January 21, 2000

Contact:
David Morris, (907) 265-5396 or dmorris@gci.com
Kathy Day, (907) 561-4488 or kday@gci.net

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

GALAXY XR SATELLITE SCHEDULED FOR JANUARY 24 LIFT-OFF

New Satellite To Double Capacity and Improve Telecommunications in Rural Alaska

Anchorage, AK - GCI (NASDAQ:GNCMA), announced today that Galaxy XR, the satellite that will provide primary telecommunication services for its customers in rural Alaska, is scheduled to be launched from Arianespace Space Center in Kourou, French Guiana on Monday, January 24. The satellite will double the company's satellite capacity and provide long-distance voice, fax, Internet and data traffic.

"This new satellite expands the capability of GCI's existing earth stations and will provide the highest C- and Ku-band performance ever available in Alaska," said Richard Dowling, GCI senior vice president for corporate development.

GCI will own six C- and one Ku-band transponders on Galaxy XR once it achieves in-orbit checkout. The seven transponders represent a $50 million capital investment. Each transponder is capable of carrying a minimum of 1,800 simultaneous voice or data calls.

The Ku-band transponder will be used to carry high-speed Internet traffic to more than half of Alaska schools, as well as voice and data services to remote fishing, mining and logging operations. Voice/fax, Internet, telemedicine and distance education applications will be delivered over both C-band and Ku-band.

Galaxy XR is the replacement satellite for Galaxy X. The launch of Galaxy X failed shortly after takeoff from Cape Canaveral, Florida in August 1998.

Galaxy XR is a Hughes-built HS 601 HP model spacecraft and will be carried to geostationary orbit aboard an Ariane 4 launch vehicle using a 42L twin-booster configuration. The satellite has a total of 48 Ku- and C-band transponders and is owned and will be operated by PanAmSat, the world's leading commercial provider of satellite-based communications services. PanAmSat operates a global network of 20 satellites and seven technical ground facilities.

Other tenants aboard Galaxy XR include: Hughes Network Systems, the State of California, California State University and the University of Southern California. In addition to telecommunication services, the satellite will deliver television programming for Disney, TVN Entertainment, Viacom and other programmers across the United States.

The launch of Galaxy XR will be the 94th Ariane 4 launch and the 10th in the 42L configuration. The launch vehicle will power the spacecraft to 22,300 miles above the equator at 123 degrees west longitude. Ariane 4 is built by Arianespace, a venture of the European Space Agency and the world's first commercial space transportation company.

GCI is an Alaska-based and operated company that provides local, wireless, and long distance telephone, cable television, Internet and data communication services to more than 180,000 customers throughout Alaska. More information about the company can be found at www.gci.com.