The news about Amazon home Internet service doesn’t really come as a surprise to many because Amazon revealed its plans for a global broadband system back in April.
While it is not yet clear as to when exactly will Amazon launch the service, the FCC requires that 50 percent of the satellites are launched within six years after the service is authorized. The rest has to be launched within 9 years except when there’s a waiver available.
Serve the Underserved Areas
Even though Amazon’s network will cover the entire United States, it will be more popular in areas that don’t have access to cable or fiber Internet. Amazon revealed in April that its main focus is to serve areas in the world that are “under-served.” They further revealed that this is going to be one of their long-term projects. With this project, they aim to serve millions of people who don’t have proper broadband Internet access.
The Amazon home Internet service is not only intended for residential or commercial users. It will also be made available to mobile users. In the new Amazon filings, the company revealed that its network is also intended for mobile operators. As such, there’s a possibility for small rural providers to purchase bandwidth from Amazon in order to boost the Internet coverage on areas that have poor access to cellular service.
The Kuiper System
Does Amazon offer Internet service? A subsidiary of Kuiper System, Amazon’s Internet service aims to bridge the gap in Internet coverage in the US by complementing the services of mobile carriers in order to reach very remote areas.
These are areas that are usually geographically difficult for small providers to reach. They also revealed that they would be selling backhaul services to local Internet providers. Their plans are revealed in the technical appendix and legal narrative that they filed with the FCC.
It’s not yet clear whether Amazon will be selling broadband directly to its customers. But whether it is a combination of direct to consumer or wholesale, the company has said that they will come up with consumer terminals that will be providing Ethernet connectivity in both commercial establishments and residences.
When Did This Project Start?
What is Amazon Internet? Amazon has long been looking for high-speed Internet options. However, it was this summer when they asked permission from FCC to begin testing the Amazon WiFi service.
Amazon Internet Service Provider’s goal is to provide broadband services everywhere. But according to Jeff Bezos, building thousands of satellites on Earth is completely different from building geostationary satellites. For the low orbit satellites, broadband access may be able to reach areas that are underserved, including developing countries and rural areas.
How Many Satellites is Amazon Planning to Have?
According to reports, Amazon will be launching around 3,236 satellites.
Why Low Orbit?
Amazon is planning to install its satellites at an altitude of 367,379, and 391 miles. Given these distances, the satellites will be capable of reaching areas at about 56 degrees south and 56 degrees north. Amazon revealed that this should be able to cover around 95% of the entire world’s population!
LEO satellites will be orbiting very close to planet Earth, at around 99-1,200 miles. At this speed, there will be less time to transmit information. This will result in better service quality compared to fiber broadband and wired cable providers. It will be mapped precisely into an enormous constellation in order to maximize coverage.
What’s the Cost?
As of now, it’s still too early to determine the cost that customers will be paying for the Amazon home Internet service. But there are several other players in the industry that are showing interest in the service. Soon, more competitors and providers will launch their own similar service and this can bring the costs down.
Will you be interested to pay for Amazon home Internet service? Drop a comment down below to let us know!
