Amazon plans to launch Project Kuiper in India, aiming for affordable high-speed internet using LEO satellites.
The company has requested a Letter of Intent (LoI) from India's Department of Telecommunications (DoT).
Amazon will establish ten gateway earth stations in India, with major hubs in Mumbai and Chennai.
Amazon has sought regulatory approval to introduce its satellite internet service in India, aiming to compete with Elon Musk’s Starlink. According to reports, the company has applied for permission to provide satellite broadband services under India’s Global Mobile Personal Communication by Satellite (GMPCS) licensing framework from the Department of Telecommunications (DoT). Known as Project Kuiper, Amazon wants to enter the telecom market and compete with Eutelsat OneWeb, which is supported by Airtel, Jio SpaceFiber, and Starlink.
As it prepares for Project Kuiper’s commercial rollout later this year, the company has reportedly filed a new request for a Letter of Intent (LoI), following its initial application for regulatory permissions two years ago. The company aims to deliver affordable high-speed internet using a network of over 3,200 low-Earth orbit (LEO) satellites. Additionally, it seeks to provide internet access to underserved and isolated areas across the globe.
The report also stated that the company is already working on expanding its satellite network. For those unfamiliar, the company has officially launched 27 operational Kuiper satellites into orbit, with several more planned in the coming months. According to the report, Amazon plans to establish ten gateway earth stations in India, as well as two major presence points in Mumbai and Chennai. With this, the company hopes to improve connectivity by lowering latency and ensuring stable data transmission.
Meanwhile, Elon Musk’s Starlink has recently received a Letter of Intent from the Indian government, indicating that India will launch soon. The company has already announced a partnership with Reliance Jio and Airtel. The company already has over 7,000 active satellites and a presence in more than 120 countries.
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Ashish Singh
Ashish Singh is the Chief Copy Editor at Digit. He's been wrangling tech jargon since 2020 (Times Internet, Jagran English '22). When not policing commas, he's likely fueling his gadget habit with coffee, strategising his next virtual race, or plotting a road trip to test the latest in-car tech. He speaks fluent Geek. View Full Profile
