The question in every 2026 consultation

“I’ve read Amazon is launching its satellite internet. Should I install Starlink now or wait?”

The short answer: if you sail this season, install now. As of September 2026 Amazon Leo is still in beta with selected companies and maritime resellers (MTN and ELCOME, February 2026); Amazon has moved commercial service from mid to late 2026, with close to 400 satellites in orbit in July 2026 out of 3,232 planned. In Spain it has held a frequency authorisation for customer terminals since May 2026 (valid to 2031) and does not sell: launch date unannounced (press estimates: 2027–2028) and prices unannounced. If you sail this season, the choice isn’t Leo versus Starlink; it’s install now or wait with no date. It cannot be compared with Starlink because it is not competing yet: you can only wait, and waiting has a cost we do know.

The long answer, with the facts on the table, follows.

What Amazon Leo is (and is not, yet)

Amazon Leo — Project Kuiper until November 2025 — is Amazon’s satellite internet constellation: 3,232 planned satellites in low Earth orbit, the same technology category as Starlink. As of mid-2026 it has just over 400 satellites up and has asked the FCC for an extension on its July 2026 half-constellation deadline.

What already exists:

  • Three announced terminals: Leo Nano (100 Mbps), Leo Pro (400 Mbps) and Leo Ultra, the enterprise flagship with 1 Gbps down and 400 Mbps up.
  • An enterprise preview with selected companies, running since late 2025.
  • A public waitlist at leo.amazon.com.

What does not exist: rates, complete ocean coverage, a retail channel, and any operational track record at sea.

The February 2026 agreements: yachting is on the map

The move that matters to this magazine came in February 2026, when Amazon signed its first maritime distribution agreements with MTN and ELCOME, two long-established integrators. The announced segments: merchant shipping, offshore energy, commercial fishing and — here is the news — yachting.

The practical translation for an owner:

  1. Amazon Leo will enter the sea through the professional channel: superyacht technical managers, charter fleets and management companies will try it first.
  2. The service is a preview: resellers are deploying it with selected customers, with no published pricing.
  3. Broad rollout is expected in 2027, subject to launch cadence.

The terminal that matters: Leo Ultra on board

For a yacht, the relevant hardware is the Leo Ultra: a flat, full-duplex dual phased-array antenna of roughly 50 × 76 cm and 17 kg, presented as the fastest commercial unit of its class in production.

Two readings from a yacht’s deck:

  • In favour: 1 Gbps downstream changes the conversation on high-demand superyachts (guests, simultaneous 4K streaming, operations backup). That is more than any Starlink Maritime plan offers today.
  • Against: 17 kg and 0.4 m² is a demanding antenna in space and structure for a sailboat or mid-size yacht — the segment where Starlink shines with lighter hardware. And with no published price, no return-on-investment calculation is possible.
Amazon Leo (September 2026)Starlink Maritime
Operational satellites~400 of 3,232over 6,000
Yacht serviceenterprise preview via MTN/ELCOMEcommercial since 2022
Direct ordering by ownersnot availableavailable today
Pricingnot announcedset by the operator
Flagship terminalLeo Ultra: 1 Gbps ↓ / 400 Mbps ↑Flat High Performance
Seasonal pauseunknownyes, by full months
Track record at seanonefour years, every ocean

When Amazon publishes maritime rates and terms, we will redo this table with numbers. Until then, distrust any comparison that puts prices on Leo: they are made up.

What if I would rather wait?

Waiting for Leo has a concrete cost: every month without connectivity on board is a lost month of the season, with no firm date marking the end of the wait. And the financial argument for waiting is weaker than it looks:

  • Starlink Maritime pauses by full months while the boat is berthed — you do not pay for the wait, you pause it. We explain it in our guide to pausing the subscription.
  • Starlink hardware pays for itself within the first season of use compared with any VSAT alternative.
  • Once Leo publishes prices, switching — or combining both for redundancy — becomes a data-driven decision instead of a bet.

Our advice by profile

  • Ocean sailboat: install Starlink now. The Leo Ultra is not designed for your deck, and light recreational users will be the last segment Amazon serves.
  • Motor yacht (20–40 m): install Starlink now and review the market in 2027. Competition will work in your favour at renewal time.
  • Professionally managed superyacht: install Starlink now and ask your management company to track the MTN/ELCOME pilots closely — you will be among the first able to trial Leo Ultra when the channel opens, and combining two LEO constellations is tomorrow’s redundancy play.

Want us to alert you when Amazon Leo publishes yacht pricing, or prepare a Starlink Maritime quote for this season? Write to us — the consultation is free and without obligation.

Sources

Amazon Leo is a trademark of Amazon.com, Inc. MaritLink is not affiliated with Amazon or SpaceX.