Verizon and Project Kuiper Team Up for Connectivity

Connectivity seems to be 2021’s theme as businesses rally to restore normal operations. Now, Verizon and Project Kuiper have come together to develop a strategy for providing connectivity services for unserved and underserved communities. The project will serve primarily rural communities in the United States.

Amazon’s Project Kuiper uses low earth orbit (LEO) satellites to increase broadband access around the world. Using an initial investment of $10 billion, the project now serves both individuals and households in a global setting. Amazon’s work already extends to areas around the globe.

The new partnership will add a new layer to Verizon’s networks, helping cover areas not traditionally reachable through terrestrial networks, as well as areas that present challenges for installation or other logistics. Together, these two technology layers could provide fast, flexible access to broadband connectivity and edge compute capability in spite of previous location challenges.

See also: The 6G Journey Begins with a Bang (and a Launch)

Industries like agriculture can use the connectivity

The agriculture industry is one example of how increased connectivity can bring organizations into the digital age. Agriculture benefits greatly from data science and technology solutions but struggles to connect across large farms in rural areas. Now, small farms to large agribusiness collections have a better shot at implementing smart farm principles across the last mile of rural US.

Any organization currently working through a distributed system should also keep an eye on the partnership’s progress. Kuiper and Verizon will work through the partnership to design new systems and solutions in the coming years.

The partnership isn’t the first between the two companies. Previously, we saw the Voice Interoperability Initiative and an AWS Wavelength-Verizon 5G Edge MEC platform. This newest initiative will offer global solutions to ensure that individuals and organizations have access to the networks that run necessary technology no matter where they are.