AT&T Partners with Amazon Leo for Enterprise Satellite Broadband

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AT&T Business selected Amazon Leo to complement its fiber and 5G networks with enterprise-grade satellite connectivity, offering a business-focused alternative to Starlink. The service aims for low latency and high throughput to serve diverse customer needs.

AT&T Business has formed a strategic partnership with Amazon Leo to provide an enterprise broadband satellite service complementing its existing fiber and 5G offerings. This move positions Amazon Leo as a business-grade alternative to Starlink for sectors requiring reliable connectivity beyond terrestrial network coverage.

Shawn Hakl, senior vice president and head of product at AT&T Business, highlighted that the integration with Amazon Leo has undergone extensive testing, demonstrating latency under 50 milliseconds and satisfactory throughput performance. Amazon Leo selected AT&T Business as its sole US telecom launch partner, emphasizing mutually collaborative efforts to harmonize network interaction, particularly between Amazon Leo's satellite ground stations and AT&T's terrestrial infrastructure.

AT&T Business will handle last-mile connectivity and customer premises equipment, ensuring seamless integration with Amazon Leo's satellite network. The operator is developing a software-centric model that treats cloud connectivity as a consumable service, enabling satellite, wireless, and wireline connections to form a unified end-to-end solution rather than isolated point-to-point links.

The partnership also aims to offer customizable network configurations tailored to diverse customer requirements, from traditional active-passive setups to more complex multi-device arrangements. By leveraging a combination of fiber, 5G, and satellite, AT&T Business plans to provide differentiated service levels and business outcomes, allowing customers granular control over network resource allocation to balance performance, cost, and security.

Hakl noted that while some customers may prefer to manage network decisions in detail, others might delegate control to AI-driven models. AT&T's experience in satellite services, particularly in agriculture, manufacturing, retail, and public safety through FirstNet, establishes a foundation for expanding satellite broadband offerings.

The service rollout timeline depends on Amazon Leo’s satellite launch schedule, with expectations to offer connectivity solutions in the upcoming year. Amazon's LEO constellation currently includes nearly 400 satellites in orbit, with over 1,000 built at its manufacturing facility in Washington state, signaling robust growth towards service scalability.

This partnership marks a significant step for AT&T Business in diversifying connectivity options by integrating cutting-edge satellite technology, aiming to enhance reliability and coverage for enterprise clients across various industries.