Amazon’s Project Kuiper space broadband service will be ready for commercial services “from the middle of 2026” according to NBN Co, the operator of Australia’s National Broadband Network.
NBN Co revealed that date when it announced an alliance with Amazon to provide broadband services to remote users using Project Kuiper.
NBN Co’s news is an advance on Amazon’s most recent mention of Kuiper services commencing, which came last week when CEO Andy Jassy said he is “very hopeful to get this service into commercial beta later this year or early next year.”
It’s not hard to see why Jassy is merely hopeful, because Amazon has launched just 78 satellites of its planned 3,200 satellites, with another 24 due to go aloft on Thursday. The company’s plans call for it to launch around half its fleet by mid-2026, a target that seems unlikely given delays to its schedule.
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If Amazon misses deadlines or can only offer modest service by mid-2026, it won’t be a major concern for NBN Co, which already operates a pair of broadband satellites that it uses to provide connectivity to over 100,000 premises that Australia’s immense size means it cannot reach with its wired and fixed wireless services.
However the company expects those two sats will end their working lives around 2032, and sought a replacement.
Amazon’s main space broadband rival, SpaceX’s Starlink, in April claimed it already had over 350,000 active Australian customers.
Amazon is yet to announce the price of its services, or reveal final design for its user terminals. The company does, however, operate its e-commerce store in Australia, so has substantial logistics capacity in place to deliver kit to customers.
Source: https://www.theregister.com/2025/08/05/amazon_kuiper_australia_mid_2026/
