Project Kuiper Seeks Launch In India’s Satellite Internet Market

SUMMARY

Project Kuiper has reportedly approached the Department of Telecommunications for its application approval

The Jeff Bezos-led firm is looking to set up 10 gateways and two points of presence in Mumbai and Chennai

The company wrote to DoT with the request to expedite issuance of a letter of intent (LoI) for a satcom permit

Amazon-backed Project Kuiper is reportedly looking for quick regulatory approvals to launch its satellite internet services in India, following in the footsteps of Elon Musk’s Starlink.

The company has recently written to the Department of Telecommunications (DoT), urging it to speed up Letter of Intent (LoI) for a Global Mobile Personal Communication by Satellite (GMPCS) permit, the Economic Times reported.

“Amazon applied to the DoT nearly two years back and, as the company has commenced commercial launch of satellites, it wants to secure all approvals before it starts offering commercial services later this year,” the report quoted a source as saying.

Jeff Bezos-led Project Kuiper is planning to set up 10 gateways and two points of presence in Chennai and Mumbai.

Inc42 has reached out to Project Kuiper seeking comments on the development. The story will be updated based on the response.

Amazon’s latest move comes just a week after the Centre gave Starlink a conditional nod to operate satellite-based internet services in India. The company now awaits the final approval.

Prior to that, telecom major Bharti Airtel inked a pact with Elon Musk-led SpaceX to provide Starlink’s satellite-based internet services to its customers in India, in March.

In 2023, Amazon officially entered India’s satellite communication market with Project Kuiper. It sought regulatory approvals from IN-SPACe (Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre) and the DoT to operate their satellite network and offer satellite broadband services in India.

Project Kuiper aims to launch its initial satellite constellation with 3,232 low earth orbit (LEO) satellites in India.

To note, Bharti Enterprises-backed Eutelsat OneWeb and Reliance Jio’s satcom venture Orbit Connect India have already secured GMPCS permits from the government.

Meanwhile, the telecom department is looking to finalise the satellite spectrum allocation rules soon and share the draft for comments with the shareholders. Under this, the satcom players will have to adhere to 29 new security norms to acquire satcom licences.