Satellite Internet Competitors OneWeb, SpaceX Try To Reconnect Alaskans After Ice Damaged Sub-Sea Fiber-Optic Cable in Arctic Ocean

Alaska has no internet connection after a sub-sea fiber-optic cable got damaged. It may take weeks to fix the internet connection in the state, but satellite internet competitors OneWeb and SpaceX are already on it.

Alaska Lost Internet From Ice Scouring Event

The 1,200-mile fiber cable operated by the Alaska-based broadband provider Quintillion broke last week, leaving residents of the remote towns of Utqiavik, Point Hope, Wainwright, Kotzebue, Nome, and other places without internet or cellular service. According to Quintillion, the corporation based in Alaska that owns the line, the cable snapped "as a result of an ice scouring event."

Quintillion reported that the sub-sea system was currently not functional. The company said its devoted professionals are actively working to identify and fix the problem. To quickly restore the services, they are collaborating with their partners and the undersea cable maintenance teams, The Verge reported.

The outage has caused problems across the area, affecting credit card transactions as well as 911 calls and closing down businesses.

According to Quintillion, the fiber break predominantly impacted the cities of Nome, Kotzebue, Point Hope, Wainwright, and Utqiagvik, as well as the communities of Atqasuk and Nuiqsut.

The town, which has 300 residents and is located 60 miles southwest of Utqiagvik, is led by Mayor Doug Whiteman. According to him, emergency communications between communities are not functioning as they should, Alaska Public Media reported.

It reportedly "severely impacted" the capacity to deliver crucial services, including search and rescue, police, fire, and utilities, according to an emergency declaration released by the North Slope Borough on Wednesday.

A situation involving 911 calls occurred. However, when the local policeman could reach Barrow, they couldn't hear any response. Whiteman said it was a one-way conversation.

The borough is asking the locals to avoid using the meager available internet. He claims the fire department, medical clinic, and public safety use the same satellite phone.

While Quintillion claims to be working on bringing a repair vessel to the region, depending on weather and ice conditions, it might not arrive until early August. Quintillion hopes that satellite connectivity will keep inhabitants entertained in the interim.

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OneWeb and SpaceX to Bring Internet Connection to Alaska

Satellites could help the people get through the extensive outage since repairs are anticipated to take another six to eight weeks.

On June 21, the company released an update announcing that OneWeb, a low-Earth orbit satellite internet provider, has been contracted to supply customer terminals with 500Mbps connections. The Verge asked Quintillion and OneWeb for more information on how the terminals will assist in reestablishing service for locals, but neither company answered immediately.

SpaceX's Starlink also offers to help bring connection in the state. The company is reportedly already coordinating with the State of Alaska, numerous municipal governments, and native communities.

Satellites have grown in popularity to address weak connectivity, with war-torn nations like Ukraine and rural parts across the US still having trouble getting a stable internet connection.

OneWeb, which presently has around 600 satellites in space, faces off against industry juggernauts like Starlink from SpaceX and Project Kuiper from Amazon. The business combined with Eutelsat last year to provide satellite connection throughout Europe, and after launching its final group of satellites above India in March, it finished building its original constellation.