Amazon Leo Ultra targets gigabit satellite internet with direct connections to AWS

Amazon puts enterprise satellite internet into preview

Amazon has begun shipping Leo Ultra and Leo Pro satellite terminals to selected businesses, opening an enterprise preview of the network formerly known as Project Kuiper. As of November 27, 2025, the company has launched 153 production satellites and is preparing a broader commercial rollout in 2026, while facing a requirement to deploy roughly half of its planned 3,236 satellites by the middle of that year.

Leo Ultra is the flagship device for the renamed Amazon Leo network. Designed for permanent installations, it supports download speeds of up to 1 gigabit per second and uploads of up to 400 megabits per second. Amazon is combining that capacity with connections directly into Amazon Web Services (AWS) and private company networks, allowing remote operations to send data to their destinations without crossing the public internet.

Amazon is initially focusing on businesses and government customers that need dependable connections in places where conventional networks are difficult to build or maintain. Energy fields, mines, farms, logistics hubs and aircraft are among the intended settings for the wider network. The terminal portfolio includes different sizes for fixed sites, mobile platforms and compact installations.

Early preview participants include JetBlue, Vanu Inc., Hunt Energy Network, Connected Farms and Crane Worldwide Logistics. Their needs help explain the emphasis on uploads as well as downloads: a remote operation may need to send video, sensor readings or operational records to a central system while receiving instructions and other data.

Amazon's immediate task is to connect those customers while expanding both its satellite fleet and ground infrastructure. Initial deployments are beginning in 2025, with wider commercial availability expected during 2026 as coverage and capacity grow. The preview gives selected enterprises access before that broader expansion.

What makes Leo Ultra different?

Leo Ultra is a flat phased array antenna measuring roughly 20 inches by 30 inches, with a chassis about 1.9 inches deep. It mounts outdoors on poles or building fixtures and is intended for fixed locations that need high capacity and low delay.

The antenna has no moving parts. Instead of mechanically turning to follow satellites, a phased array directs its radio signals electronically. Amazon's design aims to reduce maintenance, acquire satellite connections faster and maintain steadier links as weather conditions change.

Heat, cold, rain and strong winds are among the conditions the terminal is designed to withstand. Its resistance to snow, temperature swings and prolonged wind exposure also matters at remote sites where technicians may have few opportunities to visit or carry out repairs.

A custom chip designed by Amazon operates a full duplex phased array. Full duplex means the terminal can transmit and receive at the same time. That is useful for two way video, industrial control and cloud synchronization, where a site needs to send information while also receiving it.

Amazon combines its chip with a proprietary radio frequency design and signal processing system. Those elements manage the radio connection to improve throughput and latency while keeping power requirements manageable for outdoor installations. Throughput is the amount of data a connection carries; latency is the delay before information reaches its destination.

Amazon, the company developing the network and terminal, describes Leo Ultra's position among commercially produced antennas in these terms:

the fastest commercial phased array antenna in production.

The company is also packaging advanced encryption, network management tools and priority support available around the clock with its enterprise service. Those features address the needs of industrial and public sector customers operating in remote or contested terrain, where both access and communications can be difficult.

How fast is the connection?

Leo Ultra's stated service capabilities are up to 1 gigabit per second for downloads and up to 400 megabits per second for uploads. Amazon's internal testing has reached higher peaks, with downloads reported at up to 1.8 gigabits per second and uploads around 450 megabits per second under ideal conditions.

Customers' actual speeds will vary with satellite capacity, radio link conditions and network congestion. A terminal's maximum rate is only one part of the connection: the satellites and the rest of the network also need enough capacity to carry the traffic.

The 400 megabit upload capability is especially relevant for operations that produce large amounts of information away from established communications networks. Video monitoring, cloud analytics and computer vision systems can require substantial transfers from a remote site to a central computing system. Computer vision uses software to examine images or video.

Low Earth orbit satellites travel closer to the planet than traditional geostationary satellites. The shorter distance reduces the time signals spend travelling, bringing round trip delays into the tens of milliseconds in many cases. That level of delay is suitable for voice calls, video conferencing, interactive control and applications connected to cloud services.

Leo Ultra's ability to send and receive simultaneously is intended to support heavy uploads alongside large downloads without waiting for the terminal to switch between those roles. Amazon pairs that design with an emphasis on link stability and network management for critical operations.

