Amazon plans to deploy more than 5,000 satellites for new telecom service

Amazon wants to build a telecommunications platform that would put thousands of satellites in space to offer voice, messaging, emergency and other services in connectivity-starved areas.

The retailer’s Leo subsidiary said Monday that it has filed an application with the Federal Communications Commission to launch a “direct-to-device” telecom service comprising more than 5,100 low Earth orbit satellites. 

“There are billions of customers around the world living in places beyond the reach of existing communications networks,” Amazon said in a statement. “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.”

If approved by telecom regulators, the network would launch in early 2028, according to the company. The FCC did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Amazon Leo’s application.  

Leo follows Amazon’s April acquisition of Globalstar, a leading mobile satellite services provider, in an $11.6 billion deal. Amazon Leo has since partnered with telecom operators including DirecTV, HeroTel and Vodafone, according to the unit.

“In addition to personal use, the D2D service will enable capabilities like 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,” Amazon said in its announcement on Monday.