Alaska Communications Brings Faster Internet, Better Connectivity to State Employees

More than 22,000 State of Alaska employees will have increased network bandwidth and faster Internet thanks to the State awarding Alaska Communications (NASDAQ: ALSK) a five-year contract for Wide Area Network (WAN) services.

“We’re excited to enable better service to all Alaskans by providing secure and reliable high bandwidth networks to the State of Alaska,” said Alaska Communications President and CEO Anand Vadapalli. “We’re a company of Alaskans that has been operational for over 120 years, and we’re excited to begin to support State employees as they help move us forward.”

“This new opportunity is a testament to the exceptional talent of our people at Alaska Communications, and the quality of our advanced network, IT solutions and managed services. This contract validates our growth strategy. The strategic value of this new award is significant. The State is one of the largest purchasers of telecom and IT services in Alaska, and being the vendor for broadband services represents meaningful additional opportunities for us, once we stand up the network in the first half of next year,” said Vadapalli.

Alaska Communications won the WAN, including network management, part of the State’s core telecommunications Request for Proposal. Under this agreement, Alaska Communications will provide secure and dedicated network connectivity between the State’s core locations in Anchorage, Juneau and Fairbanks as well as high-speed, high-capacity Internet.

Alaska Communications competed against local and national carriers through the best value procurement process, where bidders compete not only on price, but on overall value, including competency, network quality, and past performance.

The company demonstrated its work with clients such as the Anchorage School District, NANA, Princess Cruises, Old Harbor Native Corporation and the Municipality of Anchorage. Alaska Communications serves these and other clients with its certified Carrier Ethernet 2.0 network. The certification, a designation by the Metro Ethernet Forum, a global industry alliance that defines Carrier-class Ethernet networks and services, means the company meets international standards for its business Ethernet services, making its clients among the best connected businesses in the United States.

State employees will benefit from their core transport provider by receiving a network sized to its needs. The new network will provide a high-capacity, secure, reliable and express backhaul and Internet access system needed to operate at peak performance. Employees across the state will have greater functionality, more than three times the amount of bandwidth, with more visibility and increased reliability.

About Alaska Communications

Headquartered in Anchorage, Alaska Communications (NASDAQ: ALSK) is a leading provider of high-speed wireless, mobile broadband, Internet, local, long-distance and advanced broadband solutions for businesses and consumers in Alaska. The Alaska Communications network includes advanced broadband and voice networks and the most diverse undersea fiber optic system connecting Alaska to the contiguous United States. For more information, please visit www.alaskacommunications.com or www.alsk.com.