Article
What the customer terminals will look like for Amazon’s Kuiper LEO satellite system
Amazon launches first Kuiper internet satellites | iTnews
My Comments
Amazon has started to launch rockets that contain the satellites for their Project Kuiper low-earth-orbit satellite system which is expected to compete with Elon Musk’s Starlink system.
The first of the rockets, an Atlas V rocket associated with the United Launch Alliance ran by Boeing and Lockheed Martin, has blasted off with 27 of the Project Kuiper satellites on April 9 US time. Amazon has yet to make contact with the satellites in order to have the system up and running.
This low-earth-orbit satellite platform is expected to compete with the Starlink platform for Internet service to rural and remote areas, and could be seen as of value for people who don’t want to have anything to do with Elon Musk after what has been happening with the USA.
The initial satellite modems for the Kuiper platform have been designed and are in manufacture with a 7” transportable with an expected 100Mbps throughput, a fixed-install 11” with an expected 400Mbps throughput for home use and a 1Gbps 19” fixed-install unit for government / business users or telcos.
The competitive market that is to come about will hopefully lead to innovation when it comes to fixed, mobile or transportable satellite Internet. This is expected to benefit civilian use cases including maritime and aviation use cases but is also seen as being of benefit to defence / military use cases. I also expect to see these systems being used in larger towns as a backup or load-balancing Internet service for government / business users and other advanced Internet users.
Personally, I would also expect other countries or country clusters to run other low-earth-orbit satellite telecommunications / Internet services to increase competition, innovation and sovereign capability in this field.