Three terminals for different locations

Leo Ultra sits at the top of a lineup that also includes Leo Pro and Leo Nano. The three devices give Amazon options for customers whose needs differ in available space, mobility, power requirements and data volume.

Leo Pro is the smaller primary terminal, aimed at portable installations or mounting on vehicles, with speeds rated at up to 400 megabits per second. Leo Nano is a compact unit measuring seven inches square, rated at up to 100 megabits per second for locations where space is limited and bandwidth needs are lower.

Amazon uses different antenna layouts to achieve those sizes. Pro and Nano overlay their transmit and receive arrays. Ultra places those arrays side by side to support full duplex operation at higher sustained rates.

Ultra and Pro are shipping to selected preview customers. Nano is slated to follow for deployments that give greater priority to size and power than to peak throughput. Amazon's broader network ambitions include mobile settings such as aircraft and ships, while Ultra itself is designed for permanent installations at fixed sites.

Sending remote data directly into AWS

Amazon Leo's Direct to AWS service, also called D2A, routes satellite traffic directly into cloud workloads without passing through the public internet. For companies already using AWS, that creates a connection between remote equipment and the computing systems that store or process its data.

A pipeline operator could stream sensor readings into AWS, a rural construction site could transmit video, or a ship at sea could synchronize databases with a virtual private cloud. A virtual private cloud is a logically separated network within a cloud service where an organization runs its systems.

The Amazon Leo console supports point and click integration with AWS Transit Gateway and AWS Direct Connect Gateway. Those services help connect networks, allowing technology teams to attach satellite locations to their existing AWS arrangements using familiar tools.

Direct routing is intended to reduce the number of steps between a remote asset and its cloud workload. It also gives businesses a way to handle satellite traffic within the routing, security and monitoring arrangements they already use, rather than managing the remote connection as an isolated system.

Amazon's approach is particularly relevant to customers that rely on AWS for data processing. A strong upload connection can move information from equipment in the field into analytics or monitoring systems, while the private route determines how that information reaches its destination.

Private connections beyond the cloud

Amazon also offers Private Network Interconnect for enterprises and telecommunications providers that need remote locations connected to their own data centers. This option uses large colocation facilities, where organizations can connect their equipment and networks, to provide a route into private infrastructure.

The service can compress deployment times from weeks or months to days. For operators with compliance or performance requirements that call for data to remain on private infrastructure, it provides a connection between field sites and core networks without relying on the open internet.

Direct to AWS and Private Network Interconnect allow businesses to treat satellite links as extensions of their internal networks. Teams can apply the routing arrangements, security policies and monitoring they already use in cloud environments and data centers.

Regulated workloads, live machine telemetry, broadcast contribution and emergency response are among the uses for those controls. Telemetry means measurements sent from equipment to another location; broadcast contribution means sending video or audio from its origin into a broadcasting system. In each case, traffic flow, delay and privacy can be tightly managed.

Amazon's enterprise tools also let organizations monitor the health of a connection, shape traffic and enforce policies. Combined with encryption and support available around the clock, those controls are part of the company's effort to make satellite access fit established business operations.

Why airlines, farms and energy companies are early customers

JetBlue's participation reflects airlines' demand for more consistent bandwidth for Wi Fi during flights. Energy companies need resilient communications links for remote wellheads, batteries and pipelines. Those links provide backhaul, the connection that carries traffic from a local site into a larger network.

Farms and mining operations need sensor connections and video monitoring far from fiber networks. Logistics companies seek connectivity across ports, depots and routes that cross national borders. Leo Ultra's upload capacity is aimed at moving substantial amounts of data into cloud analytics, computer vision and remote control systems.

Amazon's additional alliances include NBN Co in Australia, Verizon, Vodafone, Vodacom, L3Harris, NTT, SKY Perfect JSAT, DIRECTV Latin America and Sky Brasil. The group spans national broadband providers, major telecommunications companies, and defense and aerospace businesses.

The mix points to an initial commercial focus on valuable, widely distributed operations rather than mass consumer broadband. Satellite connections can be useful where fiber or microwave links are difficult to construct or maintain, while the private networking options address how enterprises want their remote sites connected.

