Amazon has confirmed its intention to set up a satellite broadband service that will serve most of the world. The plans, reported for the first time by GeekWire, went under the code name "Kuiper Project", the name referring to the belt of icy asteroids lying between Neptune and Pluto. They called for a total of 3,236 satellites spread over three different altitudes of low Earth orbit. The documents have been filed by the FCC on behalf of Kuiper Systems, LLC.

In response to requests for comment, Amazon has issued a statement by e-mail:

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

This is a long-term project aimed at serving tens of millions of people without basic broadband access. We look forward to partnering with this initiative with companies that share this vision. "

The company's response goes on to say that the constellation would cover a range from the 56th parallel north to the 56th parallel south, a region of about 95% of the world's population.

The biggest competitors of its satellite Internet service provider have already piloted satellite dishes. SpaceX has two prototypes in the air and, according to CNBC, plans to launch up to 4,425 satellites. OneWeb, which relies on SoftBank, the owner of Sprint, has six satellites and could have up to 650 in the future.

No timetable has been set for when Amazon will have all of its dishes on sale, but, based on OneWeb's cost estimates, the online trading giant could spend billions of dollars over several years.

  • Source:
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