Starting in Alaska Starlink will offer high-speed satellite internet.
Starlink is a high-speed satellite internet service that advocates say will beam broadband to every corner of the state. Alaskans who have signed up for the service are eager to try it. GCI is the largest telecommunications company in the state. There are several ongoing efforts that could transform telecommunications in the state, where more than 200 villages lack city-quality internet service. Musk's company builds and launches rockets that deliver gear into space, including the satellites for internet. A series of low-Earth-orbiting satellites are used by Starlink. The Pentagon recently gave it a glowing review. The U.S military found that it provides high data rates at remote bases.
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The resident of North Pole said Monday that he would give the service a B. He said he isn't able to get wire-delivered internet from GCI. On Monday, he put a Starlink dish on his roof. He wrote about it on his family's website, "Somers in Alaska." The Starlink internet is fast but the signal glitched every few minutes. As more satellites are deployed, he expects Starlink to improve. According to Starlink instructions, operational limits don't exceed 22 below zero. He might use a small heater in the future to warm the dish if needed, but winter temperatures in Alaska can get lower than that. The cost is $600 for the gear. It is $110 a month cheaper than broadband in town.
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He can save money by dropping one of the two cellphone providers that he and his wife use for slow home internet if the signal is good enough. He said, "We don't have a lot of other options here, so I'm pretty excited about it." If this will be their competition, the other internet companies will consider lowering their prices. GCI believes fiber-based internet is the best way to deliver the fastest speeds and almost unlimited data to customers in rural Alaska. She said that the company is extending fiber to additional rural communities. In Alaska, the company has built a microwave network that delivers internet. GCI understands that fiber-based internet is not feasible for many of Alaska's most remote communities.
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She said that GCI is working with satellite providers to provide better service in remote locations. She said that they were excited about the potential of low earth orbit satellites to help connect the most remote parts of Alaska. The cost and speed of GCI internet plans vary depending on how internet is delivered in a location. Rural plans range from $60 to $300. Rural residents complain that the costs go much higher because they say data limits can often be quickly exceeded.
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John Wallace, a technology contractor in the largest community in Western Alaska, said he recently got a notification from Starlink saying his gear is on its way. When it arrives, his internet service will be several times faster than what GCI currently provides, for a third of the price and much more data, he said. Wallace and others say Starlink will greatly expand opportunities in rural Alaska, where many communities still struggle with slow dial-up speed at times. They say that Affordability and internet capacity will improve dramatically, lowering costs for businesses, families and local governments. Wallace said that Starlink will bring more capacity to the home. More people will be able to work from home.
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There are few things in rural Alaska that allow us to stand on the same plane as everyone else, and this is one of them. Shawn Williams with Pacific Dataport said that OneWeb satellites have been in place in Alaska for more than a year. Williams said that Pacific Dataport provides broadband internet service to some villages. Akiak is a population of 500 in the Bethel region. Mike Williams, Akiak tribal president and no relation to Shawn Williams, said that the internet has given families in Akiak a fast, cheaper broadband option.
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The OneWeb signal is sold to many village households for $75 a month. Mike Williams said there are still problems with the signal, but they are fixed quickly. He said that the service has improved over time. Mike Williams said that they are seeing more people fixing household appliances. People are selling furs and artwork. The kids are using it for education. When we have health issues, we can get that information online. Shawn Williams said that Pacific Dataport will launch its own high-tech satellite, the Aurora 4A, early next year to provide satellite service across Alaska. The federal government has awarded about $700 million to companies and tribes for new internet programs, with a focus on expanding the skeletal fiber-optic backbone in the state, according to officials with the Alaska Broadband Office. About 80 more Alaska communities will get broadband in the coming years.
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The communities do not have high-speed internet. The giant bipartisan infrastructure act was passed last year. Thomas Lochner, the director of the state's broadband office, said the office plans to get more federal funding to bring high-speed broadband to more villages. Lochner said that the state has a strong opportunity to close the digital divide. 100% of Alaska communities will be connected with a robust broadband system within the next 10 years because of the transformational amounts of funding the federal government is bringing to the state.
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GCI is part of a partnership that has been awarded $73 million to deliver fiber cable to more than 10,000 people in Southwest Alaska. It is one of the projects receiving federal funding. It should be in service in other communities by the year 2024. Shawn Williams said that it is very expensive to deliver fiber in Alaska on a per-household basis. When we run fiber, it's not cheap, and when we do satellite broadband, it's a lot more cost effective, without environmental impact studies. Mike Williams of Akiak said that the fiber-based service won't be reaching new villages for a while. Satellite-based broadband is the best option for many villages at the moment. He said it has been great to have broadband internet.
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