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Tag: satellite broadband

  • Amazon Leo Partners with Uztelecom to Expand Satellite Internet in Uzbekistan

    Amazon Leo Partners with Uztelecom to Expand Satellite Internet in Uzbekistan

    Amazon Leo has partnered with Uzbekistan’s Uztelecom to expand satellite internet connectivity to remote and hard-to-reach areas of the country later this year.

    Under the agreement, Uztelecom subsidiary UZ-SAT will serve as an authorized distributor, using Amazon Leo’s satellite constellation to deliver broadband where deploying terrestrial infrastructure is difficult or costly.

    Tapping satellite capacity for hard terrain

    Uztelecom currently provides connectivity to 96 percent of communities in Uzbekistan, operating more than 378,000 kilometers of fiber-optic infrastructure and serving more than 13 million users.

    Low Earth orbit satellites connect to ground gateway antennas and private terrestrial fiber to run the network. Hardware comes in three tiers: the compact Leo Nano, the standard Leo Pro, and the high-throughput Leo Ultra.

    Fleet deployment and rollout schedule

    Crews have put nearly 400 satellites into orbit toward a planned constellation exceeding 3,000 spacecraft. The network operates under private preview testing with internal staff and select enterprise clients before initial commercial activations begin in selected territories later this year.

    Working with Amazon Leo will enable us to expand connectivity options in areas where the deployment of traditional terrestrial infrastructure is limited

    Bakhrom Azimov, general director of UZ-SAT, confirmed the arrangement.

    Central Asian network competition

    For regional telecoms, integrating non-terrestrial networks removes the heavy capital expenditure required to lay long-haul fiber across sparsely populated territory. Partnering with state-backed incumbents also prevents friction with regional regulators and state monopolies.

    Hardware affordability and bandwidth allocation present the main commercial risks. Satellite terminal pricing and subscription fees often exceed local wireline rates. UZ-SAT will target enterprise logistics, mining sites, and public sector outposts to recoup deployment costs.

    Digital transformation timeline

    Officials signed the agreement in Tashkent during the 5th Tashkent International Investment Forum on the opening day of ICT Week Uzbekistan 2026. Securing foreign network infrastructure investments remains a government priority to expand the domestic digital economy.

    Amazon Leo is preparing to accelerate satellite manufacturing and launch operations to double its annual mission cadence. Initial regional commercial activations will begin before the end of 2026.

  • KDDI and SpaceX Partner to Bring Starlink Mobile V2 Direct to Japanese Smartphones in 2027

    KDDI and SpaceX Partner to Bring Starlink Mobile V2 Direct to Japanese Smartphones in 2027

    KDDI has signed an agreement with SpaceX to deliver direct-to-device satellite broadband and voice calls across Japan starting in 2027. The service will tap satellites with 20 times the throughput of older orbital hardware.

    The deal expands KDDI’s mobile brand, au, beyond ground towers. It routes standard smartphone traffic directly through SpaceX’s Starlink Mobile V2 constellation.

    How direct satellite connections work on au phones

    Compatible smartphones connect directly to low Earth orbit satellites when users travel outside cellular base station range. Customers need no specialized handsets, external antennas, or hardware adapters. KDDI signed the agreement on 10 August and disclosed commercial terms on 15 September. SpaceX confirmed the rollout schedule on 17 September.

    Technical specifications released by KDDI show the V2 satellites carry larger phased-array antennas. Each spacecraft provides roughly 20 times the individual throughput of first-generation units. SpaceX will also deploy more spot beams per spacecraft, multiplying data density by roughly 100 times over targeted areas. This capacity supports native Voice over LTE (VoLTE) calling, video streaming, and web browsing from orbit.

    Closing the coverage gaps on islands and mountains

    Japanese mobile carriers currently reach more than 99.9 percent of the population through ground infrastructure. Geographic coverage maps still leave wide blanks across national parks, steep mountain ranges, and outlying archipelagos. In those regions, building fiber backhaul and physical towers is structurally impossible or prohibitively expensive.

    For consumer brands, outdoor logistics operators, and regional transport networks, direct satellite data removes operational dead zones. Delivery fleets on rural mountain passes gain uninterrupted tracking. Travelers on maritime routes keep voice and emergency connectivity without switching SIM cards or buying specialized satellite terminals.

    The race for orbital cellular partnerships

    Rivalries in direct-to-cell services are accelerating across Asia-Pacific and North America as network operators hunt for coverage advantages. AST SpaceMobile is building a competing orbital network to beam 4G and 5G broadband directly to standard devices, backed by United States carriers AT&T and Verizon. Mobile carriers now treat satellite capacity as a core subscription layer rather than an emergency backup.

    Regulatory approvals remain the primary hurdle before commercial launch. Direct-to-device services operate across shared mobile spectrum bands and satellite frequencies. Regulators must grant spectrum rights, interference clearances, and satellite licenses before carriers can activate voice and broadband on retail devices.

    From text alerts to full broadband voice

    The 2027 deployment builds directly on KDDI’s initial trial, au Starlink Direct, which went live in April 2025. That early system supported only low-bandwidth short messaging and selected text-based apps outside terrestrial cell footprints.

    SpaceX must now maintain its launch pace for the larger V2 spacecraft as Japan’s Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications reviews local spectrum authorization ahead of the planned 2027 consumer rollout.