Amazon Demo Satellites to Launch Early 2023, Frontier’s Broadband for Good, USCellular Adds to Board
The first prototype Amazon Project Kuiper low-earth orbit satellites are expected to launch early next year.
October 17, 2022 – Spacecraft launch company United Launch Alliance said in a press release Wednesday that it’s preparing to send Amazon’s first two “demonstration” Project Kuiper satellites into low-earth orbit early next year.
Amazon’s Project Kuiper, an initiative to launch a constellation of LEO satellites, will provide high-speed broadband connectivity to unserved and underserved communities around the globe.
The project was approved by the Federal Communications Commission in 2020. Other companies, such as aircraft manufacturer Boeing, are engaging in LEO satellite projects to provide connectivity.
Amazon said it will invest $10 billion for over 3,000 satellites in the hopes to bring broadband to any location on the earth, said Rusty Thomas, Amazon’s government satellite systems director.
Frontier launches Broadband for Good
Internet service provider Frontier said Monday it launched Broadband for Good, its first social impact program that it said will advance digital inclusion.
The program will start by donating high-speed broadband connectivity and computer equipment to support the Boys and Girls Clubs of the Brazos Valley in Bryan, Texas, for after-school and summer school programs offering high-speed internet for online tutoring, according to the release.
“Beginning today, our program will support organizations working to bridge the digital divide and address other critical needs. The ambition for the program is to stretch our imagination of what’s possible with the power of our technology,” said Frontier President and CEO Nick Jeffrey.
USCellular adds to board of directors
Wireless service provider United States Cellular Corp. said Monday it has appointed Xavier Williams to serve on its board effective January 1.
Williams, who is the CEO of Network Wireless Solutions, will replace J. Samuel Crowley, who served on the Chicago-based company’s board for 24 years. Williams had also years at AT&T and spent time on FirstNet, the nationwide wireless broadband network for first responders.
“With more than thirty years of experience in the telecommunications field, Xavier will provide valuable insight and guidance to the Board,” LeRoy Carlson, Jr., UScellular board chairman, said in a press release.
