GCI Partners With Starlink to Bring Connectivity to Alaska
The partnership will bring reliable service to multiple communities in Alaska.
WASHINGTON, June 11, 2026 – GCI, Alaska’s largest telecommunications company, is partnering with Starlink through bonded gateways to bring a reliable internet connection to thousands of Alaskans.
The agreement will bring connectivity to several major community hubs including Bethel, Sitka, Kotzebue and Dillingham. Starlink’s dedicated service with bonded gateways will leverage its inter-satellite space lasers to bring multi-gigabit connectivity, even to locations far from Starlink ground stations.
Alaska has some of the hardest–to-reach and remote communities in North America, making telecommunications critical to daily life. To bring connectivity to the state, operators must contend with some of the harshest operating conditions in the nation.
Billy Wailand, Senior Vice President of Corporate Development at GCI, said, “We have long said it takes every tool in our toolkit to serve a state like Alaska.”
“With the addition of Starlink’s industry-leading bonded gateway capabilities, powered by low-Earth orbit satellites, we are adding a valuable new layer of resiliency that complements our existing fiber, microwave and satellite infrastructure,” said Wailand in the press release.
Starlink can help reach these rural communities through low-Earth orbit satellites. The company has 2.7 million subscribers, with 85% of customers coming from rural areas. The combined local expertise with additional networks through various technologies will enable GCI to deliver reliable communication across the state.
