Amazon is seeking to build its first African satellite ground station in Kenya, a move that would bring the company’s long-delayed internet service one step closer to challenging Starlink’s early dominance on the continent.
The company has applied for a 15-year international gateway licence through a newly registered local subsidiary, Amazon Kuiper Kenya Limited, according to disclosures from the Communications Authority of Kenya. The licence, if approved, would allow Amazon to establish a satellite earth station and network control centre to transmit and receive internet traffic internationally.
Amazon Leo — formerly known as Project Kuiper — is planned for rollout this year and aims to take on Starlink in the fast-growing low-earth orbit satellite internet market, which has rapidly expanded access to broadband in areas underserved by traditional telecom infrastructure.
Why a Ground Station Changes Everything
A ground station serves as the critical link between satellites in orbit and terrestrial internet networks. It receives data from satellites, converts it into conventional internet traffic, and routes it through fibre-optic infrastructure. The closer a ground station is to users, the lower the latency — the delay it takes for data to travel from source to destination.
Starlink demonstrated exactly this when it opened a ground station and Point of Presence in Nairobi in January 2024.
According to network intelligence firm Ookla, its latency dropped from 296 milliseconds to just 39 milliseconds almost immediately — a transformation that translated into smoother video calls, faster browsing, and stronger overall performance.
Building that kind of infrastructure does not come cheap. Industry estimates put the cost of a high-capacity satellite gateway at up to $15 million. Amazon has not disclosed where in Kenya its proposed station would be located.
Speed as a Selling Point
Amazon is positioning Leo as a faster, potentially cheaper alternative to Starlink. For standard residential terminals, where Starlink currently offers download speeds of up to 150 megabits per second, Amazon is promising up to 400 Mbps.
For commercial-grade equipment, Amazon claims speeds of up to 1,280 Mbps — more than three times Starlink’s 400 Mbps ceiling for commercial kits.
Pricing details have not been announced, but analysts speculate that Leo will come in at lower price points to attract customers who have found Starlink’s hardware and subscription costs out of reach.
The company is also pursuing a “direct to device” model, transmitting data between satellites and ordinary smartphones without the need for cell towers — a technology Starlink is similarly developing.
To expand rural reach, Amazon has signed a deal with Vodafone — the parent company of Kenya’s dominant telco, Safaricom — to connect Leo to 4G and 5G mobile masts. Service trials are expected to begin this year. The agreement mirrors a similar deal Starlink’s parent company, SpaceX, struck with Vodacom and Airtel Africa, which covers 14 markets including Kenya.
If the Kenya ground station is approved, it would be the country’s third major satellite facility, alongside stations operated by the Kenya Space Agency. It would also position Kenya as a regional hub, allowing Amazon to serve neighbouring East African markets from a single gateway.
Not Without Risk
Amazon’s entry has raised technical concerns. Telecoms analysts warn that transmissions from high-powered LEO satellites could interfere with existing ground network services.
Increased noise levels, they argue, can degrade the performance of 3G, 4G, and 5G networks — the backbone infrastructure that companies like Safaricom and Airtel rely on to deliver high-speed internet and voice services across Kenya.
Those concerns remain unresolved. But for millions of Kenyans still waiting for fast, affordable internet, the prospect of two of the world’s wealthiest men competing for their business may be the most significant development in connectivity the country has seen in years.
Source: Business Daily
