Amazon.com Inc (NASDAQ:AMZN) has unveiled plans to offer satellite broadband in the UK in competition with Elon Musk’s Starlink.
A weekend regulatory filing said Amazon would look to access local radio frequencies over the next one to two years in order to begin rolling out the service in the UK.
Amazon has plans to place 3,000 small satellites in orbit through subsidiary Project Kuiper, which could eventually see signal offered in remote locations.
“Specifically, our service is uniquely suited to reach hard-to-serve areas within the UK and globally, particularly where it may be infeasible to serve areas with existing technologies such as fiber,” the filing said.
The first of Amazon’s prototype satellites were launched in 2023, with commercial rollout yet to begin despite plans for last year.
Starlink, a subsidiary of Musk’s SpaceX rocket company, already allows users around the world to access the internet through a network of 6,000 satellites.
Amazon’s system would use similar technology to Starlink, which sees devices connect to terminals which then link to satellites, before offering direct-to-device services.
This could be available as early as this year based on consultations, Amazon said, and called on regulator Ofcom to grant access to frequencies allocated for terrestrial mobile services.
Allowing devices direct access to satellites could “present a secure communication option for government, defence, and emergency response use cases,” Amazon added.