Repairs to the fiber optic cable that is damaged which is affecting cellular and internet service across Western Alaska will now take longer than originally anticipated according to Alaska-based communications company Quintillion.
The initial timeline of restoring services has been extended to 9-11 weeks. Quintillion states that repair work to the cable will not occur until the sea ice is opened enough to allow a repair vessel traverse.
The company is planning to start repairs on Aug. 9-22, provided that the area is completely free from ice. In a press release issued July 14th, Quintillion said a repair vessel will be located within Wainwright’s North Slope community of Wainwright in the middle of August, on standby when the ice began to melt.
Michael McHale is the President of Quintillion.
“The ice is moving along the right direction. At the moment, it appears that the ice cooperates with us and is moving at a pace that’s was expected, and in some instances more quickly than anticipated. Once we’re able to gain access to an area we’ll move into the area and begin to make the repairs,” he said.
McHale believes that ice forecasts are breaking out faster than anticipated, and the vessel is expected to be operational by the weekend, and move north. He predicts that ice could be open in during the first and second week of August. The repairs are scheduled to take about an entire week.
In June’s early days (June 13th) Quintillion confirmed that the sub-sea power outage was the result of an ice-scouring event located just 34 miles to the north from Oliktok Point. Quintillion originally estimated that the damage could lead to an outage lasting between six and eight weeks. It’s been six weeks since the break and repairs are still being held up due to sea ice, which has left many customers wondering whether repairs can be completed before the freezing point.
McHale claims that the cable breaking in June of this year was the first interruption since the subsea cable became operational at the end of December 2017 and McHale is working to improve the way the cable is placed.
“We’ll adopt some risk-reducing steps to make it stronger than it was. We dug it into the seabed’s surface, and we’ll do it and we might also make use of concrete to protect the trails,” He said.
McHale claims Quintillion is currently looking into the possibility of securing a bypass route that could create an interconnected circle that would connect Fairbanks as well as Homer to avoid another outage in the near future. In June, the company was awarded an almost $90 million grant by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration to expand subsea broadband. McHale states that they started communicating shortly after the break to reach out to customers directly. McHale has posted updates on a variety on their social media platforms however, many of the people affected by the disruption have difficulty viewing the updates online.
“I would not like to release a date in the future that doesn’t meet expectations the moment, as the ice cover is actually the gate item. If we had the ability to see at this point, we’d already be there fixing the issue right now, but hey that it’s essential to get services functioning again,” he said.
Nome mayor John Handeland says Quintillion has kept him updated, whenever there are any updates.
“I’m not looking for a consistent account from them. Regarding their processes I’m sure that nothing will take place until the end of August. If they do have something fresh and exciting, I’m sure they’ll call me or dial the number and contact them,” he said.
The frustration is increasing as people and businesses are preparing to go the end of seven days without internet service. Certain residents have chosen to buy Starlink internet which is a satellite internet service while others have adjusted to the changing conditions.
Companies in Nome have been reluctant to talk to KNOM regarding their experience with Quintillion since many have opted for Starlink. Communication is not affected much for people who have landlines.
