Quarterlytics / Communication Services / Telecommunications Services / Alaska Communications Systems Group Inc.

Alaska Communications Systems Group Inc.

alsk · NASDAQ Communication Services
Claim this profile
Ticker alsk
Exchange NASDAQ
Sector Communication Services
Industry Telecommunications Services
Employees 501-1000
← All annual reports
FY2005 Annual Report · Alaska Communications Systems Group Inc.
Sign in to download
Loading PDF…
introduced, aft er much research into customer needs, a 
Pocket PC, which off ers users the consistency, simplicity 
and security of their offi  ce desktop Microsoft -based 
computer in a device that fi ts in the palm of their hands.  
Life outside the offi  ce is as stress-free as it can be with 
a quality device, full offi  ce functionality, and a fast and 
reliable network, both in and outside of Alaska. 

Results in 2005 included a 15% growth in wireless 
subscribers, growth faster than the market, so ACS 
gained share with its premier wireless capabilities. 

Grow Within Our Cost Structure
ACS exceeded our fi nancial goals in 2005.  We funded 
top line growth by trimming costs everywhere, and in 
a sustainable manner, by driving effi  ciencies through 
Process Improvement.  Th  e Process Improvement teams 
are central to how we work and the results we deliver.    

Th  roughout the year, ACS also exercised smart capital 
market moves by lowering and fi xing interest rates on the 
majority of our debt and at the same time reducing total 
debt levels.   

We entered 2006 with strong cash fl ow, a strong balance 
sheet, an increased dividend, strong operating metrics 
and a team increasingly confi dent in its ability to deliver.  
Our work for the rest of this year, and always, centers on 
the understanding that loyal customers drive our results 

and that with our distinctive assets, we have the ability 
to deliver quality services at home, at work, on the road, 
and virtually anyplace in between.   

Th  ank you for your support and I look forward to 
reporting to you on the progress realized in 2006.

On the back of substantial operating progress and 
strategic refi nancing in 2005, ACS again increased its 
annual dividend early in 2006 to what is now $0.86 
per share.  

Sincerely,

We are pleased that the performance of ACS created 
the conditions appropriate for our largest investor, Fox 
Paine & Company, to sell its holdings in a two-step 
process concluded in the fi rst quarter of 2006.  Th  e 
sale diversifi ed our stockholder base and increased the 
liquidity of the stock.  We welcome our new investors 
and appreciate the confi dence they demonstrate in the 
team at ACS.

Liane Pelletier
President, CEO and Board Chair

Alaska Communications Systems

2005

Letter to Stockholders

Corporate Headquarters

Alaska Communications Systems
600 Telephone Avenue, Anchorage, AK 99503

Telephone: 907.297.3000

NASDAQ: ALSK
Investors’ Web Address:  www.alsk.com
Corporate Web Address:  www.acsalaska.com

WIRELESS        INTERNET        LOCAL        LONG DISTANCE        TELEVISION

Total Shareholder Return (TSR)*assuming initial purchase of ACS stock on 12/31/04, quarter-end pricing and no reinvestment of dividends.Q1 2005Q2 2005Q3 2005Q4 2005Q1 2006Stock$10.05$9.91$11.44$10.16$12.13Dividend$0.200$0.200$0.200$0.200$0.215TSR*19%20%40%27%52%Building the Business through Customer Focus

Dear Fellow Stockholders:
It gives me great pleasure to share with you the achievements of 2005 
at Alaska Communications Systems, specifically against the three goals 
laid out last year – to enhance the overall customer experience, to be 
known as Alaska’s premier wireless provider, and to grow within our 
cost structure.

Enhance the Overall Customer Experience
At ACS, it is all about growing the number of loyal ACS customers 
– those who choose ACS, buy more from ACS, and refer ACS to others.  
Loyal customers are profitable.  We win loyal customers through 
competitive differentiation, quality customer experience and effective 
marketing, sales and service.

Competitive differentiation.  ACS is the only statewide telecom provider 
in Alaska that owns the assets of local, long distance, wireless and 
Internet and therefore is the only company able to profitably combine 
and package products into valuable services for customers, who 
increasingly demand answers to their communications needs in an easy-
to-use format.  One expression of such packaging is ON ACS, launched 
mid-year 2005.  ON ACS is a strategic program that encourages our 
customers to use more ACS services, and for that, ACS shares in the 
value created.  It performs well in both acquiring and retaining our 
customers.  The first expression of ON ACS offers free mobile-to-home 
and home-to-mobile calls for any and all members of a household who 
buy ACS residential service and ACS wireless service.  It is a program 
so innovative that it earned a mention in the Wall Street Journal near its 
launch in 2005.   

Quality customer experience.  ACS understands that a company easy 
to do business with is the one that wins loyal customers.  The company 
is transforming itself through a strategy of tightly focused Process 
Improvement, with the aim of delivering streamlined, simpler, error-
free and efficient operations.  We organized the Process Improvement 
initiative into ten process teams - most of them concentrated on our 
many interfaces with customers, all of them focused on quality.  Even 
those teams tackling internal processes derive important benefits that 

accrue to our customers.  The transformation is entirely 
employee-driven, all resources deployed are internal, so 
that the knowledge developed and solutions deployed are 
completely retained and embraced by the organization.    

Effective marketing, sales and service.  The creativity 
and professionalism of our marketing distinguishes ACS 
in Alaska.  The organization of our sales and service 
teams and their participation in Process Improvement, 
is a direct translation of our customer centric strategy, as 
front line employees are asked to specialize in a customer 
segment and are cross trained on all products.  The 
Process Improvement initiatives are eliminating seams 
conventionally found between the service delivered by 
a call center representative and the service delivered 
by a field technician.  The targeted experience for our 
customers is one-stop-shopping and one-and-done 
servicing. 

Retail Relationships

430,000

420,000

410,000

400,000

390,000

380,000

Q1 2005       Q2 2005        Q3 2005       Q4 2005       Q1 2006

Our daily measure of success is growth in retail 
relationships.  From the first quarter of 2005 through the 
first quarter of 2006, we grew ACS’ retail relationships by 
over 7%, to 425,000.

Be Known as Alaska’s Premier Wireless Provider
At ACS, we understand that what matters to wireless 
users is network ubiquity, service reliability, voice clarity, 
data speeds and a range of high performing devices.  ACS 
invested $12 million in our CDMA network and more in 
our wireless customer functions during 2005, driven by 
these customer requirements.  

Wireless Subscribers

125,000

120,000

115,000

110,000

105,000

100,000

95,000

90,000

Q1 2005       Q2 2005        Q3 2005       Q4 2005       Q1 2006

ACS is the only statewide wireless provider that offers 
third-generation (3G) services.  For ACS, which deploys 
CDMA technology, that means we offer the fastest mobile 
data speeds possible, and the clearest voice quality possible. 
2005 was a major build year for ACS as we expanded our 
CDMA footprint to 75% of the population at year end, 
and extended reach for our customers into the Lower 
49 through roaming agreements for both voice and data. 
As the Alaska footprint expanded we implemented a 
quality measurement program via ‘drive testing’ to assure 
we deliver the most reliable service.  Drive test results 
prove ACS has the fewest dropped calls when measured 
against competitors in the state; high end users value 
such differentiation.  To bring alive the richness of the 
data capabilities embedded in the ACS network, we 

ACS understands 
that a company easy 
to do business with 
is the one that wins 
loyal customers.

Liane Pelletier
President, CEO and Board Chair