ANCHORAGE, Alaska, Jan. 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, GCI,
Alaska's largest
telecommunications provider, and Quintillion, the only
telecommunications company providing fiber-optic broadband to
Alaskan Arctic communities, announced a partnership that will
deliver improved service to the residents of Nome and Kotzebue. This partnership will provide the
residents of both communities access to 1 Gigabit internet speeds
like those in Anchorage and
Fairbanks, transforming their
telecommuting and streaming entertainment options. In addition to
improved internet service, the partnership will bring internet
protocol television (IPTV) services and support GCI's ongoing
upgrade to 4G LTE wireless service in these communities.
The Quintillion-GCI partnership will deliver improved service to
the residents of Nome and
Kotzebue.
Thanks to this partnership, healthcare, education, government
and business customers in Kotzebue
and Nome will have more reliable
service supported by both GCI's TERRA network and Quintillion's
undersea fiber-optic cable. Customers will benefit from the
gold standard in the telecommunications industry – a highly
available, diverse ring of protected terrestrial service.
"At Quintillion, we have seen the need and benefits of
high-speed Internet firsthand, but we have also seen the negative
impact of the digital divide, especially in rural and remote
communities, of which Alaska has
many. This new relationship with GCI represents a joint investment
in Alaska and its people, and it
furthers our goal of bringing high quality service to underserved
communities. Our two Alaska
companies have come together to provide the citizens of
Nome and Kotzebue new capabilities to realize even
greater social, family, medical, educational, and economic benefit
and efficiency," says Quintillion's CEO George Tronsrue. "We are happy to partner with
GCI to bring these products to their customers. Quintillion is
constantly seeking mutually beneficial partnerships that can have a
positive impact on the state and its people, while narrowing the
digital divide until we can eliminate it altogether."
"GCI serves more than 240 communities across the state and has
pioneered the delivery of terrestrial broadband service in rural
Alaska. But it can be a challenge
to deliver urban-level service to some of the most remote
communities in the nation," said GCI CEO and co-founder
Ron Duncan. "This partnership brings
exciting opportunities. By the end of 2021 GCI plans to offer 1
Gigabit speeds to our residential customers in Nome and Kotzebue. That means these rural Alaska hub communities, which are hundreds of
miles from the road system, will have access to the same service
you could expect to get in Anchorage or in major urban centers in the
Lower 48 like Chicago or
Los Angeles. We're so pleased that
our investments and partnership with Quintillion are bringing us
one step closer to bridging the digital divide in Alaska."
The COVID-19 pandemic has brought the need for reliable,
high-speed internet for all Americans into sharp focus. The
Quintillion-GCI partnership will enable improved internet-based
capabilities such as home-based distance learning and telehealth in
Nome and Kotzebue at a time when they're needed more
than ever.
About Quintillion
Quintillion is a private
global communications corporation located in Anchorage, AK. Quintillion built and operates
a submarine and terrestrial high-speed fiber optic cable system
that spans the Alaskan Arctic and connects to the lower-48 using
existing networks. The three-phase Quintillion subsea cable system
will ultimately connect Asia to
the American Pacific Northwest, and to Western Europe via the Northwest Passage
through the Alaskan and Canadian Arctic.
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 240
communities. The company has invested more than $3 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.
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SOURCE GCI