Grain Management has acquired Quintillion, a fiber-based connectivity provider serving Alaska and the North American Arctic.
Quintillion sells broadband connectivity, satellite ground stations, and edge processing services to government and commercial telecommunication providers in the North American Arctic.
In June 2023, Quintillion was awarded $89 million through the National Telecommunications and Information Administration's (NTIA) Middle Mile Broadband Infrastructure Grant Program to provide redundant middle-mile backhaul capability for Alaska, creating redundancy and reliability for Alaska's broadband network infrastructure.
The service provider has been an aggressive builder of fiber networks.
Besides working to establish new middle-mile connectivity via the NTA’s program, the service provider has a subsea and terrestrial high-speed fiber optic network that spans the Alaskan Arctic and connects to the Lower 48. The planned three-phase Quintillion subsea cable system will ultimately connect Asia to the American Pacific Northwest and Western Europe via the Northwest Passage and the Alaskan and Canadian Arctic.
George Tronsrue III, CEO of Quintillion, said that being purchased by Grain will enhance its ability to improve broadband services to underserved and unserved communities and national defense capabilities.
"Alaska is uniquely positioned to provide geostrategic advantage in bolstering our country's defense capabilities—which means Quintillion, under Grain's management, will play a critical role in boosting national defense," he said. "Having recently secured our latest national security agreement, the Quintillion team is thrilled about partnering with Grain to expedite closing the digital divide and accelerating the pace with which we connect more Alaskans and the rest of the world."
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