Amazon, Vrio to launch satellite internet in South America, competing with Starlink

Amazon and telecommunications firm Vrio will jointly launch a satellite internet service in seven South American countries, the two parties said on Thursday, putting them in direct competition with Elon Musk's Starlink.Vrio, the U.S. firm that manages the Latin American branch of DirecTV as well as Sky Brasil, will offer the service to customers in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Uruguay, Peru, Ecuador and Colombia.

"We think the opportunity is huge," Lucas Werthein, vice president of Vrio, told Reuters.

Amazon's Project Kuiper, started by a former Starlink employee, will provide internet using satellites in what is known as low Earth orbit.

"Around 200 million people in the region have poor, little or no internet access," Werthein said, citing World Bank estimates. "Add to that the geographical terrain, and, of course, a continent that has challenges in making large infrastructure investments."
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