It is a virtual certainty that not all of the proposed low earth orbit constellations will see commercial deployment. Some will be folded into other of the proposed networks (merger, probably). Some constellations that are desired will not get funding.
Perhaps among the proposed constellations that is more recent, but perhaps more intriguing, is Amazon Project Kuiper. It is interesting because, unlike most of the other plans, Project Kuiper involves a plan with business model drivers that are different.
To be sure, Kepler Communication is focused on machine-to-machine apps.
But the rest--OneWeb, SpaceX, O3b, Telesat, Viasat, Space Norway and Leosat--are traditional play on connectivity revenues.
Project Kuiper, the plan to put more than 3,200 satellites in low Earth orbit for global broadband coverage, and possibly Project Athena, are likely to have owners with the greatest ability to create non-connectivity revenue models.
The former obviously could be a platform for increasing sales of Amazon products to consumers everywhere, and create a huge new global advertising venue as well. The latter could be a platform for increasing usage of Facebook services, with a corresponding increase in advertising and commerce revenues.
Project Kuiper would mean that virtually every person, on all parts of the earth’s surface, would have access to high-quality internet access. And since every app provider’s business model hinges on such access, Amazon’s interest in ubiquitous, reliable and high-quality internet access is obvious. As with Google, Facebook and others, a person cannot become a customer without internet access.
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