Amazon’s Project Kuiper beats Starlink to prized Australian broadband contract 

Australia’s Statutory Infrastructure Provider (SIP) NBN Co has selected Amazon’s Project Kuiper to provide satellite broadband to regional, rural and remote areas of the country.  

Elon Musk’s Starlink was also in the running for the prized broadband contract but in a major scoop for Jeff Bezos, Amazon came up trumps despite Project Kuiper not yet being active.  

On July 16, 2025, a third batch of Amazon’s Kuiper satellites were launched into space to form part of the low Earth orbit constellation which will eventually provide high-speed, low-latency internet access virtually anywhere in the world.   

Once completed, the Project Kuiper constellation will be formed of 3,200 satellites and rival Starlink’s existing infrastructure comprised of over 8,000 satellites. 

NBN Co plans to offer wholesale residential-grade fixed LEO satellite broadband services to more than 300,000 premises within its existing satellite footprint via participating Retail Service Providers (RSPs). 

Amazon plans to launch its service in mid-2026, enabling NBN Co to transition from its existing geostationary Sky Muster satellite service over the coming years. 

Ellie Sweeney, CEO at NBN Co described the agreement as a “major leap forward” for customers in parts of regional, rural and remote Australia. 

“Australians deserve to have access to fast, effective broadband regardless of whether they live in a major city, on the outskirts of a country town or miles from their nearest neighbour. That’s what nbn was set up to deliver. By upgrading to next generation LEO satellite broadband powered by Project Kuiper, we are working to bring the best available technology to Aussies in the bush,” said Sweeney. 

She added: “Transitioning from two geostationary satellites to a constellation of Low Earth Orbit satellites will help to ensure the nbn network is future-ready and delivers the best possible broadband experience.”   

Amazon is planning to send another 24 Kuiper satellites into orbit no earlier than August 7, 2025, bringing the total deployed so far to 102. 

“We’ve designed Project Kuiper to be the most advanced satellite system ever built, and we’re combining that innovation with Amazon’s long track record of making everyday life better for customers. We’re proud to be working with nbn to bring Kuiper to even more customers and communities across Australia and look forward to creating new opportunities for hundreds of thousands of people in rural and remote parts of the country,” said Rajeev Badyal, Vice President of Technology at Amazon’s Project Kuiper. 

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