GCI has completed the extensive construction phase of a 3,300-mile broadband network in rural Alaska, as part of its Terrestrial for Every Rural Region in Alaska projet.
When the substantial infrastructure project, also known as TERRA ring, is finally completed it will connect 84 rural Alaskan communities with high-speed terrestrial broadband.
GCI celebrated the milestone with Bethel, Alaska residents last week, following seven years of engineering and construction.
“Alaska is home to some of the most challenging weather and geography in North America, which makes connecting nearly 45,000 Alaskans to a wealth of online resources a tremendous accomplishment,” Martin Cary, SVP of GCI Business, comments. “GCI is bringing high-speed broadband to Alaskans living in some of the most remote communities on earth. We’re incredibly proud and thankful to the dedicated partners and hardworking crews that made it all possible.”
GCI indicates that closing the TERRA ring will bring high-speed broadband access to over 80 rural Alaskan communities, making 3G and 4G cellular service possible as well. The infrastructure will reportedly provide critical bandwidth to a variety of entities such as school districts and regional health corporations.
It will also provide increased network capacity and improved reliability for communities through one of the largest fiber-microwave networks in the country, GCI says.
GCI, along with its construction partners STG Inc. and Ericsson, have been working to construct more than 100 TERRA microwave towers in Alaska’s wilderness since 2010.
Further south, in Washington State, CenturyLink reports it has completed its broadband expansion in Neah Bay, now offering connection speeds of up to 40 Mbps in the area.
“Broadband is a necessity. Without it, rural communities can’t take advantage of the opportunities presented by our increasingly connected economy,” Washington Sen. Maria Cantwell comments. “Before there was broadband access at Neah Bay, kids didn’t have high-speed internet to do their homework and entrepreneurs were unable to start online businesses or even develop a basic web-presence. Thanks to the work between CenturyLink and the Makah Tribe, Neah Bay has access to broadband that will support local families and the economy.”
The Neah Bay area is part of CenturyLink’s Connect America Fund plan for 2017. Two years ago, the company committed to bringing broadband speeds of least 10 Mbps download and 1 Mbps upload to locations in FCC-designated, high-cost consensus blocks in Washington State over six years.