A growing constellation faces a deadline

Amazon has launched 153 production satellites, taking its fleet beyond 150 as it moves from test payloads into network construction. Thousands more are planned to achieve global coverage. Each additional group of satellites is expected to extend coverage and add capacity.

The planned constellation contains 3,236 satellites. Federal rules require Amazon to deploy roughly half by the middle of 2026, equivalent to about 1,618 satellites. Meeting that milestone requires a sustained launch pace through 2025 and 2026.

Amazon's next series of missions includes United Launch Alliance flights, with additional launches scheduled using Arianespace's Ariane 6 and Blue Origin's New Glenn vehicles. The company says the pace will accelerate as heavy lift rockets join the launch fleet and ground infrastructure expands alongside the satellites.

Continuous service across large geographic areas depends on having enough satellites in place. As the fleet grows, Amazon expects service windows to become continuous across more regions, supporting the wider commercial rollout.

The deployment schedule combines a commercial expansion with a regulatory milestone:

• 2025: Initial deployments begin, and selected businesses receive Ultra and Pro terminals through the enterprise preview.
• November 27, 2025: Amazon has launched 153 production satellites and is preparing further missions.
• Middle of 2026: Amazon faces the requirement to deploy roughly half of its planned 3,236 satellites.
• 2026: Broader commercial availability is expected as coverage and network capacity expand.

How Amazon compares with Starlink

SpaceX's Starlink enters this contest with a much larger operating network. As of the article's November 27, 2025 publication date, it has more than 9,000 satellites in orbit and over 8 million customers worldwide, giving it a substantial advantage in scale and consumer reach.

Starlink's Performance Kit advertises peak downloads around 475 megabits per second and uploads around 75 megabits per second for many users. SpaceX says it plans to deliver service at gigabit speeds after upgrading parts of its satellite network.

Leo Ultra targets up to 1,000 megabits per second for downloads, another way of expressing 1 gigabit per second, and up to 400 megabits per second for uploads. Using those stated figures, Amazon's download target is a little more than twice 475 megabits per second, while its upload target is more than five times 75 megabits per second. Customer performance will depend on the operating conditions and capacity of each network.

Amazon is also pursuing a different initial customer base. Ultra is designed for fixed industrial sites and workflows that send large amounts of data into central systems. Its connections to AWS and private networks may matter as much as headline speed to enterprises with tightly managed communications.

Starlink's scale, established consumer business and growing business features remain advantages. Amazon's smaller terminals are intended to extend its own reach into portable and compact settings, creating room for the providers to compete and coexist across different customer groups.

What customers know about cost and availability

Amazon has not disclosed prices for its terminals or service tiers. It has said the midsized Leo Pro terminal is expected to cost less than $400 to produce. Manufacturing cost is the expense of making the device; customers are still awaiting the prices they would pay for equipment and service.

The current preview prioritizes business and public sector partners. Ultra and Pro shipments are underway for selected customers, Nano is expected to follow, and the broader rollout is planned as satellite coverage and capacity grow through 2026.

Amazon's Leo program overview outlines terminal specifications, networking options and examples from early partners in aviation, energy, agriculture and logistics. It also provides information for companies interested in the preview.

For those customers, the offering brings together three elements: a satellite connection designed for substantial traffic in both directions, private routes into cloud or company systems, and operational tools for managing remote links. Delivering those capabilities across more locations now depends on Amazon expanding its constellation and matching that growth with ground infrastructure.

The Bottom Line

• Amazon Leo, formerly Project Kuiper, has begun an enterprise preview with Ultra and Pro terminals shipping to selected customers.
• Leo Ultra supports downloads up to 1 gigabit per second and uploads up to 400 megabits per second, with simultaneous transmission and reception.
• Direct to AWS and Private Network Interconnect route traffic into cloud or private networks without crossing the public internet.
• Early participants include JetBlue, Vanu Inc., Hunt Energy Network, Connected Farms and Crane Worldwide Logistics.
• Amazon has launched 153 production satellites and faces a requirement to deploy roughly half of its planned 3,236 satellites by the middle of 2026.
• Wider commercial availability is expected in 2026. Terminal and service prices have not been disclosed.
• Leo Pro is rated at up to 400 megabits per second, while the compact Leo Nano is rated at up to 100 megabits per second.
• Starlink has the larger established network, while Amazon is initially concentrating on enterprise customers and direct connections to their computing systems.