Alaska Communications Partners with Quintillion Holdings to Acquire North Slope Fiber Network

Investment Opens Reliable, High-Speed Broadband to Better Serve Businesses and Enterprises on Alaska’s North Slope

Alaska’s North Slope oil and gas industry customers will soon have access to reliable, high-speed broadband service thanks to an investment in fiber optic networks by a partnership between Alaska Communications (NASDAQ: ALSK), Alaska’s leading broadband and IT solutions provider, and Quintillion Holdings, Alaska’s newest provider of high-speed communication services. In April, the companies acquired a fiber optic network from ConocoPhillips in the portion of Alaska’s North Slope oil patch where most new development is occurring. Alaska Communications also established a multi-year service agreement with ConocoPhillips, one of Alaska’s leading exploration and production companies.

Opens Reliable, High-Speed Broadband to Businesses on the North Slope

The network will enable commercially-available, high-speed connectivity where only high-cost microwave and satellite communications have been available. In addition to Alaska Communications’ focused service offerings to business and enterprise customers, Alaska Communications and Quintillion have partnered to make this network available to other telecom carriers in the market, further increasing the variety of new product and service offerings.

“By purchasing a network on the North Slope, we enhanced our ability to support our state’s economy as well as business and enterprise customers. The North Slope oil and gas producers along with the support and service contractors will benefit from increased broadband and managed IT solutions competition. In addition, they will gain access to the latest technology applications, enabling them to operate at greater efficiency, reduce operating costs and increase safety,” said Anand Vadapalli, Alaska Communications president and CEO.

“This investment is a critical step in delivering on Quintillion’s plans to improve the availability of high-speed carrier-class services in rural Alaska,” stated Elizabeth Pierce, Quintillion Holdings CEO. “Over the next two years Quintillion will expand its network increasing the availability of services over fiber optic cable in remote regions of Alaska by making access available to all telecom service providers.” This expansion by Quintillion contemplates a new fiber-optic connection between Deadhorse, on Alaska’s North Slope, and Fairbanks, and the construction of a subsea fiber connection from Prudhoe Bay to Nome, making more affordable bandwidth available to all consumers.

The fiber investment will boost connectivity to oil and gas fields including the Kuparuk River Unit, Colville River Unit, Milne Point Unit, Prudhoe Bay Unit and Oooguruk Unit, among others. It also adds to Alaska Communications’ current portfolio of managed IT solutions and professional services on the North Slope and is part of the company’s continued focus to provide reliable broadband and IT solutions across Alaska.

Signs Service Agreement with New Customer: ConocoPhillips

With the acquisition, Alaska Communications also signed a multi-year service agreement with ConocoPhillips.

About Alaska Communications

Headquartered in Anchorage, Alaska Communications (NASDAQ: ALSK) is a leading provider of advanced broadband and IT managed service solutions for businesses and consumers in Alaska. The company operates a highly reliable, advanced statewide data and voice network with the latest technology and the most diverse undersea fiber optic system connecting Alaska to the contiguous United States. For more information, please visit www.alaskacommunications.com or www.alsk.com.

About Quintillion

Headquartered in Anchorage, Quintillion is bringing affordable, carrier-class, high-speed broadband service options to Alaska. Quintillion, together with its partners, is changing Alaska’s middle mile capabilities with the construction of new fiber optic cable systems including subsea fiber optic cable from Prudhoe to Nome and terrestrial cable from Fairbanks to Deadhorse/Prudhoe Bay. For more information, please visit www.quintillionnetworks.com.

Media Contact, Alaska CommunicationsDirector, Marketing and Corporate CommunicationsHeather Cavanaugh, 907-564-7722orMedia Contact, QuintillionCAODesiree Pfefferdesiree.pfeffer@quintillionnetworks.com

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