Verizon will use Amazon’s low Earth orbit satellites to extend 4G and 5G

Enlarge / A Verizon booth at Mobile World Congress Americas in Los Angeles in September 2018. (credit: Verizon )

Verizon has made a deal to use Amazon’s low Planet orbit (LEO) satellites to add capacity to the Verizon cellular network and provide fixed-wireless Internet service within rural parts of the US. Verizon said it will use Amazon satellite connectivity for both consumers and large businesses.

There won’t be any immediate change to Verizon’s services because Amazon . com has said its Project Kuiper division won’t launch any satellites until at least 2023. The companies yesterday announced a “strategic collaboration” in which they “have begun to develop technical specifications and define preliminary commercial models for a range of connectivity services for US consumers and global enterprise customers operating in rural and remote locations around the world. ”

Verizon already provides LTE home-Internet service in rural areas and 5G home-Internet service in urban areas . But availability is limited , and Verizon plans to use Amazon Kuiper to expand its fixed-wireless offerings.