Amazon's Cheap Satellite Internet Antenna Huge Advantage Over Starlink
DannyB writes:
- Amazon says antennas for its Project Kuiper satellite internet service cost under $500 to build.
- One analyst called the remarkably cheap antennas "an earth shattering development."
- The price delta could give Project Kuiper a leg up on arch rival SpaceX's Starlink.
When Amazon announced its massive rocket launch deal for Project Kuiper, its satellite internet service earlier this month, one detail flew mostly under the radar. Amazon said it has figured out how to make the antennas consumers mount on their homes for less than $500. That's more than five times cheaper than what SpaceX reportedly spends to build its Starlink antennas, which have long been the cheapest on the market.
The cost delta could give Amazon a major leg up as it launches its Kuiper service and looks to overtake Starlink, which has already launched more than 2,000 satellites and had more than 145,000 users globally as of January, according to CNBC.
[....] To make internet service providers Kuiper and Starlink work, consumers need what's called an all-electronically-steered flat panel antenna, capable of tracking satellites in orbit. This tech has historically been used only for military purposes, and can cost hundreds of thousands to millions of dollars, Quilty Analytics founder Chris Quilty told Insider.
To bring satellite internet to the public, providers have to figure out how to make the necessary antennas affordable.
[....] Another reason Amazon may have been able to get antenna costs so much lower than SpaceX is because Amazon started Project Kuiper as an engineering exercise to see if it was possible to build the antennas for less than $500, according to Quilty. The company didn't want to spend billions to build out a constellation if it wasn't possible.
By running the economics of a running a megaconstellation like Kuiper, it becomes clear that the cost of the user terminal is the most important factor, Quilty said, adding that it was insightful on Amazon's part that that's where they started their Project Kuiper efforts.
Is the one time cost of the ground terminal the biggest factor when considering purchasing a satellite internet service?
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