Until recently, losing coverage meant being left off the grid until you found another terrestrial antenna. That logic is beginning to break down: low-orbit satellites can now communicate directly with certain mobile phones and maintain basic services where conventional infrastructure does not reach or stops working. We are not yet talking about replacing the networks we use every day, but rather extending them beyond their limits. In that race, Starlink already provides service and Amazon has outlined a large-scale plan to try to achieve it.
Amazon’s plan. The company has requested to the United States Federal Communications Commission authorization to deploy up to 5,105 satellites in low orbit. The future network, called Amazon Leo Direct-to-Device, would be designed to communicate with compatible mobile phones and Internet of Things devices using spectrum bands assigned to Globalstar. Amazon plans to begin deployment in 2028, so we are still talking about a proposal subject to approval. Its objective covers voice, data, messaging, connected vehicles and remote operations outside the reach of conventional networks.
It is not the same broadband constellation. Surely you are wondering if those 5,105 satellites will be limited to reinforcing the network that Amazon is already deploying. The answer is no. The D2D system would work alongside that constellation, but would have a different mission: to connect directly with compatible mobile phones, while the current broadband service requires specific terminals such as Leo Nano, Leo Pro or Leo Ultra. Amazon already has more than 390 satellites of this first network in orbit and hopes to begin providing fixed service during 2026.
A network in five layers. The project distributes the constellation at 510, 540, 560, 570 and 580 kilometers in height to extend coverage across mid, high latitudes and near the poles. Communication with the devices will use the L and S bands, while the links with the ground will operate through Ka and V. The design foresees that each satellite incorporates signal processing, optical connections and digital beams. Amazon estimates a useful life of six to eight years before lowering them up to 360 kilometers to complete their natural retreat.
The key was in Globalstar. Amazon does not intend to build this new network completely from scratch. In April it agreed to acquire the satellite operator for about 11.6 billion dollars, an operation that it hopes to complete in 2027 and that includes authorized spectrum, infrastructure and the HIBLEO and C-3 constellations. These assets would work in coordination with Amazon Leo systems. Globalstar also has a long-term agreement with Apple, which uses its satellites for services available on select iPhone and Apple Watch models, from messaging to roadside assistance.
It’s already happening. forest fires near Madrid they offered a concrete example of this technology. Starlink confirmed that it provided Free SMS connectivity to MasOrange and Movistar customers located in the affected areas, as long as they used compatible LTE smartphones. Phones could automatically connect to Starlink Mobile when the ground network was unavailable, although the service worked best with a clear view of the sky. Movistar, Orange and Vodafone also reported the activation of emergency satellite connectivity to help maintain communications.
Starlink starts with advantage. By the end of 2025, its direct connection service to mobile phones had already reached 22 countries and six continents, according to Teslarati. The publication placed the network at over 650 satellites, with 27 associated operators and more than six million monthly customers. Faced with this deployment, Amazon plans to start its own in 2028, as long as it obtains the necessary authorizations. What we have before us, therefore, is not only a race to deploy more satellites, but to extend mobile coverage beyond terrestrial antennas.
Images | amazon
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