Alaska United Support

Alaska United is a high capacity diversely routed ring fiber optic communication network connecting Alaska's major population centers with the lower 48 states.

The network consists of six major sections:

1. AU-North/NW providing connection of Anchorage, Fairbanks, Valdez to Prudhoe Bay to the submarine network.
2. AU-East connecting Anchorage, Juneau, and Seattle with landing sites at Whittier, Lena Point and Lynwood, WA.
3. AU-West connecting Anchorage to Seattle with landing points in Seward, Ketchikan and Warrenton, OR.
4. AU-SE connecting the Southeast Alaska communities of Juneau, Sitka, Angoon, Petersburg, Wrangell, and Ketchikan to the submarine network.
5. KKFL providing connections to Anchorage, Kenai, Homer, Seward and Kodiak through the KKCC cable.
6. Connection with the UUI TERRA SW hybrid system serving SW Alaska.

The system utilizes optical amplification allowing flexible capacity expansion through the life of the system. The submarine portions where installed with state-of-the-art burial and laying technique by industry leaders. The cable is buried from the cable landing stations to a water depth of 4,900 ft where possible to avoid external aggressions. The networks diversely routed SONET ring architecture provides the highest availability and security of any commercial communication system for the state of Alaska.

24 hour Emergency Contacts:

If you believe your gear or anchor has come in contact with a submarine cable,
call GCI 7 days a week, 24 hours a day at:

907-868-5555 (Anchorage) or 888-442-8662

24 hour Emergency Contact for Washington and Oregon waters:

OFCC at: 503-325-2285

For all terrestrial Cable Locates:

811

The links provided contain the following GCI Submarine Cable Information:

Chartletts

All of the major GCI cables are provided graphically on chartletts for general information purposes. Please note that chartletts are not intended to be used for navigation.

Route Position Lists (RPL)

All of the major GCI cable routes are provided in latitude, longitude, depth, lists in several different file formats: MS-DOS text, Microsoft Excel, Comma Separated File (CVS), Navigation Object file for Rose Point Coastal Explore, MapTech route file, Google Earth KML file, Garmin Track File, GPX-GPS exchange format, ECC-Globe data base file, and Open Nav text format for easy import into most chart plotter programs. Note that the Open Nav and Navigation Object file formats includes the boundaries for the National Marine Fisheries Essential Fish Habitats, and pertinent Local Notice to Mariners updates. These files can be used to either manually or transfer the cable routes into vessel GPS chart plotters, computer, or electronic navigation system. Please give cables at least a º mile clearance when bottom fishing, anchoring, or doing any type of sea bottom activity.