Hundreds of millions of customers around the world need access to fast, reliable, affordable, and secure broadband connectivity. To help meet this growing demand, Amazon is building Project Kuiper, a low Earth orbit satellite broadband network that will bring high-speed, low-latency internet to a wide range of customers and communities across the planet. <\/p>\n
Today marks an important milestone for the business, with Amazon receiving approval from the United Kingdom (UK) communications regulator, Ofcom, to deliver internet service to customers across the country. The UK will be among the first countries to receive service once Kuiper is available, and the approval from Ofcom moves Amazon one step closer to helping expand internet access to more customers, communities, and businesses around the world.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe share Ofcom\u2019s goal of making reliable, affordable broadband available for everyone, and we appreciate the agency\u2019s support as we prepare for a full-scale deployment of our satellite constellation,\u201d said Nina Beebe, Kuiper Regulatory Senior Lead for EMEA. \u201cThere are still too many places in the UK where broadband access is unreliable or where it doesn\u2019t exist at all, and LEO systems like Project Kuiper can play an important role in helping connect those beyond the reach of existing networks. We\u2019re proud to do our part to help connect customers and communities across the country.\u201d<\/p>\n
Project Kuiper is a flexible, high-performance broadband network that combines satellites with customer terminals, ground gateways, and global networking and infrastructure. The system has the capacity, flexibility, and performance to serve tens of millions of customers globally, from individual households to schools, hospitals, businesses, government agencies, and other organizations operating in locations beyond the reach of traditional fibre or wireless networks. <\/p>\n
Amazon validated its satellite design and end-to-end network during a successful protoflight mission<\/a>, and began full-rate production last<\/a> year at a dedicated satellite manufacturing factory in Kirkland, Washington, USA. Amazon has secured more than 80 launches<\/a> to deploy its satellites, including 18 launches on Arianespace\u2019s new Ariane 6 rocket<\/a>. The Kuiper team is now preparing for a full-scale deployment of its satellite constellation, and plans to begin offering service to customers later this year.<\/p>\n