Bezos Enters the Orbital Internet War With a Quiet Starlink Challenger
Jeff Bezos is once again upping the ante in the space-based internet race.
This week, Bezos’s aerospace company Blue Origin publicly revealed plans for a massive new satellite broadband network called TeraWave — a megaconstellation designed to rival SpaceX’s Starlink and to stake Amazon a stronger claim in orbital internet infrastructure.
What Is TeraWave? A Satellite Internet Network for the Future
TeraWave is a proposed global communications system made up of about 5,408 interconnected satellites that would orbit the Earth and deliver internet connectivity with massive bandwidth capacity.
Target users:
Unlike Starlink, which focuses on individual consumers, TeraWave is being built specifically for enterprise, data center, and government customers with high-volume, mission-critical connectivity needs.
Speeds and architecture:
The system aims for data transmission speeds reaching up to 6 terabits per second (Tbps) — far exceeding today’s standard broadband and stretching into capacities useful for real-time, large-scale cloud computing and edge AI workloads.
Most satellites will operate in low-Earth orbit (LEO) with radio frequency connections offering up to 144 Gbps, while a smaller group in medium-Earth orbit (MEO) will use optical (laser) links to handle ultra-high-capacity traffic.
How This Differs From Starlink — and Amazon’s Own Network
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Starlink: SpaceX’s current leader in satellite internet serves millions of customers worldwide — both individuals and institutions — with broadband and satellite phone services.
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Amazon Leo (formerly Project Kuiper): Bezos’s other satellite initiative under Amazon seeks to provide consumer internet access using thousands of satellites, with service rollout already underway.
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TeraWave: This network is distinct from both — tailored narrowly toward enterprise and government infrastructure with ultra-high speeds and resilient, symmetrical connectivity.
In essence, Bezos now has three major space internet plays tied to his broader tech empire:
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Starlink rivals at Blue Origin (TeraWave) for enterprise connectivity
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Amazon Leo for consumer broadband
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Launch services via Blue Origin’s New Glenn rockets aiding both efforts
Why This Matters: Competition, Infrastructure, and the Future of Connectivity
Bezos’s unveiling of TeraWave signals several broader shifts in the satellite broadband landscape:
Intensifying rivalry with SpaceX: Starlink leads the market by scale, but Blue Origin’s TeraWave could challenge that dominance — at least in the enterprise and government sectors.
New infrastructure for AI and cloud computing: High-speed satellite networks could support distributed computing workloads — even moving data-processing infrastructure partially into orbit.
Global broadband expansion: Satellite constellations remain one of the few ways to bring high-speed connectivity to remote or underserved regions, and multiple players now competing could accelerate that goal.
Timelines and Challenges
Blue Origin plans to begin launching TeraWave satellites in late 2027, using its New Glenn launch vehicle. Full deployment will take several years and will require ongoing regulatory approvals and substantial capital investment.
There are also technical hurdles — building, deploying, and maintaining thousands of satellites with optical communication links is far from trivial. The company’s success will depend on engineering advances and market adoption by its target enterprise clientele.
What Comes Next
With TeraWave now officially public, all eyes will be on how this new constellation competes with Starlink’s established lead and how Amazon’s own Leo network fits into this broader ecosystem.
Whether TeraWave ends up reshaping the orbital broadband wars or simply serving as a specialized network for high-end enterprise clients, one thing is clear: Jeff Bezos isn’t backing down from the space internet race.