Amazon joins the race for space-based broadband

Satellite in space

Amazon has unveiled it wants to use satellites to provide broadband to hard-to-reach areas, following in the footsteps of SpaceX and Facebook.

The company has sent an application for approval to the US government for 3,236 satellites to be installed to provide a low-latency broadband network to remote locations around the world.

Amazon will operate its broadband network under the Kuiper Systems LLC brand, rather than its own company name.

"Project Kuiper is a new initiative to launch a constellation of Low Earth Orbit satellites that will provide low-latency, high-speed broadband connectivity to unserved and underserved communities around the world," Amazon said.

"This is a long-term project that envisions serving tens of millions of people who lack basic access to broadband internet. We look forward to partnering on this initiative with companies that share this common vision."

SpaceX wants to launch 11,000 satellites around the globe, with two test satellites already in Orbit and Facebook is developing a new satellite called Athena, to serve much faster data in comparison to SpaceX's efforts.

Although Facebook and SpaceX are making moves towards launching a satellite-based broadband network, OneWeb has already launched its network into the atmosphere following a funding round.

The company has attracted investment of $3 billion from a consortium of businesses including Virgin, Coca-Cola and the Bharti Group.

Another Jeff Bezos-backed firm, Blue Origin, is jumping on the bandwagon too, announcing a partnership with low-earth orbit constellation of satellites to beam down broadband-speed connectivity to hard-to-reach areas.

Clare Hopping
Freelance writer

Clare is the founder of Blue Cactus Digital, a digital marketing company that helps ethical and sustainability-focused businesses grow their customer base.

Prior to becoming a marketer, Clare was a journalist, working at a range of mobile device-focused outlets including Know Your Mobile before moving into freelance life.

As a freelance writer, she drew on her expertise in mobility to write features and guides for ITPro, as well as regularly writing news stories on a wide range of topics.