Amazon’s Kuiper satellite broadband to offer commercial services from mid-2026
- Reference: 1754368334
- News link: https://www.theregister.co.uk/2025/08/05/amazon_kuiper_australia_mid_2026/
- Source link:
NBN Co revealed that date on Tuesday when it [1]announced an alliance with Amazon to provide broadband services to remote users using Project Kuiper.
NBN Co’s news is an advance on Amazon’s most recent mention of Kuiper services commencing, which came last week when CEO Andy Jassy said he is “very hopeful to get this service into commercial beta later this year or early next year.”
[2]
It’s not hard to see why Jassy is merely hopeful, because Amazon has launched just 78 satellites of its planned 3,200 satellites, with another 24 due to go aloft on Thursday. The company’s plans call for it to launch around half its fleet by mid-2026, a target that [3]seems unlikely given delays to its schedule.
[4]Untangling the Jeff Bezos web: Who pays for the billionaire's space lust?
[5]Bezos beams up batch two as Project Kuiper plays catch-up with Starlink
[6]Amazon’s first 27 Kuiper broadband sats make it into orbit on an Atlas V
[7]Australia’s attempt to join the space race lasts just 14 seconds
If Amazon misses deadlines or can only offer modest service by mid-2026, it won’t be a major concern for NBN Co, which already operates a pair of broadband satellites that it uses to provide connectivity to over 100,000 premises that Australia’s immense size means it cannot reach with its wired and fixed wireless services.
However the company expects those two sats will end their working lives around 2032, and sought a replacement.
[8]
Amazon’s main space broadband rival, SpaceX’s Starlink, in April [9]claimed it already had over 350,000 active Australian customers.
Amazon is yet to announce the price of its services, or reveal final design for its user terminals. The company does, however, operate its e-commerce store in Australia, so has substantial logistics capacity in place to deliver kit to customers. ®
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[1] https://www.nbnco.com.au/corporate-information/media-centre/media-statements/nbn-co-selects-amazons-project-kuiper
[2] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_onprem/networks&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=2&c=2aJHWKEQhL9a1kkOpVVZaNwAAABU&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D2%26raptor%3Dcondor%26pos%3Dtop%26test%3D0
[3] https://www.theregister.com/2025/06/24/second_project_kuiper_launch/
[4] https://www.theregister.com/2025/08/04/jeff_bezos_space_web_untangled/
[5] https://www.theregister.com/2025/06/24/second_project_kuiper_launch/
[6] https://www.theregister.com/2025/04/29/amazon_kuiper_first_launch/
[7] https://www.theregister.com/2025/07/30/gilmour_space_australia_test_flight/
[8] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_onprem/networks&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44aJHWKEQhL9a1kkOpVVZaNwAAABU&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[9] https://x.com/Starlink/status/1914028404858659124
[10] https://whitepapers.theregister.com/
So just like the Kuiper belt...
There will be even more useless junk floating in space 10..20 years from now...
Reasonable
I think we can take it as read that they're not going to have half their constellation in orbit by mid 2026, but they don't need to in order to start offering services. SpaceX only had around 720 Starlink satellites in orbit when it started offering services commercially, ~6% of its initially approved 12000 satellite constellation, and less than 2% of the later expanded constellation of 42000. So if Amazon could do similar, they might be able to start offering service with only around 200 satellites or less, which seems a bit more doable than 1600 by next summer. So what they might do is start offering services with whatever satellites they've got, then go to the FCC and say, hey, okay, we haven't gotten half the constellation launched, but here we are successfully providing services already, please can we have an extension on that, and please don't take away services from the customers we're already serving? It seems to me, as long as they've got a credible plan to complete the constellation, the FCC is likely to go along with that. Since the requirement to launch half their fleet by mid 2026 is a US regulatory thing, I guess they might be able to position the initial satellites to better serve US customers to help make that case as well, I don't know if that's a possibility.
Kuiper
They just need to get on with it.
I have perfectly clear skies, with a huge horizon view, for my rural little house, and a router capable of balancing half a dozen different connections.
But I'm not ever giving my money to Starlink while they are still in the employ of the nazi-twit, and everything else is ridiculously expensive.
As it is, I've been waiting three years for it with the direct intention of getting it as soon as it's working for my area, but nothing of substance has happened, or even been released. Like it would be good to know an indicative price, and maybe what the terminal costs, how big it is and how it connects (please no "wifi-only" junk for consumers). I knew about it before that and actually factored it in in case my broadband was awful. Hell, even a trial, a review from an early-adopter, anything.
At this rate, I will actually have FTTP before I see Kuiper and given that I live in the middle of an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and Special Scientific Interest... that's quite poor.
Honestly, I couldn't get more open skies and fewer buildings near me. It's simply not possible. LEO satellite broadband is ideal. But at the moment there's one viable option and it's run by someone who I refuse to do business with. Literally a open-goal for any sensible competitor.
But it's been pretty much radio silence for the 4 years I've been looking it at as an option with the specific intention to purchase.