Alaska Communications to launch LTE in Anchorage, Fairbanks and Juneau

Alaska Communications (ACS) is poised to inaugurate its Long Term Evolution (LTE) network in parts of Anchorage, Fairbanks and Juneau imminently, and is currently taking pre-orders forLTE-compatible phones. In addition, ACS will launch HSPA+ services in a number of other markets, including parts of the Mat-Su, much of the Kenai Peninsula, Sitka and Ketchikan.

Last month US mobile giant AT&T Mobility announced that it had switched on its LTE network in Anchorage, Alaska, beating chief rival Verizon Wireless to the punch. For its part, in August 2010 Verizon filed an application with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to acquire the LTE-suitable 700MHz C Block spectrum license covering Alaska from Triad, a designated entity that purchased the license during the FCC’s 700MHz 2008 spectrum auction. As things stand, Alaska is currently the only US state not covered by Verizon’s LTE network.