Quintillion Global, which is trying to repair a broken undersea fiber optic cable in the Arctic, has kept the repair vessel waiting in Wainwright due to lingering ice conditions around Point Barrow and the area where the cable is broken.
Quintillion, a provider of undersea fiber optics cable that stretch under the Arctic Ocean and all the way down the Bering Strait to the Aleutians, has been trying to reach the broken cable since the incident occurred June 13. Quintillion at the time estimated the break could mean up to eight weeks of no internet service in the Arctic. Other service providers have filled in to a limited extent.
Quintillion’s cable broke as a result of an ice scouring event, at about 55 km north of Oliktok Point. Ice scouring happens when floating ice drifts into shallower areas and grinds the seabed, damaging the cable infrastructure.
The outage affected communities of Nome, Kotzebue, Point Hope, Wainwright, and Utqiagvik, Bethel, and others in between, forcing them to search for satellite alternatives.
Ice continues to drift to the east and north, the company said. Much of the ice continues to fracture into smaller pieces aiding in the melt process and flushing out into the southern Beaufort Sea.
The company estimates are that the vessel can make the transit later this week if ice continues to abate on the current trend. The vessel will engage at the first clear and safe opportunity, Quintillion said. Last week, the hope was to reach the break site by Aug. 22.
Weather in Wainwright this week will reach the mid-40s and drop into the 30s at night as the days grow shorter. Right now, there are about 17 hours of daylight in the far north, but that is reduced by roughly 10 minutes a day at this time of year.
