New Zealand will be among the first regions to receive Amazon's new internet service.

Amazon has won consent to lease New Zealand land in support of “Project Kuiper”, the company’s new satellite internet service.

Subsidiary Amazon Kuiper NZ, registered in late 2021, is leading the local operations of Amazon’s plan to launch a constellation of satellites and provide broadband to customers.

New Zealand will be among the first regions to receive the service, Amazon head of public policy Alasdair Grant told a Rural Connectivity Symposium in May.

That’s because company’s launches begin at the outer edges of the map and work inwards, putting NZ in the frame for early service, Farmers Weekly reported. 

“Starting from 56 degrees north and south we work inwards in five different phases, and this means countries in the 39 degree to 56 degree range will be first to receive global coverage,” Grant said.

The July decision by the Overseas Investment Office said Amazon would install and operate telecommunications equipment on the leased land to provide broadband services locally.

The consent was granted after Amazon met both the required investment test and a non-residential use test, which ensures residential land was only used for necessary business purposes.

Project Kuiper will compete with Elon Musk’s Starlink by offering internet services from a network of over 3000 low Earth orbit satellites.

After launching prototype satellites last year, further launches are expected by the end of 2024 with commercial services arriving in 2025.

Source: https://www.reseller.co.nz/