- If granted, the license would position Amazon to offer voice calls, text messaging, and emergency connectivity to billions of potential users in areas where terrestrial cell towers remain sparse or nonexistent.
Amazon took a decisive step into the satellite broadband arena, as its newly formed Leo subsidiary filed an application with the Federal Communications Commission to deploy more than 5,100 low Earth orbit satellites capable of connecting directly to standard smartphones.
The filing, which seeks regulatory approval for a “direct-to-device” telecommunications service, targets a commercial launch by early 2028. If granted, the license would position Amazon to offer voice calls, text messaging, and emergency connectivity to billions of potential users in areas where terrestrial cell towers remain sparse or nonexistent.
“There are billions of customers around the world living in places beyond the reach of existing communications networks,” Amazon said in a statement accompanying the announcement. “The core Amazon Leo system will help bridge this divide by providing high-speed, low-latency broadband to a wide range of consumer, enterprise and government customers.”
The FCC declined to comment on the application.
The Globalstar Foundation
The Leo initiative builds directly on Amazon’s $11.6 billion acquisition of Globalstar, the mobile satellite services provider, which closed in April. That deal gave Amazon access to valuable spectrum rights — the invisible real estate over which wireless signals travel — and decades of operational expertise in satellite communications.
Since the acquisition, Amazon Leo has moved quickly to assemble a commercial foundation. The unit has signed partnership agreements with DirecTV, South Africa’s HeroTel, and Vodafone, according to the company, securing distribution channels that span multiple continents and customer segments.
Beyond consumer connectivity
While direct-to-phone service for individual users captures headlines, Amazon’s filing makes clear that the ambition extends considerably further. The company outlined a platform designed for “uninterrupted communications for disaster response, global fleet management, remote operations across worksites and supply chains, IoT connectivity for remote sensors, and emergency messaging when ground-based networks are unavailable.”
That scope maps directly onto Amazon’s existing business lines. Amazon Logistics, which moves billions of packages annually through a network that reaches from urban fulfillment centers to rural delivery routes, relies on persistent connectivity to track vehicles, optimise routes, and coordinate drivers.
AWS, the cloud computing division that remains Amazon’s profit engine, serves enterprise customers — mining operations, agricultural installations, energy producers — whose remote facilities require reliable data links.
By controlling the connectivity layer itself, Amazon could bundle satellite access with its logistics and cloud offerings, creating an integrated value proposition that no standalone telecom operator can match.
The competitive landscape
Amazon enters an increasingly crowded field. SpaceX’s Starlink has already launched more than 5,000 satellites and is actively expanding its direct-to-cell capabilities. Apple has embedded satellite emergency services into the iPhone, initially through a partnership with Globalstar — the very company Amazon now owns. AST SpaceMobile and Lynk Global are pursuing similar direct-to-device architectures.
What differentiates Amazon’s approach, analysts note, is vertical integration. SpaceX sells connectivity; Apple sells devices; Amazon sells the commercial ecosystem those connections enable. A customer brought online through Leo is simultaneously a potential Prime subscriber, an AWS user, and a participant in Amazon’s marketplace.
The path to approval is not straightforward. Spectrum allocation at the FCC involves complex negotiations among incumbent license holders, and Amazon’s application will face scrutiny on multiple fronts. Competitors may challenge the filing on technical grounds; consumer advocates may raise concentration concerns; national security reviewers will examine the implications of a major satellite network controlled by a US technology giant.
The FCC offered no immediate comment on Monday, and industry observers expect a review process that could stretch well into 2027.
The numbers at stake
The addressable market is substantial. Roughly half the global population lacks reliable internet access, according to World Bank estimates, representing not only a social challenge but a commercial opportunity measured in the hundreds of billions of dollars.
For Amazon, which generated $575 billion in revenue last year, connecting the unconnected is both a growth strategy and a defensive moat — ensuring that as more of the world comes online, it does so within Amazon’s orbit.
The 2028 target date is ambitious but consistent with Amazon’s track record of scaling physical infrastructure rapidly. The company has applied the same operational intensity to fulfillment centres, data centres, and now — potentially — to the skies themselves.