(Bloomberg) -- The British telecommunications regulator proposed allowing Amazon.com Inc. unit Project Kuiper to operate a rival satellite network to Elon Musk’s Starlink to provide high-speed broadband services.
Ofcom requested comments on Amazon Kuiper Services Europe SARL’s application and the regulator’s proposal to grant the licence, by Oct. 4, it said in a statement on Thursday.
If a licence is granted, the company will be allowed to supply customers with outdoor antennae, called terminals, that can receive broadband services with 4G-like speeds.
Satellite internet services like Kuiper and Starlink can provide high-speed connectivity to places that are underserved by traditional internet providers, such as rural communities, conflict zones or areas where infrastructure has been damaged by natural disasters.
Amazon’s Project Kuiper aims to offer broadband internet from a constellation of more than 3,000 satellites in low-Earth orbit. It anticipates launching its first satellites before the end of 2024, with plans to offer a commercial service the following year.
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