Internet disruptions reported in Northwest Alaska due to subsea cable break

KNOM | By Ben Townsend

Published January 21, 2025 at 10:48 AM AKST

A ship contracted by Quintillion to perform repairs on subsea cables.

An apparent subsea fiber optic cable break is to blame for a widespread internet outage in Northwest Alaska, according to telecommunications company Quintillion.

Users first reported internet issues early Saturday morning. Quintillion confirmed the outage via Facebook at 10:02 a.m. In the post, Quintillion said, “it appears there was a subsea fiber optic cable break near Oliktok Point, and the outage will be prolonged.”

The apparent cable break is in a similar location to an outage in 2023 that left customers without internet for 14 weeks. Repairs were performed by a specialized vessel during the ice-free summer months.

No timeline was provided for resumed service, although Quintillion President Mac McHale said in a statement Sunday that the outage will be lengthy.

"Unfortunately, the outage will be prolonged, and sea ice will prevent a repair crew and vessel from entering the area and completing a subsea repair until late summer," he said.

The approximate site of a line break in the Quintillion Subsea Cable Network.

The Quintillion Subsea Cable Network runs from Prudhoe Bay to Nome. Service disruptions are expected at each of the line’s stops along the route, including in Utqiaġvik, Wainwright, Point Hope and Kotzebue.

McHale said Quintillion is working with local internet service providers and community leaders to pursue short-term restoration of critical services.

"Given the importance of high-speed internet service to North Slope and Northwest communities, as well as U.S. national defense, Quintillion is aggressively exploring options to expedite an alternative solution," he said. "This includes building a ‘land bridge’ or terrestrial route from Utqiaġvik to Deadhorse to create a self-healing network ring."

However, he said, a land bridge "will require significant assistance from the federal government."

Plans to expand the network from Nome to Homer are underway although won’t be operational until 2027. The project seeks to limit internet disruptions due to line breaks by rerouting internet traffic north to Prudhoe Bay or south to Homer, away from the site of the break.