Rivada Sea Lion Selects Alaska Communications for Broadband Wireless Professional Services Contract

Alaska Communications (NASDAQ: ALSK) is pleased to announce a professional services contract with Rivada Sea Lion LLC for the design and engineering of the Southwest Alaska Broadband Rural Expansion (SABRE) broadband wireless network in rural Alaska.

Rivada Sea Lion LLC is a partnership between Sea Lion International, a subsidiary of Sea Lion Corporation, established in 1972 under the terms of the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act as the village corporation of Hooper Bay, Alaska and Rivada Networks, a leading designer, integrator and operator of wireless, interoperable public safety communications networks. Rivada Sea Lion LLC received $25.3 million in grant monies from the funding earmarked for broadband investments under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) 2009.

SABRE will provide high-speed broadband Internet service, for the first time, to 53 rural communities in southwest Alaska, serving a 90,000-square-mile area with nearly 30,000 residents.

“We are excited at the opportunity to bring Alaska Communications to the team. Their level of service and proven track record of operating a 3G wireless data network in Alaska clearly made them the right choice for this project at this time,” said Desiree Pfeffer, Sea Lion International chief executive officer.

“We are bringing our professional and technical expertise in the form of a services engagement for this project – another step forward for Alaska Communications in illustrating our strategy of going beyond pure connectivity. Our ability to bring end-to-end management solutions for our customers with a laser focus on our customers’ needs has been critical in entering into this relationship,” said Michael Wynschenk, Alaska Communications senior vice president of sales.

About Alaska Communications

Headquartered in Anchorage, Alaska Communications Systems Group, Inc. (“ACS”) (NASDAQ: ALSK), through its subsidiaries, provides Alaska Communications services and is Alaska's leading provider of broadband and other wireline and wireless solutions across businesses and consumers. The Alaska Communications wireline operations include the state's most advanced data networks and the most diverse undersea fiber optic system connecting Alaska to the contiguous United States. The company’s wireless operations include a statewide 3G CDMA network, reaching across Alaska from the North Slope to Ketchikan, with coverage extended via best-in-class CDMA carriers in the Lower 49 and Canada. By investing in the fastest-growing market segments and attracting the highest-quality customers, Alaska Communications seeks to drive top and bottom-line growth, while continually improving the customer experience and cost structure through process improvement. More information can be found on the company's website at www.alaskacommunications.com or at its investor site at www.alsk.com.