Amazon’s low earth orbit network has nearly 400 satellites in orbit and is eyeing India to expand satellite broadband services, Chris Hofer, Head of International Spectrum Management and Strategy at Amazon Leo, yesterday.
Amazon Leo’s mission and goal is to connect the unconnected and the unserved, he said at the IAFI’s Space Policy Conference 2026 in New Delhi, according to a PTI report from the country’s capital.
“We have almost 400 satellites up. Seems like we can’t get rockets up fast enough… manufacturing well over 15 satellites a week, so we’re very pleased to think (that) back in 2019 that this project…this program, was literally a piece of paper, and how far we’ve progressed,” he said.
Amazon Leo, formerly Project Kuiper, is Amazon’s low Earth orbit satellite network, designed to provide fast, reliable internet to customers and communities beyond the reach of existing networks.
To deliver on this mission, Amazon is deploying thousands of satellites linked to a global network of antennas, fiber and internet connection points on the ground.
Hofer, according to the PTI report, said Amazon Leo is focused on expanding global connectivity services.
Highlighting India as a promising market, Hofer described the country as having a highly digital-oriented administration and significant potential for satellite internet expansion.
“…we’re very well looking forward to bringing services around the world. And we certainly believe India is a great candidate, very digital-oriented administration. And of course, there are folks that are unconnected, and we believe we can bring competition in and connect those folks with the right broadband services,” he said.
For the record, three other companies — Bharti Airtel-backed OneWeb, Reliance-SES joint venture and Elon Musk’s Starlink — have already applied for necessary Indian permissions for starting satellite broadband services in India.
All the three have received initial clearances from the Indian authorities, but are yet to start services as some other crucial aspects are still being debated within the government circles.
Apart from these three companies, various other joint ventures too are in the fray to grab a slice of the Indian satcom market.
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