Overview
- Amazon has formally applied to the U.S. Federal Communications Commission to operate a Leo Direct‑to‑Device service that would link phones and other mobile devices directly to low Earth orbit satellites.
- The proposed D2D constellation would include up to 5,105 satellites and Amazon says the system is designed to reach compatible smartphones, including models with built‑in satellite chipsets.
- Amazon cites its April agreement to acquire Globalstar as a way to import existing D2D technology and device compatibility; Apple holds about a 20 percent stake in Globalstar.
- The company reports 396 Leo satellites already in orbit and says it has contractually secured over 100 launches from multiple providers to meet build‑out needs.
- The FCC has eased an intermediate deployment milestone to July 2028 while keeping a full‑build deadline of July 2029, leaving regulatory approval, launch cadence, spectrum sharing, and environmental concerns as the main hurdles before service rollout.