satellite-internet

The FCC will vote April 30 on replacing 1990s-era power limits for LEO satellite constellations, a move that could reshape competition between Starlink, Amazon Leo, and legacy operators.

A new ABI Research report finds that LEO satellite broadband subscriptions reached 11.8 million at the end of 2025, with SpaceX commanding 76 percent of the market, while Amazon and Eutelsat race to scale competing constellations.

Amazon has asked the FCC for a two-year extension on its satellite deployment deadline, citing a rocket shortage, while Eutelsat orders 340 new OneWeb satellites and Telesat adds military Ka-band to Lightspeed as competitors carve out niches against Starlink's 10-million-subscriber lead.

SpaceX reached 10,020 active Starlink satellites on March 17, constituting two-thirds of all active spacecraft, while NASA warns 500,000 satellites would contaminate nearly every telescope image.

Europe's Ariane 6 flew its four-booster configuration for the first time, delivering 32 Amazon Leo satellites in the heaviest payload ever launched by a European rocket.