Quintillion and GCI announce partnership to bring improved services to Nome and Kotzebue

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.

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