Amazon's satellite subsidiary, Amazon Leo, has applied to the US Federal Communications Commission for permission to launch up to 5,105 satellites as part of its direct-to-mobile service. The plan would allow smartphones and other mobile devices to connect directly to satellites for voice, messaging, data and emergency services when outside the range of conventional cell towers, deepening Amazon's rivalry with SpaceX in the low Earth orbit satellite market.

Amazon Leo, founded in 2019, has so far deployed more than 390 satellites for its first-generation broadband network and intends to begin rolling out this new constellation in 2028, with a "fixed service" launching later this year. It has already lined up telecom partners including Vodafone, DirecTV, Herotel and Australia's National Broadband Network. The move sets up direct competition with SpaceX, which has separately asked the FCC to approve a constellation of up to a million satellites; Amazon has urged regulators to reject that bid, prompting FCC chair Brendan Carr to suggest Amazon focus on its own efforts instead.