"Starlink" faces fierce competition! The UK considers approving Amazon to provide satellite broadband services
Ofcom, the UK's telecommunications regulatory authority, has proposed to allow Amazon's Kuiper Project to operate a satellite network competing with Starlink, providing high-speed broadband services. If approved, Amazon will provide customers with terminal antennas, offering broadband connections similar to 4G in underserved areas such as rural and post-disaster recovery areas. Amazon plans to launch the first batch of satellites by the end of 2024 and aims to provide services the following year. It has already been granted permission to invest in New Zealand
According to the financial news app Zhitong Finance, the UK telecommunications regulatory agency has proposed to allow Amazon (AMZN.US) to operate a satellite network called "Project Kuiper" to compete with Elon Musk's "Starlink" in providing high-speed broadband services.
Ofcom, the UK's communications regulator, stated in a declaration on Thursday that it is seeking opinions on the application from Amazon Kuiper Services Europe SARL and the proposal to grant a license by October 4.
If granted the license, the company will be allowed to provide customers with outdoor antennas, called terminals, that can receive broadband services similar to 4G speeds.
Satellite internet services like Kuiper and Starlink can provide high-speed connections to areas where traditional internet service providers are lacking, such as rural communities, conflict zones, or areas where infrastructure has been damaged by natural disasters.
Amazon's "Project Kuiper" aims to provide broadband internet services through a network of over 3,000 satellites in low Earth orbit. Amazon plans to launch the first batch of satellites by the end of 2024 and offer commercial services the following year.
Last week, it was reported in the media that Amazon has been granted permission to purchase a small piece of land in New Zealand as part of its internet project from space. Amazon's overseas investment office stated that Amazon Kuiper's New Zealand subsidiary has been established and will be responsible for local operations of the Kuiper project.
In June this year, there were reports that Amazon is in talks with South African regulators in hopes of obtaining approval to start providing its Project Kuiper broadband services within the next two years