Amazon announced Thursday that its Project Kuiper satellite broadband network had entered into a distribution agreement to offer fast internet service in seven South American countries.

Amazon has partnered Vrio Corp., the parent company of Sky Brasil and DIRECTV Latin America, to provide nationwide internet service in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Uruguay.

What You Need To Know

  • Amazon announced Thursday that its Project Kuiper satellite broadband network had entered into a distribution agreement to offer fast internet service in seven South American countries

  • Project Kuiper has partnered with Vrio Corp. to provide nationwide internet service in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Uruguay

  • The new service will be available to about 383 million people, 200 million of whom are not connected to the web

  • Project Kuiper plans to begin beta testing its satellite broadband network later this year

The company estimates the new service will be available to about 383 million people, 200 million of whom are not connected to the web. In a statement, Amazon said Project Kuiper’s low-latency, high-bandwith network of satellites can provide internet service in areas that are too expensive to wire with more traditional options such as fiber optics or fixed wireless infrastructure.

“Working with Vrio to bring affordable access to broadband means we can enable so many more people to create, connect and learn in new ways,” Amazon Senior Vice President for Devices and Services Panos Panay said in a statement.

Without reliable internet, he said, millions of people globally “can’t take part in things that we can take for granted, like being able to learn online, run a business online, shop or enjoy streaming services.”

The Federal Communications Commission first granted Amazon approval to operate the satellite constellation that enables Project Kuiper in 2020. It launched its first prototype satellites last October, which will be brought out of orbit and replaced with production satellites this year. By the end of 2024, Project Kuiper plans to begin beta testing the system.

Project Kuiper is similar to Starlink Services operated by Elon Musk’s SpaceX. Musk's satellite internet service launched in 2019 and now has more than 6,000 small satellites in low Earth orbit that provide internet service in 75 countries.