Amazon files FCC application for global 5,105-satellite direct-to-device network, targeting 2028 deployment
The direct-to-device satellite segment is drawing its second major infrastructure bet in a single year. Amazon filed an FCC application on Saturday for a new low-earth orbit constellation that would carry voice, messaging, data,…
HONG KONG— July 27, 2026
The direct-to-device satellite segment is drawing its second major infrastructure bet in a single year. Amazon filed an FCC application on Saturday for a new low-earth orbit constellation that would carry voice, messaging, data, and emergency services directly to handsets without terrestrial coverage, with deployment slated to begin in 2028 pending regulatory approval. The filing describes a fleet of 5,105 satellites.
What the FCC application covers
Amazon's filing requests authority to build and operate the constellation as a direct-to-device service. The company says it plans to partner with mobile network operators rather than go to market directly with consumers, positioning itself as a wholesale infrastructure provider in the coverage-extension layer. Emergency services are named explicitly among the intended capabilities. The model follows the structure SpaceX's Starlink division has already established through its partnership with T-Mobile.
The Globalstar acquisition in context
The FCC filing arrives alongside a separate move announced earlier this year: Amazon is acquiring Globalstar's satellite network and assuming Globalstar's existing contract to deliver direct-to-device connectivity for Apple devices. Two deals in a short span point to Amazon accumulating satellite assets across different orbital positions and spectrum bands rather than concentrating resources on a single constellation. The Globalstar deal brought an established commercial anchor in Apple.
Read-through for mobile operators and the regulatory path
Satellite-to-phone coverage is reshaping the cost calculus for terrestrial carriers. Amazon's operator-partnership model means mobile network operators become distribution channels for the service, a structure that limits Amazon's direct retail exposure while tying its revenue to commercial agreements with incumbents. That framework mirrors the Starlink and T-Mobile arrangement closely enough to suggest the mobile industry has converged on a preferred template for these deals.
The 2028 deployment start, however, depends on FCC approval. How regulators weigh spectrum coordination across a 5,105-satellite fleet against existing geostationary and low-earth orbit allocations will be the deciding variable for whether the timeline holds.
Related reading
Source · 來源