Satellite internet services will be launched in India by Amazon. The company aims to provide affordable broadband internet services in rural areas of India. As part of its efforts to obtain the spectrum licenses required to operate satellite communication services in India, Amazon has already contacted the Indian Government.
‘Project Kuiper’ is Amazon’s satellite internet service. Starlink by SpaceX, Airtel-backed OneWeb, and even Reliance’s Jio satellite are potential competitors for Amazon in the satellite internet services market.
Amazon’s representative confirmed to the Economic Times that the company plans to launch satellite internet services in India. In addition to satellite communication, Amazon’s IT business has long-term plans for India.
Using 3236 satellites in lower earth orbit, Amazon’s Project Kuiper will provide internet connectivity to remote areas. SpaceX’s Starlink is similar to this concept. Currently, Kuiper is in the testing phase and has not been released to the public.
Amazon has already applied for approval from the Indian National Space Promotion and Authorization Centre (In-Space) for its satellite communications services. A GMPCS (Global Mobile Personal Communication by Satellite) license will also be applied for with the Department of Telecommunications (DoT).
There are already three potential competitors for Amazon’s satellite services in India. GMPCS permits have already been granted to Jio Satellite and Airtel-backed OneWeb by Reliance. There is also a report that Starlink’s application is in the process.
According to Amazon, its Kuiper satellite internet service should offer speeds of 100Mbps to 1Gbps. Commercial subscription plans have not yet been announced by the company, but are expected to be announced next year.
