Starlink, the satellite service owned in part by Elon Musk, said it is working with Alaska officials at the state and local level to restore internet and cell service to a wide swath of northern and northwestern Alaska, where a fiber optic cable break operated by Quintillion has has a breakdown.
Starlink is a satellite internet constellation division owned and operated by American aerospace company SpaceX, which uses low-orbit satellites to cover over 50 countries. Launched by SpaceX in 2019, Starlink is 44% owned by Musk, who also has controlling ownership of the social media company Twitter. Starlink now has a low-orbit satellite providing Alaska service, and it is designed for low-density areas such as rural Alaska.
“After ice severed a fiber optic cable in the Arctic Ocean, cutting internet & cell service across Northern Alaska, the Starlink team has been coordinating with the State of Alaska, various local governments & Native communities to help provide connectivity where it’s needed most,” Starlink reported on Twitter.
Regarding the baby moose illustration it uses, (copyrighted by Kelsey Morgan), Starlink added, “PSA for the baby moose in Alaska, Starlink is not edible.”
While $100 million in taxpayer borrowing is appropriated for Alaska build out of fiber-optic cable, these low-orbit satellites by Starlink, Pacific Dataport and OneWeb are another solution for rural areas, and they have been deployed largely without government subsidies.
Quintillion, a high-speed internet provider to Alaska, provided an update on the repair timeline for the damaged Arctic sea fiber optic cable, which has left northern Alaska without internet access for several weeks.
While no change has been made to the estimated time for repair, Quintillion is actively exploring various options to expedite the process, considering risk profiles, probability of success, and safety measures.
Quintillion has been closely monitoring ice-free estimates and forecasts to determine when it can access the area where the cable has broken.
The company has placed orders for 500Mbps capacity with the support of Pacific Dataport Inc. and OneWeb, satellite partners in the telecommunications industry. User terminals have been tested in Anchorage, with shipment for local installation commencing this week.
Quintillion has the initial plan of work for the cable repair from its marine maintenance vendor. The repair vessel, equipped with Quintillion’s spare equipment, is scheduled to be mobilized and stationed off Wainwright in anticipation of the expected Beaufort Sea ice-free opening window.
The availability of ice-strengthened vessels, which can be outfitted with cable repair equipment and personnel, is seen as an alternative to be developed concurrently with the contracted marine maintenance vessel, the company said.
Quintillion is also exploring unconventional options for temporary repairs or establishing temporary fiber connectivity around the faulted fiber segment, alternatives to be pursued alongside the primary marine maintenance vessel repairs.
The earliest estimated arrival of the repair vessels is anticipated to be in the first week of August.
