- Amazon Leo wants to deploy up to 5,105 D2D satellites using Globalstar’s spectrum
- Leo says its D2D system will use laser links to route traffic across the constellation
- Amazon is positioning Leo as a partner-friendly alternative as Starlink Mobile stirs up the U.S. wireless market
Amazon Leo wants to deploy up to 5,105 new satellites using Globalstar’s spectrum as part of its upcoming direct-to-device (D2D) satellite cell phone service.
The company on July 24 filed an application with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) saying it intends to support Globalstar’s existing D2D offerings in the 1.6 and 2.4 GHz bands. That service provides millions of Apple device users with emergency messaging.
However, it wants to go way beyond that to offer voice, data and IoT, with plans to distribute its D2D satellites across five orbital shells, each optimized to reach different parts of the planet. Amazon said the Leo D2D system can serve large parts of the world where mobile phones serve as the primary means of internet connection, giving customers greater speed and throughput.
Amazon Leo and Globalstar
Amazon Leo’s D2D service is entirely dependent on Amazon’s $11.57 billion acquisition of Globalstar, which is expected to close in 2027. Through that deal, Amazon is getting access to Globalstar’s existing satellite operations, infrastructure and assets, including mobile satellite services (MSS) spectrum licenses with global authorizations.
The plan is for the D2D system to operate alongside Leo’s first and second-generation satellite broadband systems – as well as Globalstar’s HIBLEO and C-3 satellite constellations – extending Leo satellite connectivity directly to compatible mobile devices.
Amazon Leo’s laser links
In a press release, Amazon described how the D2D network will operate.
Notably, it said that unlike conventional satellites that relay signals to the ground (known in the industry as “bent pipe” satellites), Leo’s D2D satellites will process the signals in orbit before relaying them to improve performance.
In addition, “Leo’s D2D satellites will be equipped with optical inter-satellite links – laser connections between the satellites in orbit – to support intelligent traffic routing across the constellation,” the company said.
Partnerships with telcos
Amazon Leo also stressed that it’s “built for partnership” and it’s already announced deals with telecom operators like Vodafone, DirecTV, Herotel and Australia’s National Broadband Network. It plans to continue working with mobile network operators and others.
“The Leo D2D System will complement existing mobile networks, filling coverage gaps where terrestrial deployment is impractical, cost-prohibitive or vulnerable to disruption,” Amazon Leo stated.
That should be music to the ears of U.S. mobile network operators that have been pummeled by reports about how Elon Musk intends to further entrench Starlink Mobile into the U.S. wireless landscape and become a head-to-head competitor with AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon.
The CEOs of the Big 3 wireless operators all talked about D2D and satellite connectivity during their earnings calls last week as speculation is at an all-time high as to what Starlink will do to upend the mobile phone industry.
AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon announced in May that they intended to form a joint venture that would pool their spectrum resources and foster D2D competition. Amazon Leo, AST SpaceMobile and other up-and-coming D2D services are among the partners expected to participate in that JV.
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