via ADN:
Residents of several North Slope and Northwest Alaska communities have been experiencing internet and cell service interruptions this week caused by a cut to the subsea fiber optic network. The cut might take up to two months to repair, and telecommunications service providers are looking for short-term solutions to bring service back online.
Quintillion, which provides broadband connectivity in Arctic Alaska, on Sunday experienced a subsea fiber cut about 34 miles north of Oliktok Point, offshore from Utqiagvik, Quintillion President Mac McHale said. The cut caused a systemwide outage, affecting Utqiagvik, Wainwright, Point Hope, Kotzebue, Nome and Atqasuk, McHale said.
“All of our broadband services are impacted by this,” McHale said. “And they’re not compromised — they’re completely out.”
While the company was still confirming the cause of the breakage on Monday, heavy ice movement most likely cut the fiber cable, McHale said. The breakage is significant, given the fact that the cable is buried beneath the ocean floor, below 90 feet of water, McHale said.
To fix the cut, repair crews need to wait until the ice breaks up around Oliktok Point, which is expected to happen at the end of June or early July, McHale said.
“We’ll be on-site at that point in time,” he said. “We’re looking at probably six to eight weeks.”
AC