Amazon is preparing to take its rivalry with SpaceX into a new market after applying for permission to deploy more than 5,100 satellites that will connect directly to mobile phones, signaling one of the biggest bets yet on satellite-based cellular services.
The company has filed an application with the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) seeking approval to operate a constellation of 5,105 satellites that would provide direct connectivity to smartphones. Amazon plans to begin launching the satellites in 2028.
The filing marks a major expansion of Amazon’s space ambitions beyond broadband internet. It also reveals how the company intends to use radio spectrum acquired through its recent purchase of Globalstar’s satellite operations to deliver mobile connectivity alongside Project Kuiper, Amazon’s low-Earth orbit (LEO) broadband network.
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The move intensifies competition with Elon Musk’s SpaceX, which currently dominates both satellite broadband and the emerging direct-to-mobile communications market through its Starlink network. SpaceX has also announced plans to spend billions of dollars expanding its satellite-to-phone services using additional wireless spectrum.
