Amazon Leo seeks FCC approval to provide mobile services from space

Amazon has asked the FCC for permission to launch a 5,000-satellite low-Earth-orbit network that would deliver mobile services directly to smartphones and other devices from space. The plan heightens competition with SpaceX’s Starlink and overlaps with efforts by AST SpaceMobile and Globalstar in direct-to-device satellite communications. Amazon says the network could enable messaging, data and emergency services in areas without cell coverage, while its broader Amazon Leo broadband constellation is expected to begin service by year-end, though launches have been delayed. The move is strategically important because it expands Amazon’s addressable connectivity market and could strengthen its satellite ecosystem through partnerships with telecoms and Apple, but it also faces regulatory approval risk and execution delays.