Amazon’s Project Kuiper just showed off gigabit-class satellite internet in a live demo, hitting 1.2 Gbps on an enterprise-grade customer terminal. The connection clocked 1,289 Mbps on Ookla’s Speedtest, and Kuiper leadership describes it as the first commercial phased-array antenna to top 1 Gbps from low Earth orbit. It’s a strong signal of where Amazon wants to take its network as it builds a constellation of roughly 3,200 satellites, with more than 100 already in orbit.
Project Kuiper plans three customer terminals to cover different needs:
– Compact terminal with a seven-inch antenna for up to 100 Mbps.
– Standard terminal under 28 centimeters square for up to 400 Mbps.
– Enterprise terminal targeted at 1 Gbps and demonstrated at over 1.2 Gbps in testing.
As with any early trial, the speeds were achieved under controlled conditions with limited users on the network. Real-world performance will depend on how capacity holds up as thousands of customers come online at the same time.
Amazon is moving fast to reach service readiness. The first production satellites launched in April 2025, and by August, the number in orbit surpassed 100. To meet Federal Communications Commission milestones, roughly 1,600 satellites must be operational by mid-2026. Manufacturing is scaling at Amazon’s Kirkland, Washington facility, which is designed to turn out several satellites per day at peak. Launch agreements are in place with United Launch Alliance, Arianespace, Blue Origin, and SpaceX to keep the cadence up.
Partnerships are already lining up. JetBlue plans to roll out Kuiper-powered in-flight Wi‑Fi across its fleet starting in 2027. In Australia, NBN Co will adopt Kuiper to upgrade rural satellite broadband beginning in 2026, targeting up to 400 Mbps for households and up to 1 Gbps for enterprise customers. In the United States, federal funding is helping extend broadband to underserved regions, including parts of Wyoming, with service commitments starting at 150 Mbps.
Competition is intense. SpaceX’s Starlink currently operates thousands of satellites and serves millions of users, providing a sizable head start. Even so, Kuiper’s gigabit demo shows the technology is on pace to compete, especially as Amazon scales its constellation, ramps production, and deepens partnerships. The next test will be real-world performance at scale—sustained reliability, capacity under load, and consistent speeds as more customers connect. If Amazon hits its deployment milestones and delivers on these metrics, Project Kuiper could quickly become a major player in satellite broadband.
