GCI (NASDAQ:GNCMA) and Teck Red Dog Operations, a zinc producer, announced an agreement to bring high-speed Internet service to Red Dog Operations and the community of Noatak, AK.
The project, which is targeted for completion in 2017, is part of a broader GCI strategy to connect Arctic communities to high-speed Internet. In June, GCI announced plans to expand its Terrestrial for Every Rural Region in Alaska (TERRA) network to include 10 new communities in the Northwest Arctic Borough and Norton Sound region. The expansion is intended to extend services to Buckland, Kiana, Noorvik, Selawik, Koyuk, Elim, Golovin, White Mountain, Stebbins and St. Michael.
Martin Cary, GCI's senior vice president of business services, said: "Our team understands the challenges of building infrastructure and providing service to more than 100 miles north of the Arctic Circle. In addition to the 72 rural communities already served by TERRA, GCI is expanding TERRA to 10 more rural communities in 2016. When Red Dog and Noatak are complete, GCI's TERRA network will deliver high-speed Internet to a total of 84 rural Alaska locations."
