Amazon steps up space connectivity push, taking aim at Starlink’s lead

is positioning its next phase of satellite communications to compete more directly with SpaceX’s Starlink, according to market reporting that frames the move as a Bezos-led response to Musk’s rapidly scaling constellation. The shift underscores how the space-to-ground internet race has moved beyond launches and into customer coverage, service capacity, and commercial partnerships.

In recent years Amazon has built out two related tracks: Project Kuiper, its planned constellation of low-Earth-orbit broadband satellites, and Amazon Leo, its existing low-orbit effort described by the company as a pathway to space-based connectivity. Leo currently has a relatively small number of satellites in orbit, while Starlink has already achieved a far larger operational footprint, giving it a head start in both performance and customer reach.

The competitive pressure is not just technological. Amazon is also working to make its satellite business commercially viable by attaching it to demand from airlines, telecom carriers, broadcasters, and government users. In shareholder communications referenced by the BBC, Amazon leadership said Leo already had commitments from organizations including Delta Airlines, JetBlue, AT&T, Vodafone, DIRECTV Latin America, Australia’s National Broadband Network, and NASA, with the expectation that additional satellites coming online would support expanded service.

To accelerate the pace, Amazon has taken steps that look designed to scale capacity faster than relying solely on its own satellite manufacturing and deployment timeline. The BBC reported that Amazon plans to spend about $11.57 billion on an acquisition of Globalstar, a satellite communications provider. The deal is described as a way to obtain thousands of additional satellites into low Earth orbit through Amazon’s broader Amazon Leo project, with an announced aim to deploy a next-generation satellite system in 2028.

This kind of scaling matters because Starlink’s advantage has been tied to mass deployment. Starlink, a private business within SpaceX, has been described as operating more than 10,000 active satellites and serving more than 10 million paying customers, according to the same BBC context. With Globalstar’s active constellation currently much smaller, the BBC also noted that Amazon will still need to ramp production and deployment significantly to reach a “thousands” level by 2028.

The broader picture is that Amazon’s space efforts are increasingly competitive even if the company’s headline projects are distinct. Kuiper is positioned as a large broadband initiative, while the Leo track is closer to near-term connectivity commitments and partnerships. Together, they suggest Amazon is trying to avoid a scenario where Starlink’s early scale locks in geography, contracts, and service expectations before Amazon’s systems arrive.

Amazon did not spell out in the market report cited by Yahoo Finance how quickly each system would translate into revenue, and the reporting in this thread focuses more on competitive positioning than on detailed financial forecasts. As of now, public disclosures around customer adoption for the expanded satellite capacity, timing of service upgrades, and the economics of pricing versus Starlink remain less specific than the operational milestones. Investors will likely be watching whether Amazon provides clearer service timelines and customer uptake details as deployments progress.