Talks about satellite broadband companies such as Bharti owned OneWeb and SpaceX owned Starlink coming to India by 2022 have been on the market for quite some time. However, no one knew the plans of Amazon’s Project Kuiper to come to India. But that curiosity has been laid to rest by a new report from ET Telecom. As per the report, Jeff Bezos plans to bring Amazon’s satellite broadband services to India soon. Amazon will be talking with the necessary authorities to understand how it can sell its satellite broadband services in India.
Amazon’s Project Kuiper to Bring High-Speed Satellite Broadband in India
Amazon has something known as ‘Project Kuiper’, which aims to cover the atmosphere with a total of 3,236 low-earth orbit (LEO) satellites. For the same, the company is investing over $10 billion. There have been no direct comments by the company on its plans for India.
However, a person close to the matter said that Amazon would be talking with the authorities and the government to start selling its satellite broadband services soon in the country. For the unaware, the Department of Space (DoS) has the authority to provide a company with the permission/landing rights for downlinking signals from foreign satellites to come into India.
A person close to the matter said that Amazon would talk with both the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) and the Department of Space (DoS) to understand the regulatory approvals required.
India is a big market, and Amazon wouldn’t want to miss out on a new source of revenue from the country. Some experts have pegged India as a crucial satellite broadband market with a near-term revenue estimation of $500 million from the industry. While OneWeb and Starlink already have plans to provide services in India, there’s no doubt that Amazon will be on its toes to enter the market as well.
The satellite broadband services stand to benefit the rural parts of the country where almost 75% population doesn’t have access to internet connectivity. Further, it will help tourists and businesses looking for connectivity in different areas of the country where there is no mobile network available.
