Amazon plan to build network of 3,236 satellites to provide global broadband internet

The satellite network will provide internet access to millions of people in communities across the world with poor or no internet access

Amazon wants to build a network of 3,236 satellites in low Earth orbit in an attempt to provide high-speed broadband services to millions of people in communities across the world that are unserved or under-served with internet access.

Amazon's plan, code-named Project Kuiper, was first reported by GeekWire after it found details of the project in filings with the International Telecommunication Union (ITU).

The company confirmed to GeekWire that it is working to launch thousands of satellites in space in the near future, although it declined to provide any details regarding the budget and timeline for the project.

The filings were made by the US Federal Communications Commission on behalf of Amazon-owned Kuiper Systems LLC.

The effort follows up reports published last September that claimed that Amazon was working on a big "space project" involving a large number of satellites.

As per the filing with the ITU, Amazon will launch 3,236 satellites in low-Earth orbit. Of them, 784 satellites will be put at a height of 590 kilometres, 1,296 at altitude of 610 kilometres and 1,156 satellites in 630-kilometre orbits.

The company said it will continue to seek approval from regulatory agencies in the US and around the world.

About four billion people in the world still don't have access to reliable, high-speed internet services, according to the United Nations. Amazon's broadband satellite network will cover approximately 95 per cent of the world's population, the company claimed.

The project also represents the latest space ambition from Jeff Bezos, the founder of Amazon, who also owns private spaceflight firm Blue Origin.

Several major players are currently racing to develop a high-speed broadband network able to provide internet services from space.

SpaceX is current working to build a "Starlink" network of more than 4,400 satellites in space. Last year, the company launched two test satellites as part of the project.

Softbank-backed OneWeb has also said that it plans to build a constellation of 650 interconnected satellites, with each one costing about $1 million. The first six satellites of the network were launched last month.

The company says it will send all 650 satellites in space over the next 24 months.

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