In a significant move to bolster Japan's communication capabilities, NTT DOCOMO, NTT Communications, and SKY Perfect JSAT have announced a strategic partnership with Amazon (NASDAQ:AMZN)'s Project Kuiper. The collaboration aims to utilize low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite technology to provide advanced and resilient connectivity solutions across Japan, particularly in topographically challenging regions that are prone to natural disasters.
This partnership, revealed on Wednesday, is set to focus on creating redundant communication networks that will serve enterprises and government sectors, ensuring that economic and social activities remain uninterrupted during emergencies. The initiative is also expected to integrate various NTT Group companies as service users, which speaks to the broad scope of the collaboration.
Project Kuiper, an initiative by Amazon, is designed to address Japan's unique geographical challenges that often hinder disaster recovery efforts. By leveraging swift satellite-based connections, the project aims to enable remote areas to access broadband services without incurring extensive infrastructure costs. This paves the way for industries to harness a wide range of applications, from the Internet of Things (IoT) to remote manufacturing, and tap into AWS-powered machine learning and AI technologies.
Leaders from the partnering companies have expressed optimism about the collaboration's potential impact on Japan's societal and business advancement. Katsuhiko Kawazoe of NTT highlighted the importance of improved connectivity through IOWN technology for societal progress, while Hozumi Tamura of DOCOMO underscored a customer-centric approach that aligns with Project Kuiper's objectives. Toru Fukuoka of SKY Perfect JSAT sees the partnership as a catalyst for innovation in Japanese business.
Following a successful prototype test mission that boasted a 100% rate, AWS Japan President Tadao Nagasaki anticipates an expanded range of customer capabilities through the integration of AWS with Project Kuiper. The partners, including NTT and SKY Perfect JSAT, are looking forward to commencing the beta testing phase around late 2024.
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