Satellite Internet in 2026: Starlink Passes 12 Million Subscribers

More than 17,000 satellites now orbit Earth as the broadband-from-space race accelerates. Starlink has reached 12 million subscribers across 167 markets, Amazon Leo is behind on its FCC milestones, Eutelsat OneWeb is refreshing its fleet, and China is building two constellations in parallel.

• Starlink: 12M subscribers, 167 markets, plans from $55 to $130/month
• Starship Flight 14 deployed 26 V3 satellites with 1 Tbit/s capacity each
• Amazon Leo: about 700 satellites, seeking extension to July 2028
• AST SpaceMobile tests direct-to-phone links without extra hardware