Managed services provider CGI confirmed earlier this month that it has kicked off the first part of its network fiber deployment in Alaska.
The Alaskan-based company said that approximately 45 miles of fiber were installed over the frozen tundra between Eek and Napaskiak.
The deployment is part of a project between Bethel Native Corporation and GCI to deliver high-speed Internet to Bethel, Alaska, and 12 other communities in the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta region, including Bethel, Platinum, Eek, Napaskiak, Oscarville, Atmautluak, Kasigluk, Nunapitchuk, Quinhagak, Tuntutuliak, Tununak, Toksook Bay, and Emmonak.
Once complete, the AIRRAQ Network will deliver Internet speeds of 2.5Gbps to 11,800 Alaskans living in the traditional home of the Yup’ik people.
CGI said it expects to deploy the majority of the 900-mile fiber optic AIRRAQ network this year.
“To safely complete work during the late winter construction window, we flew two large reels of fiber stored in separate 20-foot-long containers from Anchorage to Bethel,” said GCI project manager Gustavo Ortega.
“Once the containers landed in Bethel, our contractor partners from Utility Technologies Inc. placed the fiber reels on a large, enclosed sled and delivered it to the starting location in Napaskiak using a PistenBully tracked vehicle. The crews then deployed roughly 45 miles of fiber over the frozen tundra before reaching their stopping point at Apogak, just south of Eek.”
The remainder of the tundra route segment will be completed in spring.
“We have a very busy summer ahead of us,” added GCI principal program manager Rebecca Markley. “In addition to finishing the tundra segment between Napaskiak and Eek, we’ll also be deploying hundreds more miles of subsea and riverine fiber, and building and installing cable landing stations, fiber shelters, and network equipment."
The project is funded by more than $100 million in broadband grants awarded by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), Tribal Broadband Connectivity Program (TBCP), and the USDA Rural Development’s ReConnect program, plus private investment by GCI.
