GCI Constructs Fiber Optic Cable System

Alaskan long distance and cable television provider GCI completed the construction phase of its fiber optic cable system, which connects Anchorage, Fairbanks, and Juneau to Seattle. The system will be tested for the next month before traffic is switched over in the first week of Feb.

Alaska United Fiber System (AUFS), a wholly-owned subsidiary of GCI, built the 2,331-mile cable. Tyco Submarine Systems constructed the undersea portion of the line.

The system's total design capacity is 129,024 simultaneous clear channel voice or data circuits at transmission speeds of 10 billion bits per second. With Alaska United, GCI will triple its Internet backbone to the lower 48 states.