Business Wire | Jun 10, 2021 04:05PM EDT

Alaska Communications Expands Connectivity Offerings With Low Earth Orbit Satellites

Jun. 10, 2021

ANCHORAGE, Alaska--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jun. 10, 2021--Alaska Communications (NASDAQ: ALSK) has signed a Distribution Partner Agreement with OneWeb, the global communications network powered from space, to expand the company's connectivity solutions across Alaska.

Through the agreement, Alaska Communications will sell OneWeb's low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite service to its customers and use OneWeb's infrastructure for critical middle mile connections.

"We're pleased to work with OneWeb to offer LEO services in Alaska," said Bill Bishop, president and CEO of Alaska Communications. "We see this as a milestone moment in our ability to offer low-latency, high-speed service across Alaska, particularly in rural areas."

LEO satellites deliver fiber-like connectivity performance to areas that have been inaccessible via terrestrial options. Businesses, local governments, schools, healthcare providers and resource developers need high speed, low latency connections to keep up with growing demands, like video conferencing, telehealth, cloud computing and more.

"We see this solution as an important piece of our toolkit," said Bishop. "We're known for creating custom solutions to meet our customer's needs. Collaborating with OneWeb augments our capabilities in serving our business and government customers."

"Alaska Communications has unparalleled experience delivering communications to Alaskans for more than 100 years and uniquely understands where the need is across the state," said Neil Masterson, CEO of OneWeb. "We are thrilled to add our network to their offering and to be working together to see all of Alaska connected."

LEO services through Alaska Communications and OneWeb will be available for service in the fourth quarter of 2021.

About Alaska Communications

Alaska Communications (NASDAQ: ALSK) is the leading provider of advanced broadband and managed IT services for businesses and consumers in Alaska. The company operates a highly reliable, advanced statewide data network with the latest technology and the most diverse undersea fiber optic system connecting Alaska to the contiguous U.S. For more information, visit www.AlaskaCommunications.com or www.alsk.com.

About OneWeb

OneWeb is a global communications network powered from space, headquartered in London, enabling connectivity for governments, businesses, and communities. It is implementing a constellation of Low Earth Orbit satellites with a network of global gateway stations and a range of user terminals to provide an affordable, fast, high-bandwidth and low-latency communications service, connected to the IoT future and a pathway to 5G for everyone, everywhere. Find out more at http://www.oneweb.world

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CONTACT: Alaska Communications Media Contact: Heather Marron, 907-564-1326 Manager, Corporate Communications

CONTACT: Investor Contact: Tiffany Smith, 907-564-7556 Manager, Board and Investor Relations investors@acsalaska.com

CONTACT: OneWeb Media Contact: Katie Dowd Kdowd@oneweb.net Director, Communications