Amazon said it has received the approval from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to deploy and operate a constellation of 3,236 satellites. The company submitted a filing to the FCC last year, saying its Kuiper satellites would be used to provide reliable and affordable broadband connectivity to rural and hard-to-reach areas in the US. The low earth orbit (LEO) satellite constellation will also serve other areas of the world, operating at altitudes of 370-390 miles, or 590-630 km.
With the approval in hand, Amazon said it plow USD 10 billion into the project, to create jobs and infrastructure in the US, to build and scale its ground network, accelerate satellite testing and manufacturing, and to deliver an affordable customer terminal “that will make fast, reliable broadband accessible to communities around the world.”
The company added that it is committed to working with public and private sector partners on the project and that it will use Project Kuiper to also provide backhaul services for mobile carriers extending LTE and 5G service to new regions. Project Kuiper will be designed and tested at Amazon’s new research and development facility opening in Redmond, Washington.
