Alaska photo: Wirestock/Freepik

Alaska Communications will use OneWeb’s satellite capacity to provide broadband service in the state, under a distribution agreement announced June 10. 

Alaska Communications is a business and residential network provider in the state. Through the agreement, the business plans to sell OneWeb’s Low-Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite service to its customers and use OneWeb’s infrastructure for middle-mile connections. LEO services through Alaska Communications and OneWeb are set to be available for service in the fourth quarter of 2021.

Bill Bishop, president and CEO of Alaska Communications, said the company sees this agreement as a milestone in offering low-latency, high-speed service across Alaska and in rural areas. 

“We see this solution as an important piece of our toolkit,” Bishop said in the news release. “We’re known for creating custom solutions to meet our customer’s needs. Collaborating with OneWeb augments our capabilities in serving our business and government customers.”

OneWeb is gearing up for initial service as its LEO constellation is at 218 satellites — 80% of what is needed for initial service. The operator’s first service contract was with Hughes Network Systems for the U.S. Air Force Research Lab (AFRL).