Amazon's Project Kuiper demos 1 gigabit satellite internet speeds

The team behind Amazon's Project Kuiper has posted a video showing the satellite internet service delivering 1.2 Gbps during a live test using its enterprise-grade customer terminal. The connection was measured at 1,289 Mbps on Ookla’s Speedtest.net, with Project Kuiper head Rajeev Badyal describing it as “the first commercial phased array antenna to deliver 1+ Gbps from low Earth orbit.” The demo highlights the performance Amazon is aiming for as it builds out a planned constellation of roughly 3,200 satellites, more than 100 of which are already in orbit.

The network will be supported by three types of terminals. A compact seven-inch model will deliver speeds of up to 100 Mbps, a standard unit measuring under 28 centimeters square is designed for up to 400 Mbps, and the enterprise version can reach 1 Gbps. While these results are impressive, they were achieved under test conditions where only a limited number of users share capacity. Real-world performance will depend on how the system holds up once thousands of customers are connected at the same time.

Amazon is pushing ahead with launches to reach service readiness. Its first production satellites were deployed in April 2025, and by August the number had grown past 100. To meet Federal Communications Commission rules, around 1,600 satellites must be in orbit by mid-2026. The company is scaling manufacturing at its Kirkland, Washington facility, which is expected to produce several satellites per day at full output, and has secured launch agreements with ULA, Arianespace, Blue Origin, and even SpaceX.

Partnerships are already taking shape, with JetBlue committing to bring Kuiper-powered in-flight Wi-Fi to its fleet starting in 2027. In Australia, NBN Co will use Kuiper to upgrade rural satellite broadband beginning in 2026, offering homes speeds up to 400 Mbps and enterprise clients up to 1 Gbps. The project has also received federal funding in the United States to expand broadband in underserved regions, including Wyoming, where service will deliver at least 150 Mbps.

Despite this progress, Amazon faces the challenge of catching up to Starlink. SpaceX already operates thousands of satellites and serves millions of customers worldwide, giving it a strong head start. Even so, Kuiper’s gigabit demonstration proves the technology is competitive, and with enough satellites in orbit and continued investment in partnerships, Amazon has a path to becoming a major player in satellite broadband. The next phase will move from controlled testing toward real deployments, where reliability and capacity under load will determine how well Kuiper can compete.