ANCHORAGE, Alaska, June 18, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- GCI (NASDAQ:
GLIBA, GLIBP), Alaska's largest
telecommunications company, announced today a partnership with
Ericsson (NASDAQ: ERIC) to build the nation's northernmost 5G
network in Anchorage, the state's
largest city.
Starting this summer, the partners will deploy Ericsson's 3GPP
standards-based 5G New Radio (NR) hardware and software to 82 macro
cell sites across the Municipality of Anchorage from Girdwood to Eklutna, an area larger than the
state of Rhode Island. GCI's metro
fiber network will provide backhaul services to these sites, which
include both towers and building locations. The project will
be completed in 2020 with initial 5G service coming online in the
first half of the year.
"We are committed to providing superior 5G wireless service to
the residents of Anchorage just as
we already provide the fastest internet service," said GCI CEO
Ron Duncan. "We are bringing all our
assets – fiber, spectrum, wireless footprint, Alaska expertise – to bear on that
commitment."
GCI's robust metro fiber network and cable plant already offers
1 GIG cable modem service to 95% of Anchorage households. GCI controls more
low/mid-band mobile radio spectrum than any other wireless provider
in Anchorage. And it has more
macro cell sites in Anchorage than
any other Alaska wireless
provider.
"The combination of our assets and Ericsson's industry-leading
5G solution will increase the capacity of our Anchorage wireless network by 10 times or more
and also provide better coverage," said Duncan. "All of our
customers will benefit from this increase in capacity."
The announcement was made at a joint press conference attended
by Ericsson President and
CEO Börje Ekholm and members of the company's leadership team
who traveled to Alaska to be
present at the announcement.
"Ericsson and GCI have partnered over the past decade to connect
customers in some of the most remote communities in Alaska. We are pleased to continue working
with GCI to bring 5G service to Alaska's biggest city," said Ekholm. "The
introduction of 5G will create a powerful platform for innovation.
Using 5G, new use cases benefitting society, consumers and
enterprises, will be created. Consumers will benefit from a premium
experience with faster speeds and better coverage, while new
wireless functionality will accelerate applications for the oil and
gas, mining and health care industries across Alaska."
"Ericsson is a trusted partner that has helped us deliver
terrestrial broadband and mobile wireless service solutions to
rural Alaska, and we are pleased
to work with them again to provide 5G service to our customers in
Alaska's largest urban market,"
said Duncan. "Much as the transition from 3G to 4G LTE paved the
way for game-changing services such as mobile ride hailing and
remote telemedicine, the move to 5G will enable yet another wave of
innovation in Alaska, including
IoT (Internet of Things) applications in the home, business and
industrial areas like the North Slope."
GCI's 5G deployment will support local government efforts to
grow the nation's northernmost smart city. The Municipality of
Anchorage already uses a "light
grid" to improve efficiency for municipal street lights and is
exploring programs that rely on automated systems and connectivity
to deliver services more efficiently to residents.
"Smart city technology enables the Municipality to deliver
services like transit and power more efficiently, reducing costs
and improving the lives of our residents," said Anchorage Mayor Ethan
Berkowitz. "GCI's investment in a faster urban wireless
network helps Anchorage remain
competitive and helps us retain and attract business and
talent."
"Innovation has driven GCI for 40 years, and innovation is still
at the core of our business strategy today," said Duncan. "We're
not stopping with the deployment of a 5G macro network. GCI's
mission is to provide Alaska
residents the best of the wireless and wireline worlds. Later this
year, we will be announcing the move to an all IP cable plant in
Anchorage and other Alaska cities. Our teams are working to
integrate GCI's wireless network and our metro fiber/cable plant
network to fully enable microcell, managed Wi-Fi and other
technologies."
"The result will be a wireless/wireline experience that will
provide our customers nearly ubiquitous data connectivity. We are
making these investments here in Anchorage because it's our hometown, and we
know how to deliver service to Alaskans better than any other
provider. Anchorage will
serve as the model for our network modernization efforts in other
Alaska cities."
For more information about GCI and its 5G network, visit
https://www.gci.com/.
About 5G NR
5G NR (New Radio) is the global standard
for a unified 5G wireless air interface. Developed by the 3rd
Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), 5G NR will deliver a
substantially faster and more responsive mobile broadband
experience and enable new wireless capabilities and applications.
5G Evolution is not 5G NR.
About GCI's Spectrum Holdings
GCI controls 210 MHz
(megahertz) of mobile radio spectrum in Anchorage, more than any other wireless
provider including low-band 600MHz, 700MHz, and 850MHz spectrum,
which is particularly useful for in-door coverage, and mid-band PCS
and AWS spectrum. GCI's 5G NR deployment will take advantage of all
five of these radio bands to ensure a superior experience for
Anchorage residents.
About GCI
GCI provides data, mobile, video, voice and
managed services to consumer and business customers throughout
Alaska and nationwide.
Headquartered in Alaska, GCI has
delivered services for nearly 40 years to some of the most remote
communities and in some of the most challenging conditions in
North America. Learn more about
GCI at www.gci.com. GCI is a wholly owned subsidiary of GCI
Liberty, Inc. (Nasdaq: GLIBA, GLIBP). Learn more about GCI
Liberty at www.gciliberty.com.
About Ericsson
Ericsson enables communications service
providers to capture the full value of connectivity. The company's
portfolio spans Networks, Digital Services, Managed Services, and
Emerging Business and is designed to help our customers go digital,
increase efficiency and find new revenue streams. Ericsson's
investments in innovation have delivered the benefits of telephony
and mobile broadband to billions of people around the world. The
Ericsson stock is listed on Nasdaq Stockholm and on Nasdaq New
York. www.ericsson.com.
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