Amazon’s Project Kuiper represents a notably ambitious undertaking for the company: the construction of a worldwide broadband wireless network intended to provide cost-effective connectivity to populations with limited access. Project Kuiper has seen significant advancement this year, including a crucial approval from the FCC, and has now also produced a working model of a vital hardware component that will enable future users to utilize the satellite network from the ground.

This development is a key factor in establishing Project Kuiper as a widely available service, and it positions Amazon’s project as an industry frontrunner with a distinct competitive edge. The prototype created by the team operates using the Ka-band of the wireless spectrum, and it is currently the most compact and lightweight device capable of performing this function. It is capable of reaching download speeds of up to 400 Mbps, with Amazon anticipating further improvements in subsequent versions.

Amazon provides the following technical details regarding this achievement and its implications for the final product (taken from a blog post detailing the design process):

Essentially, Amazon’s Kuiper design has the potential to substantially lower the expense and intricacy associated with building the ground infrastructure necessary to deliver network access to individual users. The system also offers low latency, and Amazon’s testing—even with geostationary satellites currently—has demonstrated the ability to support 4K streaming, despite these satellites being up to 50 times more distant than the planned orbital position of Project Kuiper’s low-Earth orbit satellites.

Amazon is not yet disclosing precise pricing details for the terminal, other than emphasizing its affordability compared to current market options. I will be interviewing Dave Limp, Amazon SVP of Devices and Services, at TC Sessions: Space today, where we will discuss the antenna and all other aspects of the project.