Amazon has unveiled a series of customer terminals that connect to its broadband satellite network, Project Kuiper. In a blog post published Tuesday, Amazon says its designs are “smaller, more affordable and more capable” than competitors, such as the terminal offered by Elon Musk’s Starlink.
The company’s first device is Project Kuiper’s “standard” customer terminal, which Amazon initially revealed the design for in 2020. It is less than 23 cm square and 2.5 cm thick. The terminal weighs less than five pounds — not counting the mounting bracket — and can offer speeds of up to 400 Mbps. Amazon says it expects to produce this terminal for less than $400.
There’s also an even more compact terminal that weighs just one pound and measures just seven inches square. Amazon says this device is its “smallest and most affordable” device and can deliver speeds of up to 100 MBps, making it ideal for anyone who needs a low-cost internet option or service on the go. Finally, Amazon showed off its commercial terminal intended for use by large corporations or government organizations. It is the largest and most powerful of all three terminals, measuring 19 by 30 inches and offering speeds of up to 1 Gbps.
All of these terminals are equipped with Amazon’s in-house baseband chip, nicknamed Prometheus. According to Amazon, the chip combines the processing power of a 5G modem chip found in modern smartphones, the ability of a mobile base station to handle traffic from thousands of customers at a time, and the ability of a microwave backhaul antenna to create powerful point-up antennas. to support. point connection.”
Project Kuiper is Amazon’s initiative to connect people around the world to the Internet using a constellation of satellites in low Earth orbit. Amazon is expected to launch its first batch of satellites in the first half of 2024 and enable the service for its first customers later that year. It is not yet clear where Project Kuiper will be the first to offer internet, nor how much it will cost customers.
“Our goal with Project Kuiper is not only to connect underserved and underserved communities, but also to delight them with the quality, reliability and value of their service,” said Rajeev Badyal, Amazon’s vice president of technology for Project Cooper, in a statement.