Alaska Power & Telephone Company (AP&T) has completed the SeaLink South subsea cable a year ahead of schedule.

SEALink South
– AP&T

The SeaLink South cable forms a crescent around the Prince of Wales Island in Alaska, US, landing at three points across the state in Coffman Cove, Hollis, and Ketchikan.

AP&T said the project will expand and improve connectivity in Alaska’s Alexander Archipelago region.

Neither the capacity nor the length of the cable have been shared.

Plans for the cable were first announced in 2022. The cable was funded via a $29.3 million USDA ReConnect grant and additional matching funds from AP&T.

The funds are also being used to build terrestrial fiber in communities across Prince of Wales Island, with buildouts scheduled in the Klawock, Hollis, and Craig communities.

Alaska Senator Lisa Murkowski said: “After hearing from Alaskans, strengthening rural infrastructure, and broadband access was a priority of mine when crafting the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. The SeaLink South project will help Alaskans in Prince of Wales have better access to telehealth services, education opportunities, connection with family and friends, and so much more.”

SeaLink will also be available as a regional resource to help carriers with transport and routing diversity requirements, including indigenous stakeholders working to develop tribal broadband solutions. A large part of the population in Southeast Alaska is Alaska Native.

Richard (Chalyee Éesh) Peterson, president of the Central Council of the Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska, added: “This project will bring reliable, high-speed Internet access to Prince of Wales Island, opening up opportunities for education, economic development, and telehealth services. Tlingit & Haida and Tidal Network is proud to have played a role in this transformative project, which will greatly enhance the quality of life for residents and businesses in the region.”

AP&T has completed several projects in the Alaska region, including the Lynn Canal Fiber (LCF) cable in 2016, connecting the communities of Skagway, Haines, and Juneau. The project included the development of a new cable landing station in Juneau.

In 2020, AP&T used a $21.5 million grant to build the SeaLink cable, connecting Prince of Wales Island to Petersburg, Juneau, and the LCF project.

Other cables currently landing in Alaska include the MYUS, AUFS, and AU-East cables.