Amazon’s Starlink competitor launches with ‘world’s fastest satellite internet antenna’

Monday Amazon Leo Ultra declaredthe first antenna for satellite internet service, which will be launched in a private preview before being released commercially sometime next year. The Leo Ultra is designed for “business and government customers”, unlike the other two smaller Leo antenna options. No details on pricing or availability have been announced, but this gives us our first good look at the design and specifications of the new 20 x 30-inch antenna.

Amazon claims the Leo Ultra is the “fastest client terminal in production,” offering up to 1 Gbps of downloads and 400 Mbps of uploads simultaneously, along with private networking services and direct connections to Amazon Web Services (AWS) and other clouds. A smaller 11-inch Pro antenna will support up to 400 Mbps, while a 7-inch-square Nano will be able to handle up to 100 Mbps.

Aside from the extra bandwidth, private networking services on Amazon Leo could be another major advantage over the legacy pre-Starlink satellite internet networks in use today. Researchers in University of California, San Diego, and University of Maryland It was recently reported that serious security vulnerabilities were discovered with GEO’s unencrypted satellite links, allowing them to access VoIP calls, SMS, login credentials, company emails, and other data that is sent in the clear.