Amazon wants to launch 5,105 new satellites so phones can yap, text and beg for help from orbit.
According to The Verge, Amazon filed an FCC application to launch a new Leo satellite constellation that will provide direct-to-device satellite service for “voice, messaging, data, and emergency services.”
If approved, Amazon will begin deploying the new constellation in 2028. The company says it plans to partner with mobile network operators to offer direct-to-device satellite service.
That sounds a lot like Starlink’s partnership with T-Mobile, only with Amazon trying to shove itself into the signal path.
Earlier this year, Amazon announced it was acquiring Globalstar’s satellite network and taking over its deal to provide direct-to-device satellite services for the Fruity Cargo Cult Apple devices.
Amazon says its new constellation will “use Globalstar’s spectrum” and plans to “collaborate with Apple on future satellite services using the expanded network.”
That means Job’s Mob could end up leaning on Amazon’s orbital kit for future satellite features, which is the sort of dependency nobody puts in the marketing deck.
The FCC application includes a request to use spectrum assigned to Iridium’s satellite network outside the US. That lands while Rocket Lab is buying Iridium and planning to expand.
The new constellation and direct-to-device service will “complement” the broadband services Amazon plans to offer through its Leo platform.
Alongside consumer satellite service, Amazon says the system could be used for disaster response and emergency messaging. Amazon says the new direct-to-device satellites “will process the signals in orbit before relaying them to improve performance.”
The new constellation will be nearly double the size of Amazon’s first Leo constellation, which is planned to include about 3,200 satellites. As of 2 July, Amazon says “over 375” of those satellites have launched so far.
