What will Amazon’s low-orbit satellite networks look like? The company, which presented its range of customer terminals from its Kuiper project, believes it will outperform Starlink’s.
” Smaller, cheaper, more efficient is how Amazon describes its series of customer terminals that will connect to its high-speed satellite network, called Project Kuiper. The models, the company promises in a blog post published on Tuesday, March 14, will “ cheap – understand cheaper than the terminal offered by Elon Musk’s Starlink. The Kuiper Satellite Constellation was a project started by Jeff Bezos to build a network of 3,236 satellites in low Earth orbit. To provide high-speed internet anywhere in the world, the company had announced that it would put more than $10 billion on the table. By 2020, the project had taken shape, with approval from the US Communications Commission.
Three years later, Amazon says it will offer three versions of its antennas, a standard, an ultra-compact and a professional, with speeds ranging from 100 megabits to 1 gigabit per second. The first is 27 inches long and less than 3 inches wide. Production costs should be around $400 each. The antenna weighs only 2.2 kilograms, excluding the mounting bracket. The bandwidth can be up to 400 Mbps per second.
Amazon is planning a more compact and affordable version of its antennas
The largest and most powerful antenna – 48 by 76 cm – which can offer speeds of up to 1 gigabits per second – targets large companies or international organizations. Its price is not given. Finally there’s an in-between solution, which is lighter, more compact (17 cm long and wide) and less expensive, ideal for anyone who needs an option or low-cost internet service on the go. This is the antenna the smallest and most affordable Amazon describes. It will also be slower, with speeds of up to 100 Mbps per second. Questioned by our colleagues from CNBCDave Limp, Amazon’s senior vice president of devices and services, would not specify the manufacturing cost of this model. But he will be noticeably lower to the standard model’s $400, he specified anyway.
This production cost – for the standard version – portends a lower price than what Elon Musk offers, whose project is much more advanced. Indeed, it costs 637 € for the Starlink equipment, as well as a subscription of 50 € per month.
Other information: These terminals will be equipped with Prometheus, a chip that “ combines the processing power of a 5G modem chip found in modern smartphones, the ability of a mobile base station to handle traffic for thousands of customers at a time, and the ability of an antenna-to-microwave link to provide high-performance point-to-point connections to support “.
Satellite performance will be superior to Starlink, Amazon promises
Amazon plans to launch its first batch of satellites in the first half of 2024, which will go into mass production by the end of the year. The first customers should benefit from this in 2024. It is not yet known which geographical area will be covered, and how much users will eventually have to pay. “ Our goal with Project Kuiper is not only to connect underserved and underserved communities, but also to surprise them with the quality, reliability and value of their service. Rajeev Badyal, Amazon vice president of technology for the Kuiper project, stated in the press release.
Next step: May next year. Amazon is expected to deploy its first two prototype satellites on the United Launch Alliance’s Vulcan Centaur rocket. And here too, the company promises that the performance of these satellites “ clearly superior comparable to that of Starlink, with a traffic throughput of up to 1 terabit per second (Tbps). Whether these promises are kept remains to be seen.
Source :
Amazon blog post
” Smaller, cheaper, more efficient is how Amazon describes its series of customer terminals that will connect to its high-speed satellite network, called Project Kuiper. The models, the company promises in a blog post published on Tuesday, March 14, will “ cheap – understand cheaper than the terminal offered by Elon Musk’s Starlink. The Kuiper Satellite Constellation was a project started by Jeff Bezos to build a network of 3,236 satellites in low Earth orbit. To provide high-speed internet anywhere in the world, the company had announced that it would put more than $10 billion on the table. By 2020, the project had taken shape, with approval from the US Communications Commission.
Three years later, Amazon says it will offer three versions of its antennas, a standard, an ultra-compact and a professional, with speeds ranging from 100 megabits to 1 gigabit per second. The first is 27 inches long and less than 3 inches wide. Production costs should be around $400 each. The antenna weighs only 2.2 kilograms, excluding the mounting bracket. The bandwidth can be up to 400 Mbps per second.
Amazon is planning a more compact and affordable version of its antennas
The largest and most powerful antenna – 48 by 76 cm – which can offer speeds of up to 1 gigabits per second – targets large companies or international organizations. Its price is not given. Finally there’s an in-between solution, which is lighter, more compact (17 cm long and wide) and less expensive, ideal for anyone who needs an option or low-cost internet service on the go. This is the antenna the smallest and most affordable Amazon describes. It will also be slower, with speeds of up to 100 Mbps per second. Questioned by our colleagues from CNBCDave Limp, Amazon’s senior vice president of devices and services, would not specify the manufacturing cost of this model. But he will be noticeably lower to the standard model’s $400, he specified anyway.
This production cost – for the standard version – portends a lower price than what Elon Musk offers, whose project is much more advanced. Indeed, it costs 637 € for the Starlink equipment, as well as a subscription of 50 € per month.
Other information: These terminals will be equipped with Prometheus, a chip that “ combines the processing power of a 5G modem chip found in modern smartphones, the ability of a mobile base station to handle traffic for thousands of customers at a time, and the ability of an antenna-to-microwave link to provide high-performance point-to-point connections to support “.
Satellite performance will be superior to Starlink, Amazon promises
Amazon plans to launch its first batch of satellites in the first half of 2024, which will go into mass production by the end of the year. The first customers should benefit from this in 2024. It is not yet known which geographical area will be covered, and how much users will eventually have to pay. “ Our goal with Project Kuiper is not only to connect underserved and underserved communities, but also to surprise them with the quality, reliability and value of their service. Rajeev Badyal, Amazon vice president of technology for the Kuiper project, stated in the press release.
Next step: May next year. Amazon is expected to deploy its first two prototype satellites on the United Launch Alliance’s Vulcan Centaur rocket. And here too, the company promises that the performance of these satellites “ clearly superior comparable to that of Starlink, with a traffic throughput of up to 1 terabit per second (Tbps). Whether these promises are kept remains to be seen.
Source :
Amazon blog post