Blue Origin’s TeraWave Aims for 6 Terabit Satellite Internet
▼ Summary
– Blue Origin has announced its TeraWave satellite internet network, which promises up to 6Tbps of bandwidth available globally.
– The service is designed for enterprise customers and is not intended for direct consumer connections, even after deployments begin in late 2027.
– The network will use a multi-orbit design of 5,408 satellites, with most in low-Earth orbit and 128 in medium-Earth orbit for high-capacity links.
– Unlike competitors like Starlink, TeraWave plans to serve only about 100,000 customers, targeting enterprise, data center, and government users.
– Amazon and Starlink are also advancing in the enterprise and high-speed satellite internet sectors, with their own respective offerings and speed goals.
The race for global connectivity is intensifying, with Blue Origin’s newly announced TeraWave satellite network positioning itself as a high-capacity contender. While SpaceX’s Starlink currently dominates the market with its vast constellation, Blue Origin’s project promises a fundamentally different approach. The company claims TeraWave will deliver an unprecedented bandwidth of up to 6 terabits per second for both upload and download, available anywhere on the planet. This immense capacity is designed not for the average household, but for a select group of major clients.
A key distinction lies in the intended user base. According to former Amazon Alexa chief and current Blue Origin CEO Dave Limp, the system is “purpose-built for enterprise customers.” The company plans to serve a maximum of roughly 100,000 users, a stark contrast to the millions targeted by consumer-focused networks like Starlink. The focus will be on “tens of thousands of enterprise, data center, and government users who require reliable connectivity for critical operations.” This strategy carves out a specific niche in the burgeoning satellite internet market.
The technical architecture of TeraWave is equally ambitious. It features a “multi-orbit” design comprising 5,408 satellites that will be optically linked to each other. The majority of these satellites will reside in low-Earth orbit (LEO), beaming connectivity to ground stations at speeds up to 144 gigabits per second. A critical component of the high-speed backbone will be 128 satellites positioned in medium-Earth orbit (MEO), which are engineered to facilitate the full 6-terabit bidirectional connections that form the network’s core capability.
This enterprise-first model arrives as other players also explore premium services. Amazon’s Project Kuiper is developing its Leo Ultra antennas, promising 1-gigabit downloads for business users. Meanwhile, Starlink is working to roll out its own gigabit-tier services for consumers and businesses this year. Blue Origin’s strategy bypasses the consumer market entirely to address what it sees as an unmet need for extreme bandwidth among large organizations.
Potential customers should note the timeline, however. Satellite deployments are not scheduled to begin until near the end of 2027, meaning the service is still several years from becoming operational. Furthermore, direct consumer connection is not part of the plan; access will be funneled through the enterprise and government clients Blue Origin is courting. This focused rollout highlights the company’s bet that the most significant near-term opportunity in space-based internet lies in serving large-scale, mission-critical operations rather than individual subscribers.
(Source: The Verge)
