Fort Wainwright is extending free Wi-Fi to all of its permanent party barracks

Fort Wainwright is bringing free Wi-Fi to all of its permanent party barracks, where soldiers assigned to the Fairbanks post long term live, the Army said Wednesday. It's an expansion of a six-building pilot that started earlier this year.

Each soldier will get an account for up to 10 personal devices, with speeds of up to 1 gigabit per second shared across them, at no cost. The Army said it's meant for everyday needs such as online classes, training, video calls and streaming.

Outside the pilot buildings, soldiers have had to pay commercial providers for internet in their rooms. In the record of a 2020 town hall, one question said service in one barracks cost $175 a month from GCI, the only option given. The garrison answered that packages ran from about $60 a month with ACS to $175 with GCI.

"I am working on my master's degree, and before this it could be difficult to submit assignments and documents on time," said Spc. Noah D. Packard. "Better internet access takes away that extra stress and makes it easier to stay on top of school and other responsibilities."

"Providing reliable internet access in the barracks is an important quality of life improvement for our soldiers," said Col. John W. Campbell, commander of U.S. Army Garrison Alaska.

The work runs through an agreement with the University of Alaska Fairbanks, which managed the pilot network. The arrangement is an Intergovernmental Support Agreement, a federal tool that lets military bases get services from state and local governments, including public universities. UAF's contractor, Boldyn Networks, installed the pilot system and maintains it under the service name BaseNet, the Army said in its May pilot announcement. UAF had worked with the provider in its dorm program, this week's announcement said.

Fort Wainwright was the second Army post to run the Barracks Task Force's Wi-Fi pilot, after Fort Riley, Kansas. The pilot averaged about 300 megabits per second, with peaks up to 600, the Army said in May.

The Army didn't say when every building will be connected, how many soldiers will get the service or what it costs the Army. It said garrison leaders are prioritizing the work over the holidays to help soldiers cut their own internet bills, and that soldiers will get updates through their chain of command.