Amazon Wants To Deploy 5,105 Satellites For Its Direct-To-Mobile Service

While SpaceX already has thousands of satellites in Earth’s orbit, Amazon is eager to advance its plans to establish its own satellite constellation. Amazon Leo, a subsidiary of the tech giant founded in 2019, filed an application with the Federal Communications Commission to launch up to 5,105 satellites as part of its plans to bring direct service to mobile devices.

As indicated in a press release, Amazon Leo plans to start deploying its constellation of low Earth orbit satellites in 2028. Its application with the FCC seeks to create a satellite network that provides voice, messaging, data and emergency services connection to smartphones and other mobile devices that are out of range of traditional cell tower connections. While Amazon Leo is seeking to launch thousands of satellites into space, its current track record includes more than 390 satellites deployed as part of its first-generation broadband satellites. The company said it will begin rolling out “fixed service” later this year and has already secured partnerships with several telecom operators, including Vodafone, DirecTV, Herotel, and Australia’s National Broadband Network.

Amazon Leo will be directly competing against SpaceX, which has filed its own application with the FCC requesting to launch a constellation of a million satellites earlier this year. The two tech giants have already clashed on this topic, with Amazon requesting the FCC deny SpaceX’s application and calling it a “lofty ambition rather than a real plan.” However, the FCC’s chair, Brendan Carr, responded on X that Amazon should focus on its own satellite efforts instead of filing petitions against other companies.