Image: Amazon
Amazon is preparing to officially launch its long-awaited satellite internet service, Project Kuiper, with coverage slated for the U.S., Canada, France, Germany, and the U.K. by the end of the first quarter of 2026, according to one executive (via Bloomberg).
At the World Space Business Week event in Paris on Monday, Ricky Freeman, Amazon’s President of Government Solutions for Project Kuiper, said the company expects to have more than 200 satellites in low-Earth orbit by year’s end to support a commercial rollout. While Amazon has previously targeted late 2025 for the start of service, it has yet to specify which markets will be covered or provide an exact launch date.
This news comes just months after Amazon launched its first batch of Project Kuiper satellites into low Earth orbit in April. Earlier this month, Kuiper Vice President Rajeev Badyal demonstrated the system achieving download speeds of 1,289 Mbps, signaling Amazon’s serious intent to rival Elon Musk’s Starlink.
However, the company faces a tight timeline set by the U.S. Federal Communications Commission, which requires that roughly half of its planned 3,236 satellites — about 1,600 — be deployed by the end of July 2026, with the rest launched by July 2029.
Looking ahead, Amazon plans to expand Kuiper’s footprint quickly. The company says service will cover up to 26 countries by the end of 2026, reach the equator in 2027, and achieve full global coverage — including the poles — in as many as 88 to 100 countries by 2028. By comparison, Starlink, Kuiper’s foremost competitor, surpassed 7 million users across 150 countries and territories last month.
Despite being months away from a commercial launch, Project Kuiper has already secured more than $100 million from the U.S. government’s Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program to help bring internet access to underserved areas. Amazon also recently struck a deal with JetBlue, which will use Kuiper satellites to power in-flight Wi-Fi starting in 2027 — making it the first airline to announce such a partnership.
Amazon’s Kuiper team has faced challenges ramping up satellite production and delays in launches due to its reliance on commercial providers. That said, with four successful launches completed so far and another deployment scheduled for later this month, the company says it is on track to deliver service by early 2026.
