The grip of Starlink — the satellite network pioneered by Elon Musk’s SpaceX and now the dominant internet provider on Great Barrier Island — may soon be challenged.
Amazon’s competing service, Project Kuiper, has announced its first major commercial agreement: a deal with Australia’s state-owned National Broadband Network (NBN) to provide satellite broadband to 300,000 rural homes from mid-2026. Starlink, already fully operational and widely adopted in Australia, was shelved in favour of the not-yet-live Kuiper — a move some speculate was a political snub by Australia’s government.
Project Kuiper has just 78 of its planned 3,200 low Earth orbit satellites launched. But Amazon is laying foundations in New Zealand. It has secured eight satellite transmission licences, received Overseas Investment Office approval to build a ground station, and established a regional unit headed by former NBN executive Joe Lathan. Lathan is expected to arrive in New Zealand in September for briefings with government officials and telco partners.
Kuiper will operate much like Starlink, offering high-speed satellite broadband through rooftop dishes. A direct-to-mobile offering is also in development, although no partnerships have been confirmed.
On Great Barrier Island, Starlink’s $79/month plan rapidly displaced Spark and other traditional broadband providers. Spark had relied on a wireless relay between Tryphena and the Coromandel, which collapsed under evening demand, leaving connections unusable. Once Starlink became available, most households switched. Chorus has confirmed plans to decommission the island’s copper lines, in the coming years.
Starlink currently operates over 8,000 satellites, delivering typical rural speeds of 100–200 Mbps down and 15–30 Mbps up. It has already signed a mobile satellite partnership with One NZ, and Spark is expected to follow in 2026.
Despite near-universal uptake on the island, some locals remain holdouts — uncomfortable with Musk’s political views or resentful of relying on him for basic digital services. For those people, Kuiper may represent more than just competition — it may be an ideological alternative.
