Amazon Leo: Satellite Rivalry Heats Up

Amazon's satellite internet venture, Leo, is making significant strides to rival SpaceX's Starlink. The company recently revealed plans to deploy over 300 ground-based gateway stations, a move designed to establish a robust global network for its service.

These gateway stations will form a critical part of Leo's backend infrastructure, facilitating the seamless transfer of data between its orbiting satellites and terrestrial fiber networks. This strategic deployment aims to ensure high-speed internet delivery, with projected speeds of up to 1 Gbps and latency below 50 milliseconds, catering to a wide range of consumer and enterprise users.

While Leo is still in its early stages with approximately 150 satellites, compared to Starlink's vast constellation, its ambitious plans for ground infrastructure and integration with Amazon's AWS cloud services highlight its serious intent. The service recently initiated a select beta for enterprise customers, marking a key step towards a wider public launch.