With the Right Partner, Great Things Can Happen
Alaska Connects is working to deliver Alaska Native Communities high-speed broadband internet capable of supporting streaming, video calls, and more to enrich the user experience. We are helping to provide positive societal benefits of broadband which include economic, educational, governmental, health, and public safety sectors. Alaska Connects is an Alaska Native 501(c)3 non-profit charitable organization.
The Aurora Project
Alaska Connects has partnered with Pacific Dataport to launch the Aurora4 satellite (A4), which will provide satellite service exclusively to the State of Alaska. As Alaskans, our rural communities deserve to be prioritized when it comes to broadband services.
Funds for this infrastrure exist today
The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) has awarded the State of Alaska $1.1 billion from the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program, to be distributed by the Department of Commerce, Community, and Economic Development’s Alaska Broadband Office (ABO).
The numbers add up
The ABO has identified 194 unserved and underserved communities with a total estimated cost of $1.89 billion to implement fiber in the areas of need (ABO capital cost model 02-2023). There is no feasible way all rural communities will receive fiber to the home with these funds. Additionally, those that are awarded and have plans for fiber infrastructure could still be waiting 3-15 years for installation to every home.
All-In-One
Solution
The Aurora Project provides the middle and last mile service to all unserved and underserved areas of the state within 30 months. This project offers a complete direct-to-consumer internet package. The service will be provided at a flat rate between $40-55 for the next 15 years with no discrepancy between tribal offices and households. In the interim of fiber, help bring reliable and affordable broadband to your village.
The Smart
Solution
In addition, Alaska Connects provides redundancy for our rural communities in the event there is another fiber cut, like the incident that happened in June 2023 in the Arctic Ocean. This caused outages from Prudhoe Bay to Nome and halted the internet and cell usage for users within the regions. We agree that fiber is the ‘gold standard,’ but we believe a fiber-satellite hybrid solution will mitigate the risk of another cut and is the correct path forward.
Think Starlink but designed, built, owned, and operated by Alaskans for Alaskans.
By supporting Alaska Connects and the Aurora Project, you are advancing every rural community in the State of Alaska with reliable and affordable broadband.
What is the Aurora4 (A4) Satellite?
A4 is a high-throughput geostationary satellite (HTS GEO). Existing satellites that provide service to Alaska are in more southern latitudes and serve most of the state from very low angles. Alaska’s terrain of mountains and trees frequently block existing access. The A4 satellite will be placed into geosynchronous orbit 22,000 miles above the Earth.
A4 boasts new technology which will provide affordable high-speed and high-capacity broadband to 100% of Alaska and maritime coverage. Geostationary satellites have been in operation since the early 1980s, and the A4 is a combination of proven and reliable technology partnered with new Ka-Band technology (1 Ka-Band Satellite is equivalent to 153 C-Band Satellites). In addition, the high-speed and high-capacity satellite is equipped with a steerable beam to direct the areas of greatest need. The satellite’s orbit will match the planet’s rotation, so it is stationary relative to the Earth, ensuring high-speed Internet service to any part of Alaska, eliminating the need to clear trees for a wide field clear line-of-sight, which is required when using LEO technologies.