Amazon asked the FCC on Saturday to approve as many as 5,105 satellites to carry direct-to-device traffic, the kind that reaches phones and other hardware without routing through cell towers. The network would pair Amazon’s own infrastructure with the satellites and spectrum of Globalstar, the operator Amazon agreed in April to buy for roughly $11.6 billion, a deal it expects to wrap in 2027 before deployment starts the following year. Amazon’s filing pitches coverage for people existing carriers leave out, plus search and rescue work and connectivity for remote worksites, fleets, and supply chains. SpaceX is well ahead, selling direct-to-cell through T-Mobile and buying EchoStar spectrum for its Starlink Mobile service, while Amazon’s Leo constellation sits above 390 satellites against an FCC requirement to launch 3,232 by July 2029.
