Amazon has been granted permission to place satellite ground station infrastructure in Ireland for its Project Kuiper satellite venture.

Amazon this week announced it has received regulatory approval from the Commission for Communications Regulation (ComReg) to operate a satellite earth station gateway at the National Space Centre Ltd (NSC) in Cork County, Ireland.

Amazon filed to place ground station infrastructure at the space center in Elfordstown, Midleton, over the summer as it looks to offer satellite connectivity services in Ireland.

“It’s never been more important for people to have access to high-speed, low-latency internet, and Project Kuiper will play an important role in connecting those beyond the reach of existing networks. We're proud to do our part to help connect customers and communities across the country and thankful for the support of ComReg, the Irish government, and our partners at the National Space Centre in making this possible,” said Alison Dunn, Ireland country manager at Amazon.

Elfordstown Earthstation is a ground station site in County Cork, in the south of Ireland, operated by National Space Centre Ltd. Commissioned in 1984 by Telecom Éireann (Eircom) in association with Eutelsat, it is Ireland's only and Europe's most western teleport. Today, it hosts some 33 antennas.

"National Space Centre is proud to partner with Amazon to deliver Project Kuiper in Ireland. This collaboration highlights Elfordstown's role as a hub for cutting-edge satellite communications and strengthens Ireland's position in the global space sector," said Rory Fitzpatrick, CEO of National Space Centre.

The Kuiper constellation is intended to eventually comprise 3,236 satellites, selling to consumers as well as enterprise and governments. More than 100 machines have been launched in orbit, with services due to launch this year.

To date, Amazon has signed deals for Kuiper with telecoms firms Vodafone and Vodacom, Verizon, NBN Co., and Vrio, as well as US airline JetBlue. An AWS deal with mining company Gold Fields mentioned using Kuiper for connectivity at its remote locations.

The company also recently signed a deal with Kazakhtelecom to bring Kuiper services to Kazakhstan.

"Today's announcement represents an exciting step in Ireland's growing role in the global space economy," said Taoiseach Micheál Martin. "This approval aligns perfectly with our National Digital Strategy to ensure Ireland remains a leader in technology, with high-speed connectivity in every corner of our country by 2028. We welcome this partnership between the National Space Centre and Project Kuiper and look forward to the positive impact this will have.”

Reports suggest Starlink has ground station infrastructure at the Elfordstown center as well as the Garrettstown/Ballinspittle area of Cork.

The SpaceX company has also recently filed to develop a ground station site in Killala, County Mayo.