owned small business In federal law, a women-owned small business (WOSB) is a firm that is small under the size standard for a NAICS code in its SAM profile and is not less than 51% unconditionally and directly owned and controlled by one or more women who are U.S. citizens and live in the United States (13 CFR 127.200, read on eCFR November 3, 2026). SBA certification is required only to win WOSB or EDWOSB set-aside and sole-source contracts. A women-owned small business that does not pursue those contracts may self-certify, win awards outside the program, and still count toward an agency's women-owned small business goal, which SBA lists as 5% of federal contracting dollars (13 CFR 127.200(c)(2); SBA contracting goals, checked November 3, 2026). WBENC's WBE is a separate, private standard used by corporate buyers. This guide covers who qualifies and what the program opens; the document list lives in our WOSB certification requirements checklist.

WOSB eligibility is defined in 13 C.F.R. Part 127. There are two tiers: WOSB (basic) and EDWOSB (economically disadvantaged). Both require the same ownership and control criteria; EDWOSB adds a net worth and income test.

Ownership

• 51% unconditionally and directly owned by one or more women who are U.S. citizens and live in the United States
• Ownership must be genuine, not a gift or nominal transfer designed solely to qualify
• For publicly traded companies: women must own at least 51% of each class of voting stock

Control: management

• A woman must hold the highest officer position in the business (CEO, President, Managing Member, or equivalent)
• A woman must manage the business on a full-time basis during normal business hours
• Women must make long-term strategic decisions for the business

Control: daily operations

• Women must control day-to-day management and administration
• A woman must have the technical expertise to manage the firm's primary industry, or hold ultimate decision-making authority over those who do
• The highest officer position cannot be held by a man, even temporarily

Business requirements

• Must be a small business under SBA size standards for the applicable NAICS code (verify at sba.gov/size-standards)
• Must be a for-profit business operating in the United States
• SBA publishes a list of NAICS codes where WOSBs are underrepresented or substantially underrepresented; WOSB set-asides are restricted to those codes

EDWOSB additional requirements (applied simultaneously)

• Personal net worth below $850,000 (excludes equity in primary residence and in the EDWOSB firm)
• Three-year average adjusted gross income below $400,000
• Total personal assets below $6.5 million
• These thresholds mirror the 8(a) economic disadvantage standard

Step 1: Confirm SAM.gov registration is active WOSB certification requires an active SAM.gov registration. Log into sam.gov, verify your registration is current, and confirm your legal business name and address match exactly what will appear on the SBA application. SAM.gov renewals take 7-10 business days; do not wait until the last minute.

Step 2: Determine whether you qualify for EDWOSB simultaneously Run the economic disadvantage numbers before you open the certifications.sba.gov application. Calculate your personal net worth: add all personal assets (brokerage accounts, real estate other than your primary residence, retirement accounts, vehicles, ownership interests in other businesses), subtract personal liabilities, and exclude equity in your primary home and your ownership stake in the applying firm. If the result is below $850,000 and your 3-year average adjusted gross income is below $400,000, you qualify for EDWOSB. Apply for EDWOSB at the same time; it uses the same application with additional financial disclosures.

Step 3: Gather documents before opening the application The certifications.sba.gov portal session times out. Have every document scanned and labeled before you start: citizenship proof, operating agreement or bylaws, stock certificates or membership ledger, 2-3 years of business tax returns, personal financial statement (for EDWOSB), SAM.gov registration confirmation, and a current business license.

Step 4: Apply at certifications.sba.gov Create or log into your SBA certifications.sba.gov account and select the WOSB (and EDWOSB if applicable) program. The application covers ownership structure, control documentation, business details, and financial information. Be precise and consistent; reviewers cross-check your application answers against your supporting documents.

Step 5: Respond to SBA requests promptly After submission, SBA may issue a request for additional information (RFAI). You have 15 days to respond. Missing this deadline pauses or closes your application. Check the portal weekly and monitor the email address on your SBA account.

Step 6: Certification decision SBA targets 90 days from a complete application for review and decision. Complex ownership structures may take longer. Once certified, your WOSB/EDWOSB status is reflected in your SAM.gov record and visible in the Dynamic Small Business Search (DSBS), which contracting officers use to find WOSB firms.

Step 7: Set up for contract pursuit After certification, search for WOSB and EDWOSB set-aside opportunities on sam.gov using the "type of set-aside" filter. Review the SBA's current list of NAICS codes where WOSBs are underrepresented (published on sba.gov) to understand which industries your set-aside eligibility covers. Update your SAM.gov profile with your WOSB certification and capability description.

Federal Opportunities

Key agencies purchasing telecom products and services:

• Federal Communications Commission (FCC): Regulatory technology, broadband programs
• Department of Defense (DoD): Military communications, satellite systems, cybersecurity
• Department of Homeland Security (DHS): Emergency communications, network security
• National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA): Broadband deployment programs including BEAD

Key Programs and Contracts

• Enterprise Infrastructure Solutions (EIS) - GSA's $50B government-wide telecom contract
• BEAD Program - $42.45B for broadband expansion with subcontracting opportunities
• FirstNet (AT&T) - National public safety broadband network
• GSA MAS for IT and telecommunications equipment and services

Categories of Government Telecom Procurement

• Network infrastructure design and installation
• Managed network services
• Unified communications (UCaaS)
• Cybersecurity for telecom infrastructure
• Fiber optic cable installation
• Wireless tower construction and maintenance
• Satellite communications
• Video conferencing and collaboration tools

State and Local

State broadband offices administering BEAD funds, municipal broadband projects, school district connectivity (E-Rate program), and public safety communications all create telecom contracting opportunities.