Amazon Leo Submits Licence Application to Launch Satellite Internet Service in Kenya

Amazon’s local subsidiary, Kuiper Kenya, has applied to the Communications Authority of Kenya for regulatory approval to launch Amazon Leo, the company’s low Earth orbit satellite internet service, in Kenya. According to an official government gazette notice, Amazon Kuiper Kenya Limited filed an application for a Network Facilities Provider (NFP) Tier 2 licence, the same licence category under which Starlink operates in Kenya. If approved, the licence would allow Kuiper Kenya to establish and operate communications infrastructure in the country, including satellite network facilities, and position Amazon to directly offer broadband connectivity services in the Kenyan market.

The application signals that Kenya is emerging as one of Amazon’s early strategic entry points into Africa as Project Kuiper moves toward commercial deployment globally. Amazon plans to deploy a constellation of more than 3,200 satellites by 2028, in a bid to compete in the rapidly expanding low Earth orbit broadband segment currently led by Starlink.

The filing also builds on Amazon’s earlier market engagement in Kenya. In February, representatives from Amazon Leo, led by Farouk Shamas Jiwa, Senior Manager for International Public Policy, Global Affairs & Legal at Amazon, paid a courtesy visit to John Kipchumba Tanui, Principal Secretary in the State Department for ICT and the Digital Economy, to discuss how low Earth orbit satellite technology could support universal broadband access, particularly in unserved and underserved communities.

Kenya’s Evolving Satellite Connectivity Landscape

For Kenya, Amazon’s arrival would introduce a second major global LEO broadband operator into the market, intensifying competition in a sector already beginning to reshape the country’s connectivity landscape. Amazon Leo is expected to offer broadband speeds of up to 400 Mbps, rivalring Starlink’s standard speeds of ~150 Mbps. Like Starlink, Amazon is expected to distribute customer terminal kits that will allow users to connect directly to its satellite network.

However, Kuiper’s commercial success in Kenya will likely depend not only on performance, but also on pricing strategy. Starlink has gained traction in the country partly through flexible market-facing models, including installment payment plans and hardware rentals that lower the upfront cost of adoption in a price-sensitive market. As of December 2025, Starlink had grown to become Kenya’s eighth-largest internet service provider, with more than 22,000 subscribers, demonstrating rising consumer appetite for satellite broadband connectivity.

If the licence is granted, Kenya would become one of the first African markets to formally authorise Project Kuiper’s operations, alongside Nigeria, where Amazon recently secured landing rights for a seven year duration.