GCI acquires Quintillion

GCI has announced a definitive agreement to acquire Quintillion, an Alaska-based fiber infrastructure company, for approximately $310 million. This acquisition is set to significantly expand GCI’s network capabilities by adding extensive fiber assets, enhancing connectivity and redundancy across the state’s challenging terrain.

The transaction will allow GCI to incorporate Quintillion’s 1,800 miles of fiber running off Alaska’s northern coasts and along the Dalton Highway into its existing infrastructure. Additionally, GCI will gain access to 1,500 miles of fiber tied to Quintillion's ongoing projects, including a critical connection between Nome and Homer. The integration aims to create a robust ringed network across Alaska to ensure signal continuity even in adverse conditions, thereby minimizing outage risks.

Acquiring Quintillion aligns with GCI’s strategy to fortify network resilience amidst Alaska's severe environmental extremes. According to GCI’s senior vice president of corporate development, Billy Wailand, the merger of complementary fiber routes and expertise under a unified management team promises a network that better caters to Alaska’s unique needs. This comes as the state has secured substantial federal funds from the $1.2 trillion infrastructure package passed by Congress in 2022, designed to uplift broadband services in underserved rural locales.

For GCI, expanding its fiber footprint is critical, especially considering recent incidents like the 2023 damage to subsea cables west of Prudhoe Bay that disrupted local internet and cellular services. The investment in resiliency is also strategically important for national defense, providing enhanced monitoring capabilities along Alaska’s coasts, increasingly patrolled by foreign military forces.

As both companies gear up for the formal merger, GCI will assume responsibility for up to $50 million in capital expenditures tied to Quintillion’s fiber extension projects between Western and Southcentral Alaska. Regulatory approval is still pending. Upon completion, GCI intends to leverage its advanced network management and maintenance expertise to optimize network performance and reliability, reducing operational risks and ensuring consistent service delivery across its expanded territory.