Amazon Has Enough Satellites To Launch Its Starlink Competitor
3 47Amazon says its Leo satellite network now has enough spacecraft in orbit to begin limited commercial internet service, with 396 satellites providing "continuous service across initial latitudes." Early performance will likely be uneven, however, and well behind Starlink. "It'll be years before Amazon can boast similar performance numbers as it continues to launch a planned 3,232 Leo satellites," reports The Verge. From the report: SpaceX went live with its "Better than nothing beta" back in 2020 when it had almost 900 satellites operating in low-Earth orbit. It initially served a narrow band of users in the upper US and Canada, who complained about frequent service interruptions and high sensitivity to obstructions, with speeds between 50Mbps and 150Mbps, and latency from 20ms to 40ms. By 2022, the service and coverage areas had already dramatically improved. [...]
SpaceX currently has over 10,000 Starlink satellites in operation, providing robust internet connectivity on land, sea, and air in over 160 countries. Performance varies by the dish, service level paid for, time of day, and location of the user, but we're now talking 200Mbps median download speeds, 10Mbps to 40Mbps uploads, and latency hovering around 25ms.
3 comments
almost right (Score: 5, Funny)
by OrangeTide ( 124937 ) on Friday July 03, 2026 @03:01AM (#66220982)
You are correct LEO != Leo, one is an acronym for low-Earth orbit. The other is the name of Amazon's satellite network. RTFA
Re:illiterate (Score: 5, Funny)
by 93 Escort Wagon ( 326346 ) on Friday July 03, 2026 @04:12AM (#66221020)
It's spelled "maroon" - just ask Bugs.
FCC License in Jeopardy (Score: 5, Informative)
by necro81 ( 917438 ) on Friday July 03, 2026 @08:31AM (#66221214)
396 satellites in orbit is commendable. It took decades for humans to put the first 396 satellites in orbit. Now we (mostly SpaceX) do thousands per year.
On the other hand, Amazon's FCC license required them to have 1616 satellites operating by July 30th, or risk losing their spectrum. Amazon has been granted an extension [google.com] because...reasons. Some of the stated reasons may be genuine, like ensuring consumers (including the US gov't or military) have a competitor to Starlink, or having a US company secure a spot in a global land rush.
But there are probably unspoken reasons, too, having to do with Bezos' extraordinary wealth and Silicon Valley's cozy relationship to the White House. I expect that if some scrappy startup were in a similar situation, their spectrum would have been revoked, so that a bigger player could snatch it up. We all need to adjust to the fact that, since Trump v Slaughter [wikipedia.org], the FCC is no longer an independent commission - every member has their job at the pleasure of the President, who can fire them at will if he doesn't get the outcome he wants.