Amazon seeks FCC license for 5,105-satellite mobile network competing with SpaceX

Amazon filed an application with the Federal Communications Commission for a license to operate a new network of 5,105 satellites that would provide service to mobile phones, with plans to start launching them in 2028, TechCrunch reported. The filing comes several months after Amazon acquired the satellite operations of Globalstar, which provides emergency connectivity to Apple iPhones and Internet-of-Things devices. TechCrunch said the filing revealed plans to use Globalstar's radio spectrum to expand those offerings and integrate them with Leo, Amazon's broadband internet satellite network. That sets up more competition with SpaceX, which has dominated satellite internet and satellite-to-mobile services. TechCrunch reported SpaceX will spend $20 billion buying spectrum from EchoStar to build out its mobile constellation, one of the key growth strategies described in its IPO filings. The outlet noted most satellite-to-mobile links still offer limited bandwidth suited mainly to text or emergencies. T-Mobile's CEO, whose customers use SpaceX satellites for connectivity, said this spring that satellite usage was 0.0002% of total network usage in May and largely focused on national parks. Amazon lacks its own rockets and had planned to rely on Blue Origin's New Glenn, which TechCrunch said has been delayed and is grounded after a May anomaly that destroyed its launch pad, prompting Amazon to seek an FCC build-out extension. TechCrunch said Amazon had $255 billion in current assets as of the end of April.