Amazon SVP Dave Limp unveiled Project Kuiper’s user terminals at SATELLITE 2023, with first prototype satellites already en route to Cape Canaveral for a May launch.
Kuiper’s standard customer antenna measures 11 square inches, delivers up to 400 Mbps, and will have a bill of materials under $400. An ultra-compact model — “about the size of an LP record” at 7 square inches — offers up to 100 Mbps. An enterprise-grade terminal measures 19 by 30 inches and delivers up to 1 Gbps. Amazon will begin satellite production in earnest in 2024 and expects over half its 3,000+ satellite constellation to be in orbit by mid-2026.
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The proprietary Prometheus ASIC chip is the cornerstone of Kuiper’s cost model, combining a 5G base station, 5G smartphone modem, and microwave backhaul antenna in one chip: “a tenth of the cost of what it would be if we had bought it off the shelf.”
Limp stressed Amazon’s unique advantages: massive fiber infrastructure, AWS cloud integration, cost control from consumer electronics manufacturing, and its customer service organization. He also highlighted demand close to home: “100 miles from Washington, D.C., consumers are struggling with copper cable and DSL speeds.”
Amazon will spend roughly $10 billion before meaningful cash flow: “If we’re successful it can be a very good, large business for Amazon.” Limp said the company became “more convicted about the opportunity” during the pandemic. VS
