NBN Co signs on to Amazon's Project Kuiper as Sky Muster replacement

NBN Co will offer users in its Sky Muster footprint an upgrade path to low earth orbit satellite services powered by Amazon Kuiper sometime before its current satellites reach end-of-life.

NBN Co's Ellie Sweeney.

The company confirmed one of its worst-kept secrets in the form of a signed contract with Amazon's Project Kuiper on Tuesday, after news of the deal leaked back in March.

Project Kuiper-based services will be offered to approximately 307,000 premises currently in the geostationary footprint.

It has just under 78,000 active services within this footprint, which would need to transition across to Project Kuiper.

What the transition looks like, including timelines and whether pricing will remain comparable, is yet to be determined.

“Over the coming months we’ll be working closely with internet providers, regulators, regional stakeholders and community groups to shape the product offerings, from our speed tiers [to] our wholesale pricing, and also that upgrade process for our existing customers,” NBN Co CEO Ellie Sweeney said.

“This consultation is absolutely essential to ensure that the final product reflects the needs of the people and communities that are going to rely on it most.”

NBN Co will get its first chance to run beta testing and proofs-of-concept on Project Kuiper when its initial service rollout in Australia starts in Tasmania, which is anticipated to be in mid-2026.

Sweeney said that NBN Co is paying for the contract with Amazon, and that it “is not funded by a taxpayer equity injection.”

She also said that the deal is “not exclusive” to Amazon.

Sweeney said that the Sky Muster satellites are expected to be retired in the early 2030s.

“We’ve been planning to ensure we have the right technology in place well before our existing satellite fleet is retired,” she said.

“Our two geostationary Sky Muster satellites have served remote Australia - we think - with distinction over the last decade. 

“But times change and technology evolves, and Project Kuiper is one of the finest examples, we think, of what’s possible, where innovation meets ambition.”