Amazon has enough satellites up to launch its own LEO service this year

Amazon has now launched enough small satellites into low-Earth orbit to actually run its own satellite internet service — no partner needed. The constellation is big enough to cover the planet, and the company plans to turn the switch on sometime this year.

This is not a one-off test. It's a full network, the kind you'd use to connect a remote farm or a container at sea. Amazon has been building it for years, mostly quietly. The satellites talk to each other, route around failures, and talk to ground stations across the world. When the service flips on, it'll compete directly with Starlink and the other LEO players.

Why this matters for us: la gente in places with shaky broadband — the pueblos, the ranchos, the coastal towns — gets a real alternative. Amazon's network means more options, more competition, and hopefully less dependence on whatever the local telco is charging.