Quintillion Subsea Cable Network - Break

On 18 January 2025, the Quintillion Subsea Cable Network, a fibre-optic line running along the floor of the Beaufort Sea off Alaska's North Slope, was severed roughly 32 to 37 miles north of Oliktok Point. The break degraded internet and cellular service for an estimated 20,000 residents across Northwest Alaska and the North Slope, including the communities of Utqiagvik, Wainwright, Point Hope, Kotzebue and Nome. Many residents switched to Starlink satellite service to stay connected. Quintillion said the affected segment sat in a similar location to a 2023 break that left customers without service for about 14 weeks.

Quintillion attributed the damage to ice scour, citing what it called clear evidence of fast ice and sea ice activity in the fault area. President Mac McHale linked the recurring damage to shifting sea ice patterns associated with climate change, noting the environment had changed since the system was designed about a decade earlier. Because sea ice blocks vessel access, the company said a subsea repair could not begin until late summer, and it explored interim measures including a proposed terrestrial land bridge from Utqiagvik to Deadhorse to build redundancy. Quintillion completed the subsea repair in September 2025.

This is most likely an ice-related, natural Arctic fault rather than an act of sabotage. Quintillion and reporting consistently attribute the break to sea ice scour in shallow Beaufort Sea waters, in a location closely matching a prior 2023 ice-caused break, with shifting ice patterns cited as an aggravating factor. There is no reporting suggesting deliberate human interference or foreign involvement. The incident nonetheless highlights the fragility of single-path Arctic communications infrastructure, which is why it is recorded here for context, with the understanding that the available evidence points to environmental rather than hostile causes.