AMAZON TARGETS MID-2026 LAUNCH FOR SATELLITE INTERNET

Amazon CEO Andy Jassy revealed in his annual shareholder letter that the company's satellite-based internet service, Leo, will enter service by mid-2026. The service will offer download speeds up to 1 Gbps, exceeding current Starlink offerings. Amazon provided limited details about what the initial service deployment will include. Select partners have already begun testing Leo's capabilities, though the company has not disclosed the scope or results of these trials. The Leo service represents Amazon's entry into the satellite internet market, where SpaceX's Starlink currently dominates. Starlink has deployed thousands of satellites and serves customers across multiple continents, giving it a significant first-mover advantage. The promised 1 Gbps download speeds would represent a substantial improvement over typical satellite internet performance. Starlink currently advertises speeds ranging from 25-220 Mbps for residential service, making Amazon's target notably ambitious. Amazon has Federal Communications Commission approval to launch 3,236 satellites as part of its Project Kuiper constellation, the technical name for the Leo initiative. The company must deploy half of these satellites by 2026 to maintain its FCC license, aligning with Jassy's mid-2026 service target. The announcement comes as Amazon continues expanding beyond its core e-commerce business into infrastructure and services. The company already operates Amazon Web Services, the world's largest cloud computing platform, and sees satellite internet as a complementary offering. The mid-2026 timeline gives Amazon approximately two years to complete satellite deployment, establish ground infrastructure, and finalize customer service operations. The company has not announced pricing, coverage areas, or specific service tiers for Leo.