The agreement enhances GCI’s ability to provide resilient and reliable connectivity to Alaskans
ANCHORAGE, Alaska – GCI, Alaska’s largest telecommunications company, today announced it will leverage Starlink’s dedicated service with bonded gateways to strengthen its ability to deliver resilient, reliable connectivity to thousands of customers across several major community hubs including Bethel, Sitka, Kotzebue, and Dillingham. Starlink’s dedicated service with bonded gateways leverage its optical inter-satellite space lasers for resilient, multi-gigabit connectivity—even in locations far from Starlink ground stations.
Bethel is one of the communities that will soon have a gateway as part of GCI’s network.
With its vast geography and challenging terrain, Alaska is home to some of the most remote and hardest‑to‑reach communities in North America. Network reliability is especially critical in Alaska, where telecommunications are central to daily life, healthcare delivery, education, and public safety, yet operators must contend with some of the harshest operating conditions in the nation.
“We have long said it takes every tool in our toolkit to serve a state like Alaska,” said Billy Wailand, Senior Vice President of Corporate Development at GCI. “With the addition of Starlink’s industry‑leading bonded gateway capabilities, powered by low-Earth orbit satellites, we are adding a valuable new layer of resiliency that complements our existing fiber, microwave, and satellite infrastructure. This agreement strengthens our ability to keep Alaskans connected when it matters most.”
GCI’s Alaska‑based operations teams bring decades of experience designing, building, and operating fiber, microwave, and satellite networks in some of the most remote and unforgiving environments in North America. That local expertise, combined with additional network routes in and out of communities through diversified technologies, enables GCI to deliver reliable communications across the state.
For more information about GCI services, visit http://www.gci.com
About GCI
Headquartered in Alaska, GCI provides data, mobile, voice and managed services to consumer, business, government, and carrier customers throughout Alaska, serving more than 200 communities. The company has invested $4.7 billion in its Alaska network and facilities over the past 45 years. Through a combination of ambitious network initiatives, GCI continues to expand and strengthen its statewide network infrastructure to deliver the best possible connectivity to its customers and close the digital divide in Alaska. Learn more about GCI at www.gci.com. GCI is an independent publicly traded company (Nasdaq: GLIBA, GLIBK, GLIBB). Learn more at https://www.libertycapitalcorp.com.
About Starlink
Starlink is the world’s most advanced satellite constellation in low-Earth orbit, delivering reliable broadband internet capable of supporting streaming, online gaming, video calls, and more. Starlink is engineered and operated by SpaceX. As the world’s leading provider of launch services, and the only provider with an orbital class reusable rocket – SpaceX has deep experience with both spacecraft and on-orbit operations. Learn more at www.starlink.com and follow @Starlink on X.
Media Contact
Josh Edge
Phone: 907-575-3622
Email: jedge@gci.com
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