Arctic directory 2019: NSTI becomes Motorola's largest Professional & Commercial Radio dealership in Alaska

Maintaining its core commitment to the oil & gas industry, growing company expands into new markets.

Petroleum News

Q. What is the official name of your company?

A. North Slope Telecom, Inc. (NSTI)

Q. What do you most want people to know about your company?

A. We provide a full suite of telecommunications services and equipment, from design and engineering to materials procurement to installation to post sale support, troubleshooting and Operation & Maintenance (O&M). With nearly 40 years of experience combined with our Platinum level Motorola Dealership, NSTI is truly a one stop shop for your telecommunications and Land Mobile Radio needs.

Q. Where is your company located?

A. Our headquarters are in Anchorage, but our services cover the entire state, including the North Slope and the most remote locations in Alaska.

Q. What year was the company founded and by whom?

A. NSTI was founded in 1980 by William (Bill) Laxson.

Q. What is your company’s primary business activity?

A. NSTI’s primary activity is turnkey telecommunications services in Anchorage and throughout the state of Alaska. We are also a Platinum Motorola Dealership specializing in large project purchases.

Q. Are there important projects the company is currently a part of or has done recently?

A. A few examples - We are currently working with ConocoPhillips on its GMT2 telecom as well as helping with their Capacity Max upgrade. We also have a large fiber-to-the-home project at Meadow Lakes for GCI; our portion spanning roughly 30 miles of new underground and aerial fiber build.

Q. How many employees does your company have?

A. We currently have fifty employees.

Q. Describe the equipment your company uses and are there any new equipment purchases planned?

A. Some of the equipment we use regularly include 3 large bucket trucks, 3 excavators, 8 fleet vehicles, and a dozen specialized equipment trailers all geared towards doing underground and aerial communications construction. We are planning to build a Motorola Capacity Max training system to help our clients prepare for migration.

Q. Is your company expanding any of its operations or locations?

A. We recently did a large expansion into Outside Plant (OSP) construction, and are immensely focused on expanding the Motorola dealership.

Q. Is the company changing any of its services or products?

A. NSTI recently became a SkyBitz dealer, providing GPS tracking systems.

Q. What is your company’s main strength or its edge over the competition?

A. NSTI is highly experienced with all types of legacy and cutting-edge communications equipment. We have a very low turnover which creates employees who are experts in nearly every facet of telecommunications including Motorola products; allowing us to provide companies the equipment they need at the best cost.

Q. What is the most challenging work/contract the company has undertaken?

A. Each challenge is unique, such as Alpine, which was quite a large project given the size of our company at the time and the tight schedule. Port Etches was an extremely remote mountain top construction project. The recent DRS project had its logistical and scheduling challenges. The Capacity Max Upgrade Planning for ConocoPhillips is in a league of its own.

Q. What are the biggest obstacles to completing work your company undertakes?

A. Communications are usually one of the first requirements for new projects, especially in remote locations, for safety reasons. Our technicians that set these complex systems up and integrate for our clients cannot specialize in one field or another; they must be experts in all aspects of the system to be successful.

Q. What do you see as your company’s biggest challenge in the next five years?

A. Finding and keeping top tier employees, adjusting to the merging of telecommunication and IT systems, and growing our Motorola dealership.

Q. Does your company have an anniversary or other landmark event coming up?

A. Next year marks 40 years in business!

Q. What is the average length of time employee’s work for the company?

A. NSTI has very low turnover with an average length of employment at 10 years with four employees having been with the company for over 20 years! Employment longevity is something we are very proud of and it prominently contributes to the high level of expertise in our workforce.

Q. What is your company’s safety record? What steps does the company take to ensure a safe work environment?

A. NSTI places a high value on our safety culture and emphasizes that to all employees, especially new hires. A couple of the milestones have achieved include 1 million hours with no lost time injuries and five years with no recordable injuries - all while working in some of the most extreme conditions in the world.

Q. What is the address of your company’s Web site?

A. www.NSTIAK.com