Alaska Power & Telephone Company (AP&T) has completed the company’s “SEALink South” submarine fiber optic cable project, the latest segment in its growing southeast Alaska broadband network.

A press release said that the AP&T team completed the installation one year ahead of schedule. SEALink South includes a submarine cable system interconnecting Ketchikan with the communities of Hollis and Coffman Cove, beachfront cable landing sites, various terrestrial facilities, and associated transport equipment.

Norddeutsche Seekabelwerke, a subsidiary of Prysmian Group, provided the cable for SEALink in 2022 and it also provided the cable for SEALink South. That project was noteworthy as it represented the first- ever fiber optic link to continental North America. That project required 214 miles of submarine fiber optic cable from Prince of Wales Island to Juneau, with an overland crossing on Mitkof Island through the community of Petersburg. It was funded by a $21.5 million grant from the USDA Rural Utility Services, and more than $7 million in matching funds from APTW. It was completed two years ahead of schedule.

The SEALink South Project uses 101 miles of submarine fiber optic cable to expand connectivity in Alaska’s Alexander Archipelago region, enhancing resilience through diverse routing options and a fiber “ring” around Prince of Wales Island. SEALink South was funded via a $29.3m USDA ReConnect grant, plus additional matching funds supplied by AP&T.

In addition to supporting AP&T’s needs as a rural service provider, SEALink is available as a regional resource to assist carriers with transport and routing diversity requirements. This includes indigenous stakeholders working to develop tribal broadband solutions who have actively supported SEALink throughout the course of its development.