Amazon’s Starlink rival hits 400Mbps in live test

Amazon’s Leo Pro satellite dish beat 400Mbps download speeds in a live US Army demonstration, Amazon announced.

The US Army’s DEVCOM C5ISR Center hosted the test at Aberdeen Proving Ground in Maryland, with more than 30 Army representatives in attendance.

Leo Pro is the main customer antenna Amazon plans to sell with its Leo satellite broadband service, which the company has lined up for the UK.

The demonstration used a laptop to send and receive data through the dish as newly deployed Leo satellites passed overhead.

Amazon said the antenna hit peak download speeds above its rated maximum of 400Mbps during the test.

The Leo constellation links its satellites with high-speed optical connections and routes traffic through a global network of ground gateway stations, fibre and internet connection points.

“Amazon has a long track record providing critical cloud and connectivity services to the U.S. Army, and this demonstration at Aberdeen Proving Ground is an important step toward an expanded partnership,” said Liz Martin, Head of Government for Amazon Leo.

“We deeply value our work together, and look forward to supporting the needs of tomorrow’s Army as we deploy and scale our satellite constellation,” Martin added.

Amazon has manufactured more than 1,000 Leo satellites and has nearly 400 of them in low Earth orbit.

The company plans further tests with the Army covering higher-speed connections, mobile use and integration with existing tactical networks.

UK among first markets

Ofcom granted Amazon a licence in February 2025 to offer satellite broadband across the UK, and Amazon said the UK would be among the first countries to receive the service.

Amazon said in July that it had enough satellites in orbit to support continuous service across its initial latitudes, with an initial rollout planned later this year.

Andy Jassy, Amazon chief executive, set a mid-2026 target for commercial launch in his annual letter to shareholders.

Amazon began shipping Leo Pro and Leo Ultra antennas to selected business customers through an enterprise preview in November 2025.

The company has announced three antennas for the service:

• Leo Nano, a 7-inch by 7-inch model with download speeds of up to 100Mbps
• Leo Pro, an 11-inch by 11-inch model with download speeds of up to 400Mbps
• Leo Ultra, an enterprise model with download speeds of up to 1Gbps and upload speeds of up to 400Mbps

Leo will compete directly with SpaceX’s Starlink, which already sells satellite broadband to homes and businesses across the UK.

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