Alaska Communications no longer offers wireless service. It sold its wireless business to GCI, and the sale closed on February 2, 2015.
Alaska Communications Wireless is gone
Alaska Communications agreed in December 2014 to sell its wireless subscribers and its one-third interest in Alaska Wireless Network to GCI for $300 million. The deal closed on February 2, 2015.
If you were a customer
About 109,000 customers moved to GCI billing, and service continued without interruption with plans largely intact. The sources we found do not say how phone numbers were handled.
How Alaska Communications Wireless ended
- July 2013: Alaska Communications and GCI formed Alaska Wireless Network LLC, a joint network. Alaska Communications held a one-third interest.
- December 2014: Alaska Communications agreed to sell its wireless business to GCI for $300 million.
- February 2, 2015: The sale closed.
The history of Alaska Communications Wireless
Alaska Communications expected about $250 million in net proceeds and planned to use them to pay down about $415 million of debt. After the sale, it refocused on broadband and business IT. The Alaska Wireless Network interest moved to GCI, which now holds the joint network.
How to find who holds an old number now
- Check an old bill or payment record. It names the company that billed you last.
- Run the number through a carrier lookup tool. It shows the carrier that holds the number today.
- Call that carrier and ask for the account number and transfer PIN.
- Start the port from the new carrier. Never cancel the old line first.
Your right to keep a number
Number portability is federal law, not a carrier policy. The rule is the FCC’s: Portability: Keeping Your Phone Number When Changing Service Providers.
How we verified Alaska Communications Wireless
Best Cellular tracks active carriers and defunct ones. We keep both, because people still search for brands that no longer exist. Every fact on this Alaska Communications Wireless page comes from at least two independent sources, listed below, and we leave a detail out when no source states it. Where sources disagree, this page says so. If you can document a correction, tell us and we will check it against the sources.
Tracked and active are different counts on this site. Alaska Communications Wireless counts in our tracked total, not in our active total, so it does not appear in tools built for live carriers.
Questions about Alaska Communications Wireless
Does Alaska Communications still offer wireless service?
No. The sale of its wireless business to GCI closed on February 2, 2015.
Who bought Alaska Communications’ wireless business?
General Communication, Inc., known as GCI.
How many customers moved?
About 109,000, according to Alaska Public Media.
What is Alaska Wireless Network?
A joint network formed in July 2013 by Alaska Communications and GCI. Alaska Communications held a one-third interest.
Does BestCellular.com list Alaska Communications Wireless as an active carrier?
No. We track Alaska Communications Wireless as a defunct carrier. It counts toward our tracked total but not our active total.
Sources and verification
Facts checked October 11, 2026 against at least two independent sources:
- Alaska Public Media: Alaska Communications sells wireless customer base to GCI: price and customers.
- Telecompetitor: Alaskan carriers complete wireless deal: the February 2, 2015 close.
- EE World: GCI closes deal to buy Alaska Communications wireless assets: the network interest and proceeds.
- Alaska Communications SEC filing: the sale agreement.
Best Cellular. “Alaska Communications Wireless: What Happened,” BestCellular.com. https://bestcellular.com/alaska-communications-wireless/
Free to reuse with credit. Licence, sources and the full dataset. All defunct carriers are listed on carriers that shut down.