Advanced Television

Project Kuiper

Project Kuiper: A $16bn investment

A research note from analysts at Bank of America says that Amazon could invest $16 billion (€14.8bn) to get its Project Kuiper satellite system up and running, with most of that going in rocket launch costs. Those launches, which were due to start during this fourth-quarter of 2024, will not now start until later in […]

October 23, 2024

India: TRAI extends time for spectrum comments

India’s Telecom Regulatory Authority (TRAI) has allowed a further week for stakeholder comments and counter arguments as to its plans to price spectrum for would-be broadband satellite operators. The new deadlines are set as October 25th for comments and November 1st for counter-comments, following requests from stakeholders for more time. TRAI’s initial deadlines were October […]

October 21, 2024By Chris Forrester

Differing opinions on Project Kuiper

Analysts at investment business Sanford C Bernstein are less than optimistic about Jeff Bezos and Amazon’s Project Kuiper broadband-by-satellite scheme. The launch dates for some of the first batches of satellites have slipped from Q4 this year to Q1 2025, but there’s more negative opinion now emerging. Sanford analyst Mark Shmulik has previously been overall […]

October 11, 2024

Project Kuiper wants to offer D2D connectivity

UK telecom regulator Ofcom has published in its consultation documentation that Amazon’s proposed constellation of broadband satellites (‘Project Kuiper’) is developing technical solutions for Direct-to-Device (D2D) cellular connectivity. The Ofcom consultation document is designed to assess future spectrum demand. Ofcom, in its consultation questionnaire, asked whether Kuiper “had an interest in offering D2D services or […]

October 8, 2024By Chris Forrester

$19.5m boost for Project Kuiper

Project Kuiper, Amazon’s low Earth orbit satellite broadband network, is expanding its footprint at Kennedy Space Center in Florida as it prepares for a full-scale deployment of its satellite constellation. In 2024, Project Kuiper broke ground on a $120 million (€108m) satellite processing facility, and now the team is investing another $19.5 million to expand […]

August 23, 2024By Colin Mann

Project Kuiper seeks India licence

Amazon’s Project Kuiper broadband-by-satellite system is said to expect to receive a licence to operate over India shortly. India’s Department of Telecommunications (DoT) is currently evaluating the application documents submitted by the Amazon-owned company. Kuiper, once licensed, will join Eutelsat’s OneWeb and Reliance Jio’s satellite partner SES, as well as Elon Musk’s Starlink, in bidding […]

July 16, 2024

Amazon’s Project Kuiper slips again

Amazon’s Project Kuiper broadband-by-satellite system, potentially the main rival to Elon Musk’s Starlink, has again delayed its launch date. Kuiper’s first satellites will not now launch much before the end of the year. The company talks about Q4, but has not given a firm date. Amazon had previously said that its debut satellites would launch […]

June 28, 2024By Chris Forrester

Vrio to offer Project Kuiper broadband in South America

Vrio Corporation, parent company of DirecTV Latin America and Sky Brasil, and Project Kuiper, Amazon’s low Earth orbit satellite broadband network, have announced a distribution agreement to offer internet connectivity in seven countries in South America. Vrio plans to use Project Kuiper’s network to provide connectivity services to residential customers in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Uruguay, […]

June 13, 2024

Asian sat-operators need LEO help

The overpowering message to emerge from last week’s Asia Satellite Industry Forum is that the likes of SkyPerfectJSAT, AsiaSat, Measat and ABS are all missing the potential business that could flow from low Earth orbiting (LEO) satellites. The key speakers all admitted that partnerships with LEO players would help relieve the slow, but steady, decline […]

June 5, 2024By Chris Forrester

Kuiper, SpaceX battle over deployment

Project Kuiper is planning its own mega-constellation and has already raised concerns about SpaceX’s proposed occupation of the 604 and 614 kms orbits. Amazon’s Project Kuiper has written to the FCC complaining about a SpaceX request to adjust the altitude of 7,500 satellites previously authorised to operate at altitudes of 525, 530 and 535 kms, […]

March 13, 2024By Chris Forrester