Amazon's big satellite internet plan — Project Kuiper — is getting ready to launch in India. The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) is likely to issue a Letter of Intent (LoI) soon, a key step needed before it can officially operate in the country, a highly placed source told NDTV Profit.
The approval will help Amazon move toward getting a GMPCS licence (Global Mobile Personal Communications by Satellite), which is required to offer satellite-based internet services in India.
Once active, Kuiper would become the second major satellite internet provider in India after Elon Musk's Starlink, which already has over 6,000 satellites in space.
In comparison, Amazon plans to launch more than 3,200 low-Earth orbit (LEO) satellites — these orbit about 2,000 kilometres above Earth and deliver high-speed internet from space.
“Amazon is closely studying the Indian market and plans to offer low-cost satellite internet, especially for rural and remote areas. The company is developing compact, affordable satcom devices and may even offer them for free or at discounted rates during the trial phase,” the source cited above explained. This is similar to Jio's launch strategy in the telecom sector.
Amazon Kuiper and Starlink, backed by Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk, may start with trial runs—like JioFiber did—to test the market before rolling out across India.
Interestingly, Kuiper would be the second international player to receive an LoI under India's satellite internet policy after Starlink.
The TRAI (Telecom Regulatory Authority of India) issued new GMPCS security guidelines in May, which companies must follow to operate in India.
While Indian companies like OneWeb (backed by Bharti Airtel) and Jio-SES already have GMPCS licences, Amazon Kuiper and Starlink are still waiting for final permits and clearances from DoT and IN-SPACe — the single-window space regulator under India's Department of Space.
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