Several Northwest Alaska communities should have internet speeds as fast as in Anchorage

Landmark Connectivity: Alaska Villages Celebrate Arrival of High-Speed Internet

Residents in three remote Alaskan villages – Utqiaġvik, Deering, and Kivalina – are experiencing a landmark change: access to super-fast internet.

Picture these: For the first time, these remote Arctic villages are now connected to GCI’s fiber-optic network, which delivers 2.5 gigabit internet speeds. This means no more agonizingly slow internet speeds. “This is a game-changer for these communities,” reports the company.

GCI’s expansion project brings speeds heralds a new era connecting these villages, those several degrees indoors. “GCI’s 2.5 gig residential internet speeds enable customers to take advantage of everything from FaceTime and video conferencing to high-definition video streaming, online gaming and more,” GCI spokesperson Josh Edge explains. “With this launch residents will have access to the same level of internet connectivity as those in GCI’s other fiber-served communities, like Anchorage.”

This high-speed internet comes with the same options: the same plans and pricing found in Anchorage and other GCI-serviced areas.

The project to bring high-speed internet to the villages was a substantial undertaking. Connecting these northernmost communities required laying more than 170 miles of new subsea fiber optic cable to link Deering and Kivalina,

"To improve connectivity in Utqiagvik, the company will leverage its existing infrastructure, as well as middle-mile fiber owned and operated by Quintillion.

The path wasn’t always smooth. For these communities above the Arctic Circle, the company had to overcome unique challenges de Terre and AquaTerra. For

Bridging the Digital Divide: More Than Just Faster Downloads

Fast internet connection isn’t just a welcome improvement — it’s bridging a critical gap in these communities.

“For this time. These villages are far removed from Anchorage," said GCI Senior Vice President of Corporate Development, Billy Wailand. "The impact goes beyond faster downloads. As Wailand mentioned, it’s about closing the digital gap. “These are challenging long-term projects, but the benefits are enormous, particularly in communities like Deering and Kivalina that were limited to satellite service only. With each new launch, we are one step closer to bridging the digital divide in rural Alaska,”."

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This massive rollout is a major achievement and builds on

“To ensure the fiber-optic service stays reliable in these villages stressed by frequent and severe storms, GCI utilizes special armored cable and trenches the seabed to protect the cables from the Alaskan elements. while this work continues, the company focused its initial work on

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will continue to expand.

GCI is already procuring fiber

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