Alaska Communications

Alaska Communications: a buyer’s guide

Alaska Communications (formerly Alaska Communications Systems / ACS) is an Anchorage-headquartered wireline and broadband provider for Alaska homes and businesses — distinct from GCI after selling its wireless business, and now owned by ATN International. On RSINC it appears in about 22 cities across 1 state, with DSL as the primary directory technology label, often mixed with Fiber and Fixed Wireless: roughly 9 DSL + Fiber + Fixed Wireless, 4 DSL + Fixed Wireless, and 4 DSL. Sample directory communities include Anchorage, AK, Delta Junction, AK, Fairbanks, AK, and Homer, AK.

Those city counts are directory relationships, not a map of fiber drops. Alaska last miles vary sharply by neighborhood copper quality and fiber builds. Compare Alaska Communications with other options for your ZIP on RSINC, or call 1-877-697-2926.

History of Alaska Communications — statewide telco, wireless exit, ATN

Alaska Communications was assembled in 1998–1999 when investment firm Fox Paine & Company and local management bought CenturyTel’s Alaska properties (themselves recently from PacifiCorp/Pacific Telecom) and then acquired Anchorage Telephone Utility (ATU) from the Municipality of Anchorage — creating a statewide local-exchange and internet platform spanning Anchorage, Fairbanks, Juneau-area rural properties, and more. The company later added ISPs (Internet Alaska, MosquitoNet), Crest Communications fiber assets, and built the AKORN submarine cable (launched April 2009) to complement the Northstar undersea system linking Alaska to Oregon — critical middle-mile for a state without contiguous Lower 48 fiber rights-of-way.

Wireless was a major chapter that later left the company. ACS had operated statewide CDMA 3G service and in 2013 formed the Alaska Wireless Network (AWN) joint venture with GCI. On December 4, 2014, GCI agreed to buy ACS’s wireless subscribers and remaining AWN interest for $300 million; the deal closed in first-quarter 2015, leaving Alaska Communications focused on wireline, broadband, and managed IT (including TekMate, acquired 2014). In July 2021, Nasdaq-listed ATN International acquired Alaska Communications for about $343 million, keeping the Alaska brand in market.

For shoppers, ACS is the historic wireline competitor to GCI in many markets — still verify DSL vs fiber vs fixed wireless at your exact address. RSINC’s slug remains alaska-communications.

What Alaska Communications offers — wireline broadband after the wireless sale

RSINC does not currently publish a plan-and-price table on this slug. Expect DSL on remaining copper, fiber where the plant has been upgraded, and fixed wireless labels in some directory cities for hard-to-wire locations. Undersea and terrestrial fiber backbones matter for latency to the Lower 48 but do not by themselves put FTTH on your street. Business and carrier products are a large part of ACS’s story; residential promos change. After ATN ownership, branding should still say Alaska Communications for most consumer offers — confirm on the order path.

Who Alaska Communications fits — and when to compare alternatives

Alaska Communications fits Anchorage, Fairbanks, and other ACS-exchange households that want the historic local telco’s broadband — especially where fiber has replaced aging copper.

Compare alternatives when GCI cable/fiber, AP&T, a co-op, or Starlink clearly outperforms residual DSL; when only a wireless label appears and a wired competitor is better; or when you specifically need mobile service (ACS no longer owns the wireless base sold to GCI). City labels are not borough-wide coverage.

Start with an address-level comparison on RSINC, or call 1-877-697-2926, before you treat any city-page label as an install date.

Alaska Communications FAQs

Does Alaska Communications still sell cell phones?

ACS sold its wireless subscribers and AWN interest to GCI in a deal announced December 2014 and closed in early 2015. Confirm any residual resale offers separately from wireline broadband.

Who owns Alaska Communications now?

ATN International acquired the company in July 2021 for about $343 million.

Why does RSINC show DSL as primary?

Many directory cities still carry DSL labels, often mixed with Fiber or Fixed Wireless. Ask which technology actually serves your drop.

How do I check Alaska Communications at my address?

Call RSINC at 1-877-697-2926, or start from the RSINC homepage.

Are published Alaska Communications prices guaranteed current?

No. Verify current pricing, offers, fees, and terms before ordering. Call 1-877-697-2926.

Disclaimer

RSINC is an independent comparison site and is not Alaska Communications, ATN International, or GCI. Directory city counts are relationships, not coverage percentages or subscriber counts. Speeds, prices, ownership details, and build maps change. All trademarks belong to their owners.