Amazon Leo gets Spain spectrum permits through 2031

Spain's Ministry for Digital Transformation granted Amazon the radio spectrum permits needed to operate its Amazon Leo satellite internet service in Spain, including a customer-link authorization issued in early May 2026 and valid until the end of 2031.

The Spanish government split the authorization into two frequency blocks. A December 2024 permit for links with ground stations covers 19.350-19.955 MHz for satellite-to-station communications and 27.745-29.755 MHz for station-to-satellite communications. The May 2026 permit for links with end users covers 17.610-19.050 MHz and 28.544.5-28.848.5 MHz for direct communications with households using one of three antenna models.

Amazon Leo already has infrastructure in Spain. Since November 2025, Amazon has operated a ground station in Santander at the Parque Científico y Tecnológico de Cantabria (PCTCAN) to control satellites passing over the Iberian Peninsula.

Amazon still needs to expand its constellation before broad service coverage. By April 2025, the company had launched 331 satellites, while the report said at least 578 are needed to provide coverage in Spain, Europe, and the United States, out of a planned total of 3,236 satellites. Amazon's target is to have half of the constellation operational in July 2026. The report said Amazon Leo's entry would add competition to Spain's rural internet market, where Starlink has been the main low Earth orbit satellite option.