Connectivity Technology Blog

Amazon’s Project Kuiper is moving rapidly from concept to large-scale implementation, aiming to deliver high-speed, low-latency broadband services to communities and organisations that are unserved or underserved by existing terrestrial infrastructure. The programme involves deploying a constellation of more than 3,200 satellites in low Earth orbit, supported by an extensive ground network and customer terminal technology. The initiative began research and development in 2018, with formal approval from the US Federal Communications Commission in 2020. After launching two prototype satellites in 2023, Amazon commenced production satellite deployment in April 2025. The pace of activity has since accelerated, with four missions completed in under four months and more than 100 satellites now in orbit . This early progress is part of a planned series of over 80 launches that will populate the initial constellation by the end of the decade. The system architecture is based on three core com...

Amazon's Project Kuiper is an initiative to increase global broadband access through a constellation of 3,236 satellites in low earth orbit (LEO). Their mission is to deliver fast, affordable broadband to unserved and underserved communities around the world. A post on Amazon explains: Project Kuiper started off as an internal code name for the program—and it stuck. The name refers to the Kuiper Belt, a region of the solar system that exists beyond the eight major planets. The Kuiper Belt itself is named after the late Dutch astronomer Gerard Kuiper, who is considered by many to be the father of modern planetary science. Project Kuiper is a long-term initiative. Our FCC license requires that we deploy and operate at least half of our satellite constellation by July 2026. We’re preparing to launch our first two prototype satellites in early 2023, and we expect to provide service to the earliest Project Kuiper customers by the end of 2024. This marketing video is a good explainer o...

It has long been a dream of wireless telecom technologists to create a technology where devices can even connect to the network even if there is no direct coverage. In 3G days we used to call it Opportunity Driven Multiple Access ( ODMA ) but it was never standardised. Then we also have similar concept with multihop cellular network ( MCN ). Then you also have generic terms Ad-Hoc networks and Relays . There has been no shortage of repackaging the concept to create a network of networks . So what exactly is Sidewalk? Quoting from this Light Reading article : The Sidewalk network – which relies on Bluetooth Low Energy for short-range communication, 900MHz LoRa or frequency-shift keyring over longer distances – is set to max out at 80 Kbit/s on any Amazon device operating as a Sidewalk "bridge." And Amazon caps Sidewalk's per-customer data usage at 500MB a month. Amazon did notify customers about Sidewalk and it gave them opt-out instructions. But the shared network servic...

The International Telecommunication Union (ITU), is a specialized agency of the United Nations responsible for all matters related to information and communication technologies. Established in 1865 as the International Telegraph Union, it is one of the oldest international organizations in operation. The ITU promotes the shared global use of the radio spectrum, facilitates international cooperation in assigning satellite orbits, assists in developing and coordinating worldwide technical standards, and works to improve telecommunication infrastructure in the developing world.  The ITU recently held a series of Satellite Webinars to share the current technical and regulatory situation, evolution, and trends in the field of satellite communications. They featured discussions and contributions from well-known experts from the satellite and space industries and were open to ITU members and non-members alike! Part 1 - ​Interference to Satellite Systems: preventing or protecting? : From ...