Amazon Leo Files for 5,105 Satellites to Beam Calls to Phones

Amazon’s Leo unit asked the FCC to approve a constellation of up to 5,105 satellites for direct-to-device service — voice, messaging, data and emergency connectivity to ordinary smartphones with no dish and no special handset. Deployment is targeted for 2028, using spectrum from Globalstar, which Amazon agreed to acquire. That puts it against Starlink’s direct-to-cell service and AST SpaceMobile in a market whose economics are still unproven at consumer prices. The strategic read is coverage as a distribution moat: whoever owns the last mile in places terrestrial networks skip also owns the default device relationship there.