written by
Mike Todaro

Amazon to Launch 3,236 Satellites into Orbit for Global Broadband Project

Innovation Editorial 1 min read

We're not sure of the implications of this yet on you, but we will. Several years ago, Kurt Cavano, then of Infor, talked for one hour at our AAPN Annual Conference on 20 investments Amazon had made the previous year and their implications. Kurt is speaking again in Miami at our May 5-7 conference, and THEN we'll all know what this means long term.

Satellites to Provide Broadband
Bloomberg: April 4, 2019

Amazon.com Inc. plans to launch thousands of satellites to provide broadband internet access around the globe. The effort, dubbed Project Kuiper, aims to give unserved and underserved communities around the world access to high-speed internet, with minimal delay, according to Amazon.

Several other companies have announced similar initiatives. Facebook Inc. was reportedly aiming to launch satellites early this year, while Google plans to build a network of flying balloons. Both companies are looking to reach more people with their services as they near saturation in mature markets.

Elon Musk’s Space Exploration Technologies Corp. and OneWeb Satellites are also racing to expand coverage to about 4 billion people on Earth who lack reliable internet access as the world becomes more interconnected.

Three sets of filings with the International Telecommunications Union, which were first reported by GeekWire, show that the initiative would place 3,236 satellites in low Earth orbit.

"This is a long-term project that envisions serving tens of millions of people who lack basic access to broadband internet. We look forward to partnering on this initiative with companies that share this common vision," Amazon said in a statement. A spokeswoman declined to comment on the cost. Read More

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