Alaska United West (AU-West)

Overview

Alaska United West (AU-West) is a domestic submarine cable system located entirely within the United States. With a total length of 2,485 km, it connects coastal points along the Pacific coast of the continental United States and Alaska, serving an intra-national corridor that links remote Alaskan communities with the lower 48 states.

Route and Landings

Within the United States, the cable has three landing points. In Alaska, it lands at Ketchikan and Seward. On the Oregon coast of the continental United States, it lands at Warrenton. These three landings span a considerable stretch of the Pacific coastline, bridging Alaska's southern ports with the Pacific Northwest.

Ownership and Operators

Alaska United West is owned solely by GCI Communication Corp, an Alaskan telecommunications company that has historically provided communications services across the state of Alaska. As the single owner, GCI operates and maintains the cable system independently.

Status and Timeline

The cable was ready for service in 2004 and has been operational for approximately 22 years. It continues to serve its role connecting the three landing points along the US Pacific coast and southern Alaska.

Regional Context

The United States hosts a large submarine cable infrastructure, with 75 cables landing across 119 landing points and an average cable length of 5,553 km. At 2,485 km, Alaska United West is shorter than the majority of US-connected cables, longer than approximately 34% of the other cables touching the same country. The regional peers in this corridor include systems of considerably greater length and intercontinental scope, such as Project Waterworth at 50,000 km and the Southern Cross Cable Network at 30,500 km. Alaska United West occupies a distinctly different niche — a shorter, domestically focused system rather than a transoceanic route.

Strategic Role

Alaska United West provides submarine cable connectivity between southern Alaska landing points at Ketchikan and Seward and the Oregon coast at Warrenton, forming a direct undersea link between Alaska and the continental United States. This domestic routing supports telecommunications connectivity for Alaskan communities that depend on submarine cable infrastructure to reach the broader US network, given the geographic isolation of Alaska from the contiguous 48 states.