Starlink & Global Internet

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FCC Approves 4,500 Additional Amazon Leo Satellites, Expanding Broadband Constellation
It's not quite Starlink, but it's a start.
By Jon Martindale February 12, 2026

Amazon has been granted a license to deploy an additional 4,500 small satellites to low Earth orbit as part of its Leo program, CNBC reports. Designed as an alternative to SpaceX's Starlink internet service, Amazon Leo now has approval to operate a total of 7,700 satellites. That's not quite the 9,400+ that Starlink already has in orbit, but if Amazon can achieve the same or more within the next few years, it will be the second-largest satellite constellation in the world.

Although Starlink initially started as a small offshoot of SpaceX, it has since evolved into its biggest earner, with over 9 million subscribers as of the end of 2025. Amazon launched its Leo alternative (then called Project Kuiper) in 2025 and aims to rapidly expand in the years to come, leveraging its New Glenn rocket to deploy many of the thousands of pledged satellites into orbit.

https://www.extremetech.com/aerospace/f ... -broadband

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Virgin Media O2 Launches First European Starlink Direct-to-Cell Service
It's limited to Samsung Galaxy S25 and newer devices, for now.
By Jon Martindale February 27, 2026

https://www.extremetech.com/aerospace/v ... ll-service
British Samsung Galaxy owners can be the first to take advantage of a Starlink-powered Direct-to-Cell satellite internet service in Europe, thanks to the debut of the service by mobile operator Virgin Media O2. The service offers voice and messaging support, as well as access to Google Maps, WhatsApp, Twitter/X, and other apps.

The Starlink Direct-to-Cell service is designed to expand internet connectivity to devices that fall outside the usual coverage of cellular data connections like 4G and 5G. It's angled to be useful in extremely rural locations—like Starlink internet dishes themselves—and in emergency situations where standard data services are unavailable.

Regulatory approval for Direct-to-Cell internet connectivity was granted in the UK earlier in February, allowing Virgin Media O2 to push ahead with its deployment. British telecoms regulator OfCom has finalized the rules for such a service in the UK and has opened the option for other satellite providers to offer a similar service to UK consumers and businesses in the future.

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