With goal to deliver faster onboard Wi-Fi and better crew communication in vessels, Amazon Leo signs new resellers extending service across global ocean routes
In sum — what to know
Amazon’s maritime push: Amazon Leo signs reseller agreements with maritime providers ELCOME and MNT, expanding its footprint in commercial maritime.
Global oceanic coverage: The agreements will enable Leo to offer satellite services across commercial shipping, offshore vessels, yachting, and cruise operations.
A timely approval: Meanwhile, FCC has approved 4,500 more Leo satellites, clearing path to provide pole-to-pole coverage including sea routes.
Amazon Leo snagged two back-to-back contracts this week which puts the provider head to head with rivals like Starlink, Iridium, and Inmarsat in the commercial maritime space.
Reseller agreements
The company entered a partnership with Dubai-based marine electronics supplier, ELCOME, a Starlink reseller, expanding its satellite services in the seas. Under the agreement, ELCOME will serve as an authorized reseller of its Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite services, bringing its satellite connectivity to fleets in merchant shipping, offshore service vessels, commercial fishing, and yachting across all major oceans.
ELCOME, which currently manages over 5,000 vessels, and will offer the standard Leo Pro and enterprise-grade Leo Ultra antennas. The light, compact, weather-tested Leo Pro provides download speeds of up to 400 Mbps, while the bulkier, more muscley Leo Ultra one-ups it with up to 1Gbps download speeds.
“Through this agreement with Amazon Leo, ELCOME will provide the connectivity that modern maritime operations demand. Customers on the open seas will have the ability to power critical technology, using our antennas designed to operate seamlessly in challenging maritime environments,” Amazon Leo’s Head of Global Business, Trevor Vieweg, said in a statement.
The second contract Amazon signed is with MTNSat, a Florida-based VSAT satellite service provider, which will also distribute Leo’s satellite internet for maritime deployment.
According to the companies, MTN will bring the service to commercial shipping, yachting, offshore, and cruise & ferry, among other maritime domains.
“This agreement with MTN will benefit maritime operations worldwide. Using our low-latency satellite network, maritime customers will gain real-time communication capabilities that enable everything from enhanced crew welfare to advanced vessel tracking, remote diagnostics, and seamless integration with shore-based operations,” Vieweg said.
Details, like hardware/subscription prices and number of shipowner contracts of neither agreements are available at this point.
FCC’s new approval paves path for oceanic coverage
Side by side, the FCC just greenlit the next tranche of Leo satellites. Consisting of 4,500 satellites — notably including 1,200 polar satellites for providing coverage in Alaska and northern Canada — the new series will bring Amazon’s planned constellation to roughly 7,700 satellites. The FFC set a Feb, 2035 deadline for the first half of the approved satellites.
The company said in a separate statement that its aiming to build a space-based mesh network that will ensure coverage in parts of the world where ground stations don’t exist.
“Leo Maritime connectivity will provide dependable satellite connectivity for commercial vessels, cargo ships, and offshore operations—enabling crew communication, operational efficiency, and safety across open waters,” the company said.
Although currently only at 11% of its targeted deployment, it seems, Amazon is prepping to enter other connectivity markets besides consumer where rival Starlink has a significant lead. Leo’s entry in the maritime space will provide seafarers more options in LEO satellite service at sea, ensuring greater redundancy and better communication in the remotest locations.
But is depending on resellers for service distribution a good move? Many of these providers have existing contracts with Leo’s competitors that can make it challenging to get high volume of orders from them, but at the least, it will restore healthy competition in a market dominated by only a few handful of providers.
