Amazon Web Services launches satellite business
Customers’ complaints about high costs and complexity of using satellites for connectivity prompt start of AWS Ground Station
Technology firm Amazon Web Services (AWS) has launched a satellite service to help its customers download and upload data faster and cheaper. Billions of people across the world rely on satellites for a variety of applications, including weather forecasting and communications. Thousands of satellites are orbiting Earth collecting data. However, it is expensive for AWS’s customers as they have to build or lease ground antennas to communicate with the satellites, says AWS. AWS, a unit of online retailer Amazon, offers specialised technology platforms that allow customers to store data in the cloud and build software applications. Speaking at the AWS re:Invent conference in Las Vegas on Tuesday, AWS CEO Andy Jassy said most AWS customers have complained about the high costs and complexity of using satellites, hence the decision to launch the business. It will allow customers to save up to 80% of their ground station costs by paying for antenna access time on demand. They can rely on AW...
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