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Alaska Communications Systems Group Inc.

alsk · NASDAQ Communication Services
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Ticker alsk
Exchange NASDAQ
Sector Communication Services
Industry Telecommunications Services
Employees 501-1000
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FY2006 Annual Report · Alaska Communications Systems Group Inc.
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Focusing investment
ACS, like any company, has a greater appetite for 
investment than can be satisfied. ACS leaders 
exhibit discipline in terms of: reading where the 
market is headed, leveraging the current asset base 
and maximizing ACS’ competitive advantages. Our 
investments have been significant and targeted, with 
over $174 million of capital installed over the last 
three years. 

In the area of Wireless, as we closed 2006, we covered 
more than 80% of the Alaskan population with our 
third generation mobile wireless network, using CDMA 
technology to deliver the fastest possible mobile data 
speeds, clearest voice quality, and fewest blocked and 
dropped calls in the state. The Wireless voice and data 
services are now available from the North Slope where 
oil production occurs today and natural gas production 
may occur in the future to the Southeast panhandle 
where summer tourism trebles wireless traffic volumes.

In the area of Broadband, we increased our DSL footprint 
and capable speeds, and extended the reach of a very 
flexible, scalable data network for business customers, 
again spanning the state from the North Slope to 
Southeast Alaska with ‘plug-and play’ data capabilities.   

investment begins. The customer experience is enhanced 
along a number of dimensions from modest changes 
like expanded payment options to more revolutionary 
changes like those embedded in goVocal. 

How has focused investment translated  
into performance?
Looking just at the wireless investment as an example, 
ACS has produced superior returns. A $57 million 
CDMA Wireless capital program paired with a 
compelling business model enabled 2006 Wireless 
revenues of $115 million at margins of 47%.  

The business model of serving customers holistically, 
managing the business along processes and focusing 
investment enables ACS to provide the best 
communications services to Alaskans and, in turn, to 
provide exceptional returns to shareholders. 

Thank you for demonstrating your confidence in the 
team at ACS.

Sincerely,

But, the real work at ACS begins the day the capital is 
installed. As Marketing and Sales ‘merchandise’ the 
Network and IT investments to our customers, return on 

Liane Pelletier 
President, CEO and Board Chair

Alaska Communications Systems

2006

Letter to Stockholders

For more about ACS products and services, please visit www.acsalaska.com.

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

Dear Fellow Shareholders:
2006 was another banner year for ACS. Our track record of 
execution continued as we maintained laser focus on customers, 
processes and investments. This focus translated into the creation 
of significant value. Revenue expanded 7%, EBITDA grew over 
8%, and retail relationships increased by nearly 6%. Total return 
on equity was 58%, with shareholders benefiting from stock 
appreciation of $5.031 and dividends of $0.86.

We continue to transform ACS from a primarily incumbent local 
telephone voice company to a competitively-driven Wireless and 
Broadband company. Wireless and Broadband services are table 
stakes for successful telecommunications firms of the future and 
we have aimed our resources in that direction for the last three-
plus years while strategically leveraging our customer and asset 
base in traditional wireline services. This transformation hinges 
on executing a proven business model of serving customers 
holistically, managing the business along processes rather than 
traditional functions, and focusing investment on fast-growing, 
strategically-innovative, high-payback initiatives.

Serving customers holistically
We place customers at the center of our strategy and actions. We 
serve three customer segments – consumer, business and carrier 
– with sales and service specialists attuned to each segment’s 
needs. The ACS Network and Information Technology team 
partners with the Sales and Service teams to align market and 
investment strategy, share service measurements, and otherwise 
work as a unified force to meet customer expectations.  

We position ACS as the service provider that can serve our 
customers at home, at work, and everywhere in between.  Three 
examples of our strategy in action include: Internet Anyplace, 
which delivers total data connectivity for busy people at home 
and away from home by bundling DSL broadband service with 
a laptop PC card that finds data service everywhere our cellular 
network or data roaming exists2. ON ACS, which delivers an 

We continue to 
transform ACS 
from a primarily 
incumbent local 
telephone voice 
company to a 
competitively-
driven Wireless and 
Broadband company.

Liane Pelletier
President, CEO and Board Chair

unlimited calling benefit between the ACS home phone 
and the ACS cell phone (and vice versa). And, goVocal, 
which delivers home-based and portable voice-over-
broadband long distance – reinvented to provide nearly 
limitless outbound calling, “local” calling to Alaska from 
a customer-selected Lower 48 area code and city, and 
low international calling rates. 

How has organizing around customers translated 
into performance?
Serving customers holistically allows ACS, among 
other things, to deliver well-targeted and therefore 
valued bundles to the customer which, in turn, drive 
retail relationship growth and higher retention. 
Bundles and our commitment to quality have reduced 
monthly Wireless churn to 1.4% and annual retail 
Local line loss to 1.8%3.

Managing the business along processes
ACS leaders view the business as one. Many 
departments have been collapsed over the last three 
years as the drive for tighter coordination grows. If you 
were to visit ACS, you would witness many ACS team 
members engaging in formal process improvement 
initiatives. Launched two-plus years ago, and 
reinforced almost as a ‘lifestyle,’ progress continues. 
ACS now has over 15 formal Process Improvement 

teams, all voluntarily staffed with only ACS employees, 
and all sponsored by a senior executive. Their work 
always starts with the customer experience, always 
looks across department boundaries and always 
redesigns processes to achieve fewer steps, higher 
accuracy, enhanced customer communication, and 
tighter cross-departmental coordination. Employees’ 
knowledge of the business grows and their ability to 
contribute to the overall mission is expanded.

Process Improvement teams run the gamut from 
product development to trouble resolution. Hundreds 
of ACS team members now engage in simplifying how 
we work, constantly raising the bar for measurable 
improvements in performance. Process improvement 
reinforces that we cannot stand still and, with much 
directly under our control, we tap our courage and 
drive the changes we identify. 

How has process improvement translated  
into performance?
Revenues have grown with little to no change 
to operating expenditures and, as such, process 
improvement is effectively ‘funding’ our growth. ACS 
has added 13% more retail relationships with 5% fewer 
employees over the last two years4.

1 Based upon closing prices of $10.16 on 12/30/05 and $15.19 on 12/29/06
2 ACS covers over 80% of the Alaskan population with wireless data capabilities and our data roaming partners cover close to 100% of the 
  Lower 48 population and close to 50% of the Canadian population
3 As of First Quarter 2007 
4 Two years ended 12/31/06