For some time now, Amazon has been looking at ways to offer high speed internet. The most well known of these efforts is how Amazon is working on putting satellites into space to offer high speed internet from space. Recently though, Amazon seems to be looking to build out a wireless network on the ground using the 3.5 GHz band. This would allow Amazon to offer LTE internet services or build an internet service to be used with the internet of things.
Recently Amazon tested out the 3.5 Citizens Broadband Radio Services internet service back in February. How successful this was is unknown but Amazon seems to have gotten the data it needed from the test.
This is on top of the permission to launch the 3,236 satellites Amazon is asking the FCC for so it can start building out its new home internet service. This is something new that could supplement that service or be a standalone test.
Back in early June 2019, Jeff Bezos opened up more about his plans for high-speed internet from space sold by Amazon.
“The goal here is broadband everywhere, but the very nature of [having] thousands of satellites in low Earth orbit is very different from geostationary satellites. … You have equal broadband all over the surface of Earth. Not exactly equal, it tends to be a lot more concentrated toward the poles, unfortunately.
“But you end up servicing the whole world. So it’s really good. By definition, you end up accessing people who are ‘under-bandwidthed.’ Very rural areas, remote areas. And I think you can see going forward that internet, access to broadband is going to be very close to being a fundamental human need as we move forward.
“So Project Kuiper has that. It’s also a very good business for Amazon because it’s a very high-capex [capital expenditure] undertaking. It’s multiple billions of dollars of capex. … Amazon is a large enough company now that we need to do things that, if they work, can actually move the needle.”
This is great news for rural America and developing countries as it could mean fast high-speed internet even if you live far from a city.
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