Far EasTone introduces Amazon Leo! Low Earth Orbit satellite service expected to launch in Taiwan as early as next year, with download speeds reaching up to 1 Gbps

FarEasTone Telecommunications announced that it has signed a partnership agreement with Amazon Leo, Amazon’s low Earth orbit satellite network service, to become an authorized distributor in Taiwan. This move brings high-speed, low-latency satellite services into the domestic market, strengthening the communication backup and resilience of enterprises and government agencies.

FarEasTone Telecommunications announced that it has officially signed a partnership agreement with Amazon (Amazon)’s low Earth orbit satellite network service, Amazon Leo, becoming its authorized distributor in Taiwan. It will bring the high-speed low Earth orbit satellite network services into the Taiwanese market. FarEasTone stated that in the future, it will leverage its own experience in network operations and capabilities in information and communications technology (ICT) integration to help enterprise and government clients build a more resilient communications infrastructure, breaking through the limitations of traditional terrestrial networks in terms of terrain, disaster scenarios, and remote areas.

FarEasTone brings in Amazon Leo: download speeds up to 1 Gbps

According to FarEasTone’s announcement, Amazon Leo’s enterprise-grade service can provide high-speed, low-latency, wide-coverage satellite network connectivity, making it especially suitable for areas that traditional terrestrial networks struggle to cover or that may be disrupted in disaster scenarios. Its flagship enterprise terminal device, Leo Ultra, offers download speeds up to 1 Gbps and upload speeds up to 400 Mbps, targeting high-resilience communication needs for government, enterprises, maritime, agriculture, mining, and other industries.

Amazon Leo is Amazon’s low Earth orbit satellite network service, formerly known as Project Kuiper, and was officially renamed Amazon Leo in 2025. Amazon’s official description states that Leo Ultra uses a full-duplex phased array antenna, targeting high-traffic, high-real-time, and mission-critical applications such as remote site connectivity, enterprise backup, real-time monitoring, cloud service access, and communications for the public sector.

Jingqi: Low Earth orbit satellites can strengthen communication in extreme weather and remote areas

FarEasTone General Manager Jingqi said that FarEasTone has long invested in network construction and new technology R&D, continuously strengthening the resilience of communications infrastructure and expanding its service portfolio. Becoming an authorized partner of Amazon Leo this time is intended to bring high-speed low Earth orbit satellite network services to Taiwan. She pointed out that low Earth orbit satellites can support wide coverage, low latency, and connectivity needs when terrain or extreme weather limits the performance of traditional networks; they can also provide services for special industry scenarios such as maritime, agriculture, and mining.

This means that FarEasTone’s focus in introducing Amazon Leo is not just the general consumer idea of “getting internet in rural areas,” but more about the communications backup market for enterprises and government. When terrestrial base stations, fiber optics, or fixed networks are constrained due to disasters, terrain, maritime operations, or remote fields, low Earth orbit satellites can become another layer of communication path, reinforcing the need for uninterrupted enterprise operations and public safety communications.

From terrestrial networks to satellite backup, competition in low Earth orbit satellites among Taiwan telecom operators heats up

After FarEasTone joined the Amazon Leo lineup, Taiwan telecom operators’ low Earth orbit satellite plans have become clearer. Chunghwa Telecom previously actively introduced OneWeb’s low Earth orbit satellite services and emphasized that high, medium, and low Earth orbit satellites together with terrestrial networks form a multi-layer heterogeneous network. FarEasTone’s introduction of Amazon Leo will make Taiwan’s options for communications resilience more diverse.

From an industry perspective, low Earth orbit satellites are moving from “special communication tools” to being part of enterprise network infrastructure. In the past, enterprise backup mainly relied on multiple fixed-line networks, 4G/5G, or microwave links; but in scenarios such as extreme climates, earthquakes, submarine cable disruptions, and remote site operations, satellite networks can serve as a third layer of backup outside terrestrial networks. This is also the core reason why FarEasTone emphasizes “high-resilience communications.”

Amazon Leo, formerly Project Kuiper, focuses on enterprise and government applications

Amazon Leo was originally named Project Kuiper and is Amazon’s satellite network plan developed over the long term, aiming to provide high-speed network connectivity through low Earth orbit satellite constellations. Amazon’s official materials currently highlight different tiers of terminal equipment, with Leo Ultra targeting enterprise and public sector customers, emphasizing high bandwidth, low latency, weather-resistant design, and the ability to integrate with AWS or enterprise private networks.

FarEasTone becoming an authorized distributor of Amazon Leo in Taiwan also represents that the commercialization pathway for low Earth orbit satellite services in Taiwan is gradually taking shape. FarEasTone plans to complete the relevant import and onboarding procedures this year, and it expects that next year it will be able to provide Amazon Leo satellite services in Taiwan; FarEasTone has also said that it hopes to have the service live next year, and that “the sooner the better.”

Starlink stuck? An alternative route: Amazon Leo becomes Taiwan’s new low Earth orbit satellite option

FarEasTone’s introduction of Amazon Leo also corresponds to the recent policy controversy surrounding low Earth orbit satellites in Taiwan. Previously, Nathan Chiu, co-founder and chairman of cacaFly, criticized that although Taiwan is located in a geopolitically high-risk area, it still has not obtained official Starlink service. He believes this is not just a consumer convenience issue, but also one involving communications resilience and national security. Especially for Taiwan as an island that relies on submarine cables and terrestrial base stations, once war, earthquakes, or submarine cable disruptions occur, low Earth orbit satellites should become an important configuration for communications backup.

The crux of the controversy lies in regulations and commercial terms. Minister of Digital Development Lin Yijing previously said that Starlink had come to Taiwan as early as 2021 to negotiate with the NCC, but negotiations broke down because Article 36 of the Telecommunications Management Act restricts foreign investment shareholding, and because Starlink insisted on operating in Taiwan with 100% wholly owned independence. Lin Yijing also pointed out that the Ministry of Digital Development recently proactively contacted Starlink, but the response was that Taiwan is small and densely populated, and that 4G and 5G population coverage had already exceeded 99%, so Taiwan was therefore not considered a high-priority market.

As a result, Amazon Leo’s entry is viewed as an important alternative route for Taiwan’s low Earth orbit satellite rollout. Lin Yijing had previously said that Taiwan is not merely waiting for Starlink. Amazon Leo is seen as Starlink’s biggest future competitor and is expected to provide global commercial services in the first half of next year, with Taiwan included in its service coverage. It is also currently working actively with Taiwanese agents and has not required Taiwan to amend Article 36 of the Telecommunications Management Act.

• This article is reprinted with permission from 《Chain News》.
• Original title: 《FarEasTone becomes Amazon Leo’s distributor in Taiwan, low Earth orbit satellite services expected to launch next year》
• Original author: Neo