November 8, 2022

Alaska Power & Telephone

Alaska Power & Telephone subsidiary AP&T Wireless (AP&T) completed installation of the SEALink submarine fiber optic cable system, providing Prince of Wales Island with its first ever fiber optic link to continental North America, and the rest of the world. The submarine cable is a core component of a regional fiber deployment project funded via a $21.5m grant from the USDA Rural Utilities Service ReConnect program, and approximately $7m in private investment supplied by AP&T. Beginning in 2023, AP&T will install fiber and turn up service to homes in the Prince of Wales communities of Coffman Cove and Kasaan. The submarine cable was manufactured by Norddeutsche Seekabelwerke of Nordenham, Germany, and installed by International Telecom. Rock-N-Road Construction, a woman-owned small business from Petersburg, Alaska, constructed beach landing sites in the communities of Coffman Cove and Petersburg. AP&T line crews constructed 17 miles of aerial transport fiber, and directional boring contractor Tundra Utility Construction installed over 9 miles of underground fiber. AP&T anticipates SEALink will be fully operational in March 2023. AP&T is currently completing detailed engineering designs, undertaking environmental/permitting work, and ordering materials and equipment for fiber build-outs in Craig, Klawock, and Hollis, which is scheduled to occur between 2024 and 2027. AP&T is also applying for additional USDA grant funds to build fiber to premises in Thorne Bay, Whale Pass, and Hydaburg, with a target completion date of 2028. APTL is an employee- and investor-owned utility providing utility services in over 40 communities in rural Alaska.