Jeff Bezos Takes on Elon Musk’s Starlink Satellite Internet With Amazon Kuiper

Elon Musk’s Starlink will now face competition from Jeff Bezos’ long-awaited Amazon Kuiper internet satellite service, launched as part of the company’s $10 billion investment strategy. Amazon’s partner, United Launch Alliance (ULA), sent its Atlas V rocket with Kuiper satellites to low Earth orbit (LEO), kicking off its mission to send as many as 3,236 satellites to create a global satellite network.

Satellite connectivity allows capable devices to connect to wireless telephone and internet services without relying on terrestrial networks. This functionality helps people reach emergency services and other users from remote areas, like mountains, islands with no cellular connectivity, mines, and caves. Kuiper’s satellites, the company said, will provide high-speed internet in underserved areas backed by Amazon Web Services and Alexa services for an integrated connectivity solution.

“This launch is a major milestone for Amazon’s plan to expand broadband access,” said ULA’s vice president of government and commercial programmes, Gary Wentz. He highlighted that ULA is working closely with Amazon to undertake similar missions in future, making it one of the largest commercial spaceflight projects to send satellites to LEO.

Kuiper’s launch comes after a series of delays, sparking speculation about whether Bezos’ vision for a global satellite-powered network can be as successful as Elon Musk’s Starlink. The SpaceX-owned company has deployed a constellation of fully functional satellites into LEO, serving over 4.6 million users globally. Starlink is also set to debut in India with the help of Reliance Jio and Airtel — India’s largest and second-largest telecom companies.

However, according to Bezos, a late entry is not a concern. “There’s insatiable demand [for internet],” he told Reuters in January while discussing the delayed launch and the regulatory scrutiny on Kuiper. “There’s room for lots of winners there… I predict Starlink will continue to be successful, and I predict Kuiper will be successful as well.”

Kuiper’s success relies on Amazon’s ability to navigate regulatory hurdles in global markets — an area where Musk’s Starlink has struggled. In India, Starlink was ordered to stop taking orders for its services without the necessary approval from the government back in 2021. Even though Starlink has forged partnerships with India’s telecom companies to tap a huge base of internet users, its rollout awaits government approval. Kuiper has not specified if or when it will bring its services to India.

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