ANCHORAGE, Alaska, April 20, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- General
Communication, Inc. ("GCI")(NASDAQ: GNCMA) announced today that it
is partnering with wireless technology and services company,
Ericsson, to bring advanced, high-speed fixed and mobile
connections to Alaska's oil
producing North Slope. GCI has long been a leader in
supporting the telecommunication needs of the companies and
employees in the region. GCI has 20 active towers today and
the only terrestrial fiber optic connection to Prudhoe Bay.
GCI has begun construction and installation of its new advanced,
high-speed wireless data network, which will include a total of
nine sites spanning from Kuparuk to Point Thomson, stretching more
than 3,738 square miles, an area larger than the size of
Delaware and Rhode Island combined. The new network
will be Long Term Evolution (LTE) technology with data download
speeds in excess of 30Mbps. This high-speed connectivity will
support advancing oil field data requirements and improve overall
oilfield operations.
The network will have several new LTE sites that uniquely
provide service to Alaska's oil
producers and its support industry at remote drilling
campsites.
"Ericsson is proud to help GCI bring LTE to the most remote and
isolated oil producing area in North America. We believe that
the high-speed data network that GCI is building will greatly
improve the productivity, safety and reliability of oilfield
operations," said Angel Ruiz,
Head of Ericsson North America.
"GCI has long been the leading provider of advanced
telecommunication services for Alaska's oil producers and support
companies. This is one more advanced technology that will
greatly improve Alaska's oil
business, which is critical to the overall Alaska economy," said GCI President and
CEO Ron Duncan.
This project is a continuation of GCI's build out of high-speed
mobile service across Alaska. In addition to North Slope, GCI
already provides LTE to Anchorage,
Fairbanks and Juneau and later this year will be turning up
LTE service for the Matanuska Valley and Kenai Peninsula.
GCI is the largest Alaska-based
and operated, integrated telecommunications provider, offering
wireless, voice, data and video service statewide. Learn more about
GCI at www.gci.com.
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visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/gci-and-ericsson-to-bring-high-speed-access-to-alaskas-north-slope-300068635.html
SOURCE GCI