Amazon has accelerated its push into satellite communications, launching a preview program for enterprise customers as it rebrands its long-delayed Project Kuiper network under a new name: Amazon Leo. The move underscores the company's shift from years of planning to actual deployment, as it races to narrow the gap with SpaceX's Starlink in the fast-growing market for low-Earth-orbit (LEO) connectivity.
According to Bloomberg and CNBC, Amazon officially retired the Project Kuiper name this month and began shipping antennas and user terminals to selected corporate partners, including Hunt Energy Network and Vanu Inc. The company also launched a new website emphasizing the network's LEO positioning and commercial ambitions.
Amazon said the enterprise preview is designed to gather real-world feedback and refine products ahead of a broader commercial rollout targeted for 2026.
The company first announced plans six years ago to deploy a constellation of 3,236 LEO satellites to deliver high-speed, low-latency internet to businesses, governments, and consumers alike. But repeated delays have left Amazon far behind Starlink, which now operates nearly 9,000 satellites. Amazon, by contrast, will not begin launching production satellites until April 2025 and currently has fewer than 200 in orbit. Another batch is scheduled to lift off in December 2025 aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket in an effort to speed deployment.
As part of the preview program, Amazon unveiled Leo Ultra, a new commercial phased-array antenna powered by custom in-house chips. The terminal supports download speeds of 1 gigabit per second and upload speeds of 400 megabits per second, and is built for higher durability and weather resistance. Amazon says it is the fastest mass-produced phased-array antenna available today. The company is also sending its larger Leo Pro terminal to enterprise customers.
Early partners include JetBlue Airways, L3Harris, and Australia's NBN, signaling rising commercial interest in Amazon's LEO offering.
The company is strengthening its broader space portfolio at the same time. Blue Origin—another company founded by Jeff Bezos—recently completed the first successful recovery of a New Glenn booster, a milestone seen as essential for eventually competing with SpaceX's Falcon 9. As Amazon brings more satellites online, the company plans to expand its enterprise preview to additional customers.
Pricing and a consumer launch timeline, however, remain undisclosed.
Analysts say that if Amazon Leo scales as planned, it could become the most formidable challenger yet to Starlink's global dominance, intensifying competition in the LEO broadband market across technology, coverage, and service offerings.
Article edited by Jerry Chen
