Amazon’s Project Kuiper Hits 1.2 Gbps Milestone in Satellite Internet Test
Amazon’s Project Kuiper has reached a significant milestone in its mission to provide high-speed broadband from space, achieving download speeds of over 1.2 gigabits per second during a live demonstration.
The test, conducted using Kuiper’s enterprise-grade customer terminal, recorded speeds of 1,289 megabits per second on Ookla’s Speedtest platform. Rajeev Badyal, head of Project Kuiper, said the device is the first commercial phased array antenna capable of maintaining gigabit-class performance from low Earth orbit (LEO).
Amazon says this breakthrough is an early indicator of what its future network will deliver once the full constellation is operational. The company is positioning Kuiper to compete with SpaceX’s Starlink, which already has millions of users and thousands of satellites in orbit.
Project Kuiper’s network is expected to grow to about 3,200 satellites, with more than 100 currently in orbit. The rollout has accelerated since the first production satellites launched in April 2025, and under Federal Communications Commission (FCC) rules, Amazon must have roughly 1,600 satellites deployed by mid-2026 to retain its license.
To meet that deadline, Amazon has ramped up manufacturing at its Kirkland, Washington facility, which is capable of producing multiple satellites per day. The company has also secured launches from a variety of partners, including United Launch Alliance, Arianespace, Blue Origin, and even SpaceX, its direct rival.
Kuiper will eventually offer three tiers of customer terminals, each tailored to different needs. The smallest, about seven inches wide, will provide speeds up to 100 Mbps, making it ideal for home users. A mid-tier device will deliver up to 400 Mbps, while the high-capacity enterprise terminal — the one used in the recent test — is designed to deliver speeds up to 1 Gbps, catering to businesses, schools, and institutions with heavy data demands.
While the demo showcased peak performance, Amazon acknowledged that real-world speeds will depend on network traffic and satellite capacity once thousands of users are online simultaneously.
Several commercial partnerships are already underway. JetBlue Airways plans to equip its fleet with Kuiper-powered Wi-Fi by 2027, offering the service for free to passengers. In Australia, government-owned NBN Co will use Kuiper satellites to expand rural broadband starting in 2026, delivering speeds of up to 400 Mbps for households and 1 Gbps for enterprises.
In the U.S., federal programs are backing Kuiper’s expansion into underserved rural communities, including areas of Wyoming, where internet speeds are expected to reach at least 150 Mbps.
Amazon’s demonstration signals a major step forward for Project Kuiper as it moves closer to a commercial launch. However, with Starlink holding a significant head start, scaling up production and deploying thousands of satellites will be the critical test of whether Kuiper can compete in the rapidly growing satellite broadband market.
