Australia-owned internet company signs deal with Amazon's Kuiper for satellite internet
NBN Co
, has chosen Amazon's Project Kuiper satellite service over
Elon Musk
's
Starlink
to connect remote homes and businesses in the country. The deal, whose financial terms were not disclosed, will provide high-speed internet to approximately 300,000 locations that are not covered by NBN's terrestrial network, Amazon announced.
Starting next year, Project Kuiper's low-Earth orbit satellites will begin replacing two Australian government-owned satellites, which are scheduled for decommissioning in 2032.
'Beyond just connecting devices, we're focused on the human impact - helping small businesses reach global markets, ensuring students have the same educational resources as their city counterparts, and keeping families connected during emergencies,' said Joe Lathan,
Amazon Project Kuiper
, Country Manager, Australia and New Zealand.
Why NBN Co chose Amazon over Musk-owned Starlink for internet satellite
Despite the fact that Amazon Kuiper has not yet launched its services in Australia or anywhere else globally, NBN Co is expressing full confidence in the partnership.
'It is true that Amazon Kuiper has not launched services yet in Australia or globally, but they are reportedly pumping in about $15 billion into that programme,' news agency Reuters quoted Gavin Williams, NBN's chief development officer for regional and remote services, as saying.
'We have every confidence that we've got a partner in Kuiper that will do what they say they're going to do,' he added.
NBN stated that its decision came after a 'rigorous procurement process' but did not provide specific reasons for choosing Amazon's service over Starlink.
Reportedly, Starlink, which is currently the world's largest provider of such services and already has more than 250,000 customers in Australia.
To date, Project Kuiper has successfully launched 78 satellites across three launches, with plans for 80+ additional rocket launches to complete the constellation.
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