American Airlines In Talks With Starlink Rival Amazon Leo To Provide Onboard WiFi: Report
American Airlines Group Inc. (NASDAQ:AAL) is reportedly in talks with Amazon.com Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN) to provide the e-commerce giant's Leo (formerly Project Kuiper) satellite internet WiFi on flights.
Leo Wi-Fi On American Airlines Flights
Robert Isom, CEO of American Airlines, said that the company is in talks with Amazon to provide its WiFi on flights, Bloomberg reported on Wednesday. The CEO acknowledged that despite SpaceX subsidiary Starlink's dominance in the sector, "there are other low-Earth-orbit satellite opportunities."
Amazon didn't immediately respond to Benzinga's request for comment.
He added that the airline wanted to provide services that would cater to its customers' needs, touting advancements in the sector and "better deals" to be had in the future. It's worth noting that Starlink has signed a deal with United Airlines Inc. (NASDAQ:UAL)
Amazon Leo: What You Need To Know
The service currently has over 150 satellites in its constellation, which dwarfs in comparison to Starlink, which has more than 7,000. However, the service can provide 1 GBPS download speeds via the Leo Ultra Terminal, making it the first of its kind antenna to reach these numbers.
Leo has also launched a preview program to test the hardware, software, and network services ahead of next year’s wider rollout.
Starlink's India Expansion, Cell Carrier Future
The news comes as Starlink is gearing up for a rollout of its services in India, with the pricing for its services leaked ahead of the launch. The leaks highlighted an INR 8,600 (about $95) monthly subscription fee for its residential package, with a hardware kit priced at INR 34,000 ($378).
The company could also be eyeing a possible cell carrier future, with recent trademark filings filed with the USPTO. The SpaceX subsidiary outlined in the filing that the "STARLINK MOBILE" trademark would be used for "two-way real-time transmission of voice, audio, video and data by means of wireless telecommunications devices."
SpaceX's IPO
Musk recently confirmed that SpaceX was gearing up for its IPO in 2026, where it would be targeting a valuation of $1.5 trillion. Musk had hinted at the possibility of an IPO for SpaceX during Tesla’s annual shareholder meeting last month.
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