ANCHORAGE, Alaska – For decades, the North Slope has served as Alaska's economic engine. To ensure the region can support the oil fields of the future, which will rely even more on technology and connectivity to remain competitive, GCI is deploying the northernmost 5G wireless service in the nation.

The last-mile capabilities of GCI's 5G wireless network combined with its resilient core fiber network will bring the data connectivity of the future to a key industrial region of Alaska.

5G can provide the reliable ubiquitous wireless network connectivity needed to maintain communications with remote equipment, vehicles, inspection drones, mobile industrial internet of things (IIoT) devices, and connected workers. This improves productivity, efficiency, accuracy, and automation of intricate control processes.

These innovative technologies allow oil companies to make faster and better-informed decisions about mission-critical systems through real-time data. With IIoT, wireless sensors connect physical devices, enabling them to talk to each other and to be controlled and monitored remotely. In the past, crews needed to physically visit each location in the field to check for leaks or gather data. But with a push to a smarter digital oil field that allows pulling in previously stranded data, enhanced remote sensors, and remote HD video, workers can avoid unnecessary trips into the field and companies gain real-time awareness with historical behavior analytics.

Read the full announcement here.

GCI