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Feb 21, 2025

Quintillion says it may have found where fiber optic cable broke in Beaufort Sea, has a workaround idea - Must Read Alaska

Quintillion Global, which suffered a serious break in its fiber optic cable in the Beaufort Sea on Jan. 18, says it believes the break is about 32-37 miles north of Oliktok Point. The break has left

Quintillion Global, which suffered a serious break in its fiber optic cable in the Beaufort Sea on Jan. 18, says it believes the break is about 32-37 miles north of Oliktok Point.

The break has left much of the coastal Arctic communities without Internet access, although many people have turned to the Starlink satellite service as the breaks continue.

Oliktok Point is near where the U.S. Air Force has its Long Range Radar Site, DEW station POW-2 or NWS station A-19 and a gravel air strip owned by the Air Force.

“Since detecting the network outage on January 18, Quintillion’s team has been working around the clock to evaluate the subsea fiber cut and restore critical services. Collaborating with scientific, academic, and technical experts, Quintillion has concluded that an ice scour caused the severing of the cable approximately 32-37 miles north of Oliktok Point. Based on imaging and analysis by sea ice experts, there is clear evidence of fast ice and sea ice activity in the fault area. Quintillion is continuing our examination of the area and is working with commercial and government entities to possibly deploy remote operating vehicles with high-resolution cameras for additional forensic information,” the company wrote on its website.

As a short-term solution for its customers spread out across the Arctic coastline, Quintillion is proposing to use satellites with a hybrid of over-land fiber solutions, including linking Deadhorse and Utqiavik by land, which could possibly be completed this spring, if federal funds can be secured.

“Quintillion has aggressively moved forward with local partners to restore critical services in the near-term. While the installation process will likely take several weeks, Quintillion’s objective is to restore a significant level of service by linking our fiber between Nome and Utqiagvik with a network at the satellite ground station in Nome for additional transport capacity. This hybrid solution will provide back-up services until the fiber in the Beaufort Sea is fully repaired,” the company said.

The area where the break has occurred is not expected to be clear of sea ice until late August. The company is looking for help from the Federal Emergency Management Agency to pay for a temporary solution.

“Quintillion is also working with a variety of stakeholders urging the federal government to award a Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) grant to expedite service restoration. The goal is to have FEMA funds released within the next few weeks and to begin a winter build of an interconnected terrestrial route from Utqiagvik to Deadhorse, which would effectively bypass the area of fault on the subsea network. This project, with proper support and acceleration by federal agencies, could be completed this spring. However, there is moderate probability of success, based on challenges beyond Quintillion’s control, including the permitting process being slowed by federal government rules/regulations.”

The company said it has initiated longer-term efforts to repair the subsea cable.

“Our technical team is mobilizing repair and installation vessels and formulating plans for a subsea fix, depending on additional information from our forensic investigation. As we observe significant changes in ice movement and behavior in the Beaufort Sea due to climate change, Quintillion will develop plans to reroute the Oliktok landing to work around an increasingly volatile area. Stakeholder input and coordination will be crucial,” the notice said.

“Quintillion fully understands and appreciates the urgency of the situation, given the importance of high-speed internet to so many on the North Slope and in Northwest Alaska. Our team is working tirelessly on immediate, short-term, and longer-term solutions, and we are committed to a full restoration of services as quickly as possible. While there is much beyond Quintillion’s control and in the hands of the federal government and nature, we will not stop working until the job is complete. We appreciate the ongoing support and assistance from our community partners and Alaska’s elected officials, and we will continue to provide updates as developments occur,” CEO Mac McHale said.