Amazon reveals plan to launch satellite broadband service in the UK

Development aligns with the UK government's push for expanded digital infrastructure in rural and hard-to-reach areas

Jeff Bezos, the founder of Amazon, is gearing up to challenge Elon Musk's dominance in the satellite broadband market by launching his own service in the UK.

Amazon's Project Kuiper, aiming to provide high-speed internet access via a constellation of satellites, has filed regulatory documents with Ofcom, outlining plans for a UK launch as early as this year.

As reported by the Sunday Telegraph, Amazon plans to secure access to British radio frequencies and deploy a constellation of more than 3,000 small satellites into low earth orbit (LEO). If successful, this constellation could deliver continuous coverage and avoid the latency issues associated with geostationary satellites positioned 35,000 kilometres above Earth.

In its filings, Amazon highlighted the potential for its technology to support government, defence, and emergency response efforts through secure, satellite-enabled communication networks.

"The Kuiper System's broadband communication service will enable reliable Internet connectivity to homes, schools, hospitals, libraries, and government facilities, both at fixed locations and on the move," the filing states.

"We will also offer communication services to support disaster relief, humanitarian aid, and peace-keeping missions. Further, as innovative technologies continue to emerge, additional spectrum bands will provide critical capacity for Internet of Things and enterprise applications in industries as diverse as agriculture, medicine, finance, retail and transportation."

The development aligns with the UK government's push for expanded digital infrastructure, particularly in rural and hard-to-reach areas where conventional broadband networks are either unavailable or unreliable.

Amazon has been actively courting British defence officials.

In February, the company executives met Air Marshall Paul Godfrey, then-head of UK Space Command, to discuss a military-focused study conducted by the company.

Amazon has invested heavily in its UK operations, hiring numerous legal, lobbying and technical experts. Project Kuiper has also established a UK holding company and collaborated with Vodafone on technology testing. It is now seeking increased access to UK radio waves and expects to receive approval for its service from Ofcom.

Amazon initially planned to launch its first commercial satellites in 2022 but faced delays. After the successful deployment of prototypes in 2023, the company is now on track to launch its first operational spacecraft in early 2025.

The UK launch of Project Kuiper is set to intensify the rivalry between Bezos and Elon Musk.

Starlink, Musk's satellite internet service, already boasts 87,000 UK customers and a global user base of 4 million. Musk has publicly accused Bezos of imitating Starlink.

The UK government, a shareholder in rival satellite company OneWeb, is also keen to diversify its reliance on space-based internet providers.

"People are counting on Project Kuiper to provide competition to Starlink," Tim Farrar, a technology consultant at TMF Associates, told the Sunday Telegraph.

"Governments have been big customers for Starlink and are particularly interested in having a choice of commercial suppliers."

Bezos's aerospace company, Blue Origin, is also preparing for the inaugural flight of its reusable New Glenn rocket, potentially this week.

Named after John Glenn, the first American to orbit Earth, New Glenn aims to rival SpaceX's reusable Falcon 9 rocket, which has revolutionised space logistics by significantly reducing costs.