Amazon's Project Kuiper could challenge Starlink's India ambitions
What's the story
India's satellite internet sector is about to get crowded soon. Elon Musk expressed his interest in bringing SpaceX's Starlink to India after his meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Starlink may face stiff competition from a global tech giant in India. According to Gadgets360, Amazon is also planning to bring its Project Kuiper satellite constellation-based broadband connectivity to India.
Context
Why does this story matter?
India's space-based communication services have become an area of interest for domestic and global players. Reliance, Tata, Bharti Airtel, Larsen & Toubro, Vodafone Idea, Starlink, and now Amazon-all these companies want a piece of India's burgeoning satellite internet market. According to Deloitte, India's satellite-based broadband service market will be worth $1.9 billion by 2030.
Project Kuiper
Amazon plans to launch Project Kuiper satellites in 2024
Project Kuiper, like Starlink, will provide internet service using a constellation of satellites. The company will start mass-producing satellites later this year. It plans to launch the first set of satellites into space in the first half of 2024. It will start commercial testing shortly after that. Project Kuiper will have a total of 3,236 satellites.
India
Company is actively working on bringing Project Kuiper to India
Amazon sees India as a great opportunity for Project Kuiper. "We are very excited about bringing it to India," Project Kuiper's head of product and business development, Naveen Kachroo, told Gadgets360. He said the company is actively working on bringing it to India. "In India, we're working with the government, we're working with potential partners," he added.
Difference
Project Kuiper aims to provide affordable equipment and services
The most obvious question in everyone's mind is how Project Kuiper is different from Starlink. According to Kachroo, Amazon is "working backward from customer needs." He said the company is working toward achieving a "service cost target." Project Kuiper's goal is to provide "affordable equipment and services," he added. Starlink has often been blamed for its pricey equipment and services.
How
In-house designing helped the company control costs
How will Amazon make Project Kuiper affordable? According to Kachroo, "in-house" designing has helped the company control costs. "We get to control the costs, we get to control the IP, and we get to control the cost reduction," he said. He added that innovative and cost-effective terminals designed by Amazon's devices division and AWS's help will make the service affordable.