Simply voice & date: Telecoms make it easy for businesses.

• Author: Slaten, Russ
• Position: TELECOM & TECHNOLOGY

Alaska is dubbed the Last Frontier, but as industry and government have discovered the state's value through it resources, location, and people, more attention continues to be put toward building its infrastructure. The one industry continually connecting Alaskans, shortening the distance between the mountains, lakes, and ice, is the telecommunications industry.

In only the last three years, AT&T has invested $200 million to bring fast, reliable internet and tools for Alaska businesses. GCI says it will have spent about $200 million in 2014 alone to bring Alaskans the most reliable network in the state. Verizon opened its first retail stores in September and has invested $115 million since 2011 and is continuing its build out in the next few years.

Each telecommunications company has the same end goal for industry in the state: to make it easy to do business in Alaska.

AT&T

AT&T's premier voice and data plan for Alaska is the AT&T Mobile Share Value plan, says AT&T Alaska Business Sales Manager Amy Merchant. Companies using the Mobile Share plan can connect up to one hundred devices from smartphones to basic messaging phones, laptops, mobile hotspot devices, tablets, cameras, and many other devices with wireless connectivity.

"At AT&T, we are always looking for ways to measurably impact our customers' business. We look for opportunities within their business to drive revenue, control expenses, and increase productivity and efficiency, making AT&T the ideal partner for local business," Merchant says.

Plans are meant to fit business needs ranging from 300MB per month for $20 up to 50GB for $375 per month. And like all Mobile Share plans, Merchant says, customers enjoy unlimited talk and text on the nation's most reliable 4G LTE network, unlimited international texting outside of the United States, and 50GB of free cloud storage.

"In just three years, we've invested $200 million on the things our customers tell us they want. AT&T has been a member of the Alaska community for more than twenty years and invested millions of dollars to deliver a finely-tuned statewide network, must-have devices, and great customer service," Merchant says.

GCI

GCI continues to expand its network throughout Alaska, while keeping it simple.

"GCI Business Simplified has been our mantra for years. It's about simplifying our customers' decision process by asking and answering a few questions about how they use their voice and/or data and then designing a streamlined...