Satellite internet race: Amazon to expand Project Kuiper to India
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Jeff Bezos is planning to offer broadband internet via satellites in Amazon Project Kuiper. The service may soon arrive in India and Asia-Pacific nations.
The e-commerce giant is looking for an executive to handle Kuipet's licensing strategy in India, reported TechCrunch.
The job posting said that the MNC is looking for a "talented Business Development Strategy Lead who is ready to take charge of operational planning and support the company's strategy for business plans in India". The position is based in Bengaluru.
India is the world's second-largest internet market. But, 50% of the nation's population is still not digital. According to the World Bank, the internet penetration rate is 43%. On the other hand, the largest internet market in the world, the US, is at 91%.
In 2020, Amazon announced that it will be investing over $10 billion to establish a network of 3,236 satellites. This will provide a high-speed internet connection across the globe. The company reportedly sought approval from the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to deploy another 4,500 satellites.
The job description of the executive stated that the Kuiper Country Development team is focused on launching and operating the Kuiper service across the globe.
Project Kuiper is similar to Starlink by Elon Musk's SpaceX. It will be another constellation of low-Earth orbit satellites. A deal to deploy the same was announced earlier this year. Amazon said it has contracts in place with Arianespace, Blue Origin, and United Launch Alliance (ULA) for launch vehicles.
Bezos is planning to launch and operate two prototype satellites by the end of the year.
It is unclear how Amazon plans on executing the project in India because its competitor Starlink failed to do so. In 2021, SpaceX announced plans to launch 200,000 terminals in India by the end of 2022. Musk's company had to abandon the project despite beginning pre-orders because the government was not onboard.
OneWeb (a Bharti Airtel-backed London-based company), Tata Group-owned Nelco, and Reliance Jio are also trying to provide satellite-based broadband services in India.