St. Lawrence

Bringing fiber connectivity to Gambell and Savoonga through a transformative Arctic infrastructure project designed to overcome extreme conditions, strengthen essential services, and deliver future-ready broadband to one of Alaska’s most remote regions.
  • 1,200 Miles
  • $48M Investment

Project Overview

The St. Lawrence Island Project extends fiber connectivity to the communities of Gambell and Savoonga, two of Alaska’s most remote villages and among the last to lack modern broadband infrastructure. Supported by an initial $1 million equitable distribution grant, Quintillion has completed feasibility work, engineering design, and early materials procurement—including two hardened telecom shelters—to prepare the foundation for a full fiber-to-the-home build. This investment positions St. Lawrence Island for a historic leap in digital access.
Once fully funded, the project will deliver fiber-based broadband that surpasses speeds available in many urban Alaska communities, enabling reliable connections for homes, schools, clinics, transportation services, and local government operations. The region’s current 1–5 Mbps bandwidth severely limits healthcare delivery, online education, aviation coordination, and essential public safety systems. Fiber infrastructure will change that trajectory, supporting everything from telehealth to modern commerce while expanding economic opportunities for residents—including the island’s well-known walrus carving community, which relies on predictable digital access to reach global markets.
Beyond community benefits, the project strengthens regional resilience in one of the most challenging environments in Alaska. St. Lawrence Island’s proximity—about 40 miles—to Russia underscores its strategic relevance, and fiber infrastructure enables enhanced environmental, wildlife, and vessel monitoring systems.
While defense-related advantages remain a small component of the project’s story, the primary impact is clear: empowering two isolated communities with reliable, future-ready broadband and the infrastructure stability needed to support daily life, local culture, and long-term opportunities.

Project Route Map

Quintillion_MapSizeIncrease

Community Benefits

Transformative Connectivity

Telemedicine reaches remote communities, connecting clinics with urban specialists and supporting emergency consultations when weather conditions prevent critical medical evacuations.

Upward Mobility

New broadband access supports online learning, telehealth, remote employment, and digital entrepreneurship, giving residents more pathways to education, income, and stability across one of Alaska’s most isolated regions.

Essential Services

Improved bandwidth strengthens healthcare, aviation coordination, weather monitoring, and public safety systems—critical functions currently limited by legacy satellite networks unable to meet modern operational demands.

Economic Uplift

Project deployment brings jobs, procurement, and new local roles while enhancing digital access for the island’s traditional walrus carving economy, helping artisans reliably reach wider markets.

Funding Structure

Federal Grants (NTIA Middle Mile & BEAD)

$47M

State of Alaska Funding

Need info

Private Investment (Quintillion)

Need info

Total Project Investment

$48M

This funding structure demonstrates our commitment to maximizing federal and state funding opportunities while making significant private investments to ensure project success. Our approach leverages public funding to de-risk infrastructure deployment in economically challenging areas while maintaining our ability to deliver high-quality, sustainable network operations.

Project Timeline

Feasibility & Engineering — Completed

Initial feasibility studies, engineering design, permitting plans, and procurement of two telecom shelters completed through the $1M equitable distribution grant.

Funding Determination — In Progress

Full project funding under review through a $46M BEAD application, with TBCP Round 2 pursued as a parallel pathway.

Full Construction Mobilization — Pending Award

Construction schedule will be established after federal funding is secured, including material staging, logistics planning, and mobilization to Gambell and Savoonga.

Community Deployment & Activation — To Be Announced

Fiber-to-the-home installation, service activation, and local workforce engagement will begin once construction is approved and mobilization plans are finalized.

Technical Specifications

Network Infrastructure

Architecture:

Fiber-to-the-Home (FTTH)

Backhaul:

Integrated with Quintillion’s subsea–terrestrial network

Environmental Design:

Engineered for extreme Arctic conditions

Resilience Features

Burial Depth:

2-3 meters subsea

Armoring:

Double armor in shore zones

Redundancy:

Ring architecture

Monitoring:

24/7 NOC surveillance

The St. Lawrence Island Project delivers a full fiber-to-the-home architecture engineered for one of Alaska’s harshest environments. Early funding has already supported feasibility work, engineering design, permitting plans, and procurement of two Arctic-hardened telecom shelters essential for remote deployment.

Once fully built, the system will integrate into Quintillion’s subsea–terrestrial backbone, enabling bandwidth far surpassing current 1–5 Mbps service. The infrastructure strengthens aviation, weather, emergency, and public safety operations while supporting long-term scalability, environmental monitoring capabilities, and future community growth.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which communities will receive service?

The project serves Gambell and Savoonga, two of Alaska’s most remote and underserved communities, both of which currently lack reliable high-capacity broadband infrastructure.

Reliable fiber service will support online learning, telehealth, economic opportunity, government operations, aviation safety, weather services, and modern communication tools essential for everyday life.
Improved bandwidth enables stronger aviation coordination, weather monitoring, emergency communications, and public safety systems, all currently hampered by slow legacy networks.
Final pricing will be established after funding and construction timelines are finalized, but Quintillion plans to meet federal affordability standards for rural broadband deployment.
The St. Lawrence Island Project is designed to minimize environmental disturbance and meet all federal and tribal permitting requirements. Early engineering and feasibility work completed through the initial grant includes environmental planning to ensure construction methods, equipment use, and placement of telecom shelters align with local conditions and community priorities. Because the project has not yet entered full construction, detailed environmental impacts will be defined during final design and permitting, but the project is structured to comply with all required assessments, protect sensitive ecosystems, and support long-term, sustainable broadband access for Gambell and Savoonga.
Engineering design, feasibility studies, permitting planning, and procurement of two Arctic-hardened telecom shelters have been completed through a $1 million equitable distribution grant.

Want to Learn More?

Get in touch with our team to learn more about the St. Lawrence project and how it can serve your community or organization.
Contact Our Team
View All Projects