🛰️ 'Kuiper[ing]' them at arm's length

A new contender in the satellite internet space has emerged, and I don't mean a local internet service. I'm talking about a big tech giant – Amazon!

Yup, the same company that delivers everything from books to blenders, is planning to put satellites in space in what it calls Project Kuiper. And while I think it is not the fanciest of names, it looks promising – with a mission to bring high-speed internet to every nook and cranny of the world.

Currently dominating that space is Elon Musk's brainchild Starlink with about 5,000 low-orbiting satellites already deployed, serving over 2 million customers across 60 countries – six of them in Africa.

The bar has, indeed, been set high, and Amazon is well aware of that. Already, it has committed a jaw-dropping $10 billion investment and has also secured an agreement for 83 satellite launches through a partnership with space companies including Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin, United Launch Alliance, and Europe's Arianespace.

Baby steps, yeah! But Amazon is looking to make its way up to achieve its ambitious plan of an army of 3,236 internet satellites in the coming years.

While I've got a soft spot for Starlink, I won't pass up the chance to root for some healthy competition. It is a promising competition that could potentially bring down the price of satellite internet service and make it ubiquitous for all.

See you in the next edition,

– Emmanuel