Quintillion Cable Break Leaves Arctic Communities Facing Prolonged Outages

A subsea fiber optic cable operated by Quintillion broke Saturday morning, severing a critical communications link that runs from Prudhoe Bay to Nome and serving roughly 20,000 Alaskans through providers including Atlas, ASTAC, ACS, Fastwyre and GCI. The company first reported the outage on Facebook and then issued formal notices saying the precise location of the cut cannot yet be determined due to winter sea ice and long nights.

Quintillion President Mac McHale described working conditions as impossible for pinpointing repair needs, saying, “Winter conditions sea ice and darkness have made it impossible to pinpoint an exact location of the cut and the extent of the cable damage.” He added the outage will be prolonged because sea ice will prevent a repair crew and vessel from accessing the area until late summer. McHale also told stakeholders the company is exploring alternate fixes including a terrestrial cable route from Utqiagvik to Deadhorse, a land bridge for which materials are already in Fairbanks, but that substantial federal financial support would be required.

Service providers immediately began rerouting traffic away from the damaged fiber, pushing more users onto microwave and satellite networks. GCI warned customers in Nome, Kotzebue, Wainwright, Point Hope and Utqiagvik that they may experience slower internet speeds and mobile service degradation, though the company said mobile calling should continue to work. GCI has committed to issuing account credits automatically, noting that “GCI credits for service plans will be automatically applied and no action is needed from customers. Credits may be prorated or partial depending on the service experience or time until restoral.”

Local government, schools and businesses felt the impact immediately. The City of Nome lost internet service though phone lines remained operational, and Deputy City Clerk Brad Soske reported, “We’ve been doing what we can without, which isn’t very much.” The Nome Police Department and Nome Joint Utility offices were also without internet at press time, prompting the cancellation of a regular NJUS board meeting. Many businesses that lacked alternative connections stalled operations, though some retailers said they were better prepared this time after a similar cut in 2023 required cash transactions.

Education officials said the outage disrupted planned statewide MAP testing. Nome Public Schools rely on a backup satellite system OneWeb that cannot support full daily operations, prompting requests for additional systems and a testing window extension. Superintendent Jamie Burgess summarized the strain on district systems, saying, “…we do not have enough bandwidth. Here at the district office we can’t even log into a lot our normal websites.”

This is the second major Quintillion outage in two years. In June 2023 the cable was cut near Oliktok Point and repairs did not conclude until September, a precedent that highlights the vulnerability of Arctic connectivity to seasonal ice and weather. Quintillion has said it is working with local suppliers and satellite providers on short term options, and is evaluating a land route as a longer term redundancy, while acknowledging the need for federal coordination and support before repairs can be expedited. In the meantime residents should expect reduced speeds and intermittent service as backup systems are stretched across the region.