New GCI fiber project to bring high-speed internet, unlimited data plans to Deering, Kivalina
ANCHORAGE, Alaska — Super-fast internet speeds and unlimited data plans are coming to Deering and Kivalina! The subsea fiber project, recently announced by GCI, will deliver 2.5 gigabit per second speeds to residential customers in the coming years to both Northwest Alaska communities.
Crews load subsea fiber on board the M/V Unalaq in early August 2023.
In late August, GCI began to deploy approximately 170 miles of fiber connecting Kivalina and Deering to existing fiber-optic infrastructure in Kotzebue. The majority of the subsea fiber work is expected to be completed this fall. In 2024, GCI teams will begin building out fiber to homes and business. Once the project is complete, residential customers will have access to 2.5 gig internet speeds, unlimited data, and the same plans and pricing as GCI customers in Anchorage.
“GCI is currently building out six major broadband fiber projects in 27 rural communities across Alaska,” said GCI Chief Communications Officer Heather Handyside. “These are some of the most-remote communities in the nation and our projects demonstrate GCI’s commitment to closing the digital divide in Alaska. We couldn’t be prouder of our extraordinary team of experts. Everyone — from project managers to engineers to grant compliance officers to network technicians — is focused on getting these projects done and done right so we can connect even more Alaskans.”
Crews have already been hard at work in the region, preparing the shore landing sites for the arrival of fiber and the installation of specially equipped shelters that will connect the subsea fiber to the local network that will deliver connectivity to homes and businesses.
GCI’s Bruce Rein has more than 35 years of experience in the industry and has built fiber systems worldwide and across all types of Alaska terrain.
A portion of the submarine fiber for the GCI project was delivered to Seward in early August by the fiber ship IT Integrity. Once free of GCI’s fiber, the IT Integrity vessel departed for the Arctic Ocean where it’s repairing an offshore subsea fiber break north of Oliktok Point as conditions permit.
The GCI fiber was transported from Seward to the shallow water subsea fiber deployment area near Kotzebue by M/V Unalaq. The remainder of the cable will soon arrive aboard the C/S IT Intrepid which loaded the cable in Germany.
“With all of our equipment and materials in place, we expect to wrap up the subsea fiber deployment in mid to late September,” said GCI Principal Engineer of Telecommunications Delivery Bruce Rein. “The fiber will be deployed using two different vessels. The near-shore shallow water fiber segments of the project will be installed by crews aboard the landing craft M/V Unalaq while the deeper water subsea fiber will be deployed from the C/S IT Intrepid, operated by IT Telecom Marine.”
Rein, who has more than 35 years of experience in the industry, has built fiber systems worldwide and across all types of Alaska terrain including tundra and mountain ranges and along the bottom of rivers, lakes and the ocean floor.
The Deering-Kivalina Fiber Project is GCI’s sixth concurrent initiative to bring fiber-optic connectivity to more rural Alaska communities. GCI’s AU-Aleutians Phase I project, already launched in Unalaska, and AU-Aleutians Phase II fiber project will bring 2.5 gig residential internet speeds to 12 Aleutian, Alaska Peninsula and Kodiak Island communities. The joint Bethel Native Corporation and GCI AIRRAQ Phases I, II and III projects will deliver urban-level connectivity to 13 Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta communities.
GCI will host community meetings and answer questions about the project. The meeting in Deering will be held at the school at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 31. The meeting in Kivalina will take place at the community building at 1 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 1.
About GCI
Headquartered in Alaska, GCI provides data, mobile, video, voice and managed services to consumer, business, government, and carrier customers throughout Alaska, serving more than 200 communities. The company has invested more than $4 billion in its Alaska network and facilities over the past 40 years and recently launched true standards-based 5G NR service in Anchorage, now the nation’s northernmost 5G service area. Learn more about GCI at www.gci.com. GCI is a wholly owned subsidiary of Liberty Broadband Corporation (Nasdaq: LBRDA, LBRDK, LBRDP). Learn more about Liberty Broadband at http://www.libertybroadband.com.
This press release has been edited from its original version.