Repairs to a damaged Fiber Optic Cable that has disrupted internet and cellular services in Western Alaska will take longer than originally anticipated, according to communications company Quintillion. The repair timeline has been revised from 6-8 weeks to 9-11 weeks. The delay is attributed to the need for the sea ice to melt to a point where a repair vessel can access the area. If the sea ice is 90% melted, repair operations will commence between August 9 and August 22. A repair vessel will be stationed in Wainwright in the North Slope community until the ice melts.
Quintillion President Michael McHale stated that the ice condition is crucial for the repair process. The ice forecasts are more favorable than expected, and the repair vessel will be mobilized soon. It is anticipated that the ice will open up in the first and second weeks of August, with repairs expected to take about a week. The outage was caused by an ice scouring event in early June, and it is the first outage since the subsea cable went live in December 2017.
Quintillion plans to improve the durability of the cable by burying it deeper and taking risk mitigation measures, such as covering the trails with concrete. Furthermore, the company is exploring the possibility of establishing a bypass route to prevent future outages. They have received a grant of nearly $90 million from the National Telecommunications and Information Administration for this purpose.
Affected customers have been struggling to access updates on the repair progress due to internet service interruptions. Businesses and individuals in the area have endured seven weeks without reliable internet services, leading some to resort to alternative providers like Starlink. Nome Mayor John Handeland assures the community that Quintillion will inform them of any updates, but frustration is growing as the wait continues.

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