Whittier, AK, United States

Whittier, AK, United States: Submarine Cable Landing Point

Whittier, Alaska, situated on the shores of Prince William Sound in the United States, serves as a submarine cable landing point hosting two domestic submarine cable systems. Both cables connect points entirely within the United States, making Whittier a node within intra-national connectivity rather than an intercontinental gateway. The two systems landing here — Alaska United East (AU-East) and NorthStar — were both placed into service in 1999, reflecting a period of focused investment in linking Alaska's coastal communities to the broader national network.

The pairing of two cables at this Alaskan port gives Whittier a degree of redundancy unusual for smaller or more remote landing points. Both systems are domestic in scope, running entirely between points in the United States, and together they represent over 6,900 kilometres of combined submarine cable infrastructure touching this single location.

Cables Landing at Whittier, AK

Alaska United East (AU-East) is a submarine cable system stretching 3,751 kilometres, with a ready-for-service date of 1999. The cable connects landing points exclusively within the United States, providing an intra-national link along what is understood to be an Alaskan corridor.

NorthStar is a submarine cable system measuring 3,229 kilometres in length, also entering service in 1999. Like AU-East, NorthStar connects landing points within the United States, forming a complementary domestic route that, alongside AU-East, gives Whittier two independent cable paths serving national connectivity needs.

Regional Context

Within the United States submarine cable landscape — which spans 113 cables across 160 landing points — Whittier's two cables place it in the top 84% of domestic landing points by cable count. Larger hubs such as Boca Raton, FL and San Juan, PR each host eight cables, while Hermosa Beach, CA, Kapolei, HI, and Myrtle Beach, SC each serve five. Whittier's profile is more modest, reflecting its role as a regionally focused Alaskan terminus rather than a high-volume international gateway.

Network Role

Whittier functions as a dual-cable domestic terminus, with both of its systems — AU-East and NorthStar — dedicated to intra-United States connectivity. The simultaneous commissioning of both cables in 1999 suggests a deliberate effort to establish parallel routes serving the same general corridor, providing a level of path diversity for traffic moving through this part of Alaska. Neither cable extends to foreign shores, so Whittier's role is firmly oriented toward national rather than international submarine connectivity.

In the broader United States submarine cable graph, Whittier represents a specialised Alaskan landing point where geographic remoteness is addressed through co-located domestic systems, distinguishing it from the predominantly international-facing hubs that dominate the country's submarine cable map.