Amazon Files for 5,105-Satellite Direct-to-Device Network
28 Jul 2026
Amazon has filed an application with the FCC to launch a new low-Earth-orbit (Leo) satellite constellation of 5,105 satellites, aimed at providing direct-to-device connectivity for voice, messaging, data, and emergency services. The company says it plans to begin deploying the new constellation in 2028, pending regulatory approval — a filing first reported by TechCrunch on July 27, 2026.
What's in the filing
The new constellation would sit alongside Amazon's existing Leo satellite program, which is planned to include roughly 3,200 satellites. As of July 2, Amazon says it has already launched over 375 satellites from that initial build-out.
The FCC application also includes a request to use spectrum assigned to Iridium's satellite network outside the US — a notable ask given that Rocket Lab is separately in the process of acquiring Iridium.
Amazon has paired the filing with an announcement that it is acquiring Globalstar's satellite network, taking over Globalstar's existing deal to provide direct-to-device satellite service for Apple devices. Amazon says it plans to collaborate with Apple on future satellite services using the expanded network, and separately intends to partner with mobile network operators to bring direct-to-device service to their customers.
The competitive backdrop
Amazon is entering a market where SpaceX's Starlink already dominates both satellite internet and satellite-to-mobile services, including an existing partnership with T-Mobile for direct-to-device connectivity. SpaceX has also committed $20 billion to buying spectrum from EchoStar to build out its own mobile constellation, underscoring the scale of investment competitors are putting behind this category.
Meanwhile, actual usage of satellite connectivity remains small. T-Mobile CEO Srini Gopalan said in May that satellite usage represented just 0.0002% of the carrier's total network usage — a figure that raises questions about near-term consumer demand for the category Amazon is now doubling down on.
A key dependency: Blue Origin
Amazon does not operate its own rocket fleet and has depended on Blue Origin's New Glenn rocket to launch its satellites. New Glenn was grounded in May after an anomaly destroyed its launch pad, and Amazon has since requested an extension to the deadline imposed by its FCC license — a sign, per the filing, of potential delays in building out its network. The report does not specify how the New Glenn setback will affect the 2028 target for the new 5,105-satellite constellation.
On the balance sheet side, Amazon has $255 billion in current assets as of the end of April, giving it substantial financial capacity to absorb delays and fund the buildout — though the total cost of the new satellite program has not been disclosed.
Open questions
Several details remain unresolved in the current filing and disclosures:
- The total cost or budget for the new constellation hasn't been specified.
- It's unclear when or whether the FCC will approve the application, including the Iridium spectrum request.
- Terms and financial value of the Globalstar acquisition haven't been disclosed.
- How the Apple collaboration will differ from the prior Globalstar-Apple arrangement is not yet clear.
- No pricing or consumer availability timeline has been given for the direct-to-device service.
Why founders should care
- Infrastructure spillover is likely. The scale of this deployment — over 8,000 satellites across Amazon's two constellations combined — suggests growing capital investment in direct-to-device connectivity, which could plausibly create downstream opportunities for startups building software, hardware, or IoT products that rely on satellite connectivity.
- Single-vendor dependency is a cautionary tale. Amazon's reliance on Blue Origin as its sole launch partner, now delayed by a grounded rocket, is a reminder for founders in aerospace-adjacent or infrastructure-dependent markets to weigh the risks of relying on one critical supplier.
- The market looks increasingly contested, not increasingly proven. With Amazon, SpaceX, and Rocket Lab/Iridium all racing to build competing constellations, the direct-to-device category may be maturing faster on the supply side than on the demand side — Amazon's own filing arrives alongside data showing satellite usage at a fraction of a percent of total network traffic, suggesting near-term commercial demand is still unproven.
- Timing matters more than headlines. Founders eyeing this space should probably treat 2028 as a soft target rather than a certainty, given Amazon's own request for an FCC deadline extension and the unresolved rocket-supply issues at Blue Origin.