Yukon to be Alaska's new gateway to fast broadband

Northwestel is building a new fibre optic line from HainesJunction to Beaver Creek, Yukon.

It should deliver faster Internet and better phone serviceto communities along the North Alaska Highway.

The new fibre line will also benefit Alaska.

According to HighSpeedInternet.com, internet speeds in Alaska are among the slowest in the the U.S.

MTA FiberHoldings, a subsidiary of MTA, a south central Alaskatelecomcompany, wants to change that. It's building a terrestrial fibre optic network to connect with Northwestel's line.

Alaska is connected to the global Internet by four submarine cables that run under the ocean.

The problem is three of those cables carrying fibre optic linesare getting old.

"There are four underwater fibre optic cables that come from Alaska. Two of them were put in in 1999, twenty years ago. They run from South Central Alaska, an area near Whittier Alaska, south down to the Pacific Northwest," said MTA CEO Michael Burke.

Burke said the cables are engineered for a 25-year lifespan.

"The fact that they come out of Alaska across the ring of fire and then cross it again going to the Pacific Northwest, that obviously is vulnerable to underwater earthquakes, avalanches, things of that nature,"Burke said.

The ALCan One (Alaska Canada Overland Network)will be the first all terrestrialfibre network linking Alaska to the Lower 48.

New line won't affect Yukon broadband speeds

The new terrestrial line will be capable of 100-terabit-per second data speeds.

The new line will run between North Pole,Alaska, to the Canadian border nearBeaver Creek. The line is expected to be completed next year.

Burke says MTA will lease bandwidth from Northwestel.

"The best way to describe it at the border is an interconnection of the two networks," Burke said.

He said MTA's use won't affect Yukon's broadband speeds.

Northwestel say construction of the linefrom Haines Junction to Beaver Creek is continuing as scheduled.It hopes to have the line in operation in 2020.