Amazon Leo has partnered with Uzbekistan’s Uztelecom to expand satellite internet connectivity to remote and hard-to-reach areas of the country later this year.

Under the agreement, Uztelecom subsidiary UZ-SAT will serve as an authorized distributor, using Amazon Leo’s satellite constellation to deliver broadband where deploying terrestrial infrastructure is difficult or costly.

Tapping satellite capacity for hard terrain

Uztelecom currently provides connectivity to 96 percent of communities in Uzbekistan, operating more than 378,000 kilometers of fiber-optic infrastructure and serving more than 13 million users.

Low Earth orbit satellites connect to ground gateway antennas and private terrestrial fiber to run the network. Hardware comes in three tiers: the compact Leo Nano, the standard Leo Pro, and the high-throughput Leo Ultra.

Fleet deployment and rollout schedule

Crews have put nearly 400 satellites into orbit toward a planned constellation exceeding 3,000 spacecraft. The network operates under private preview testing with internal staff and select enterprise clients before initial commercial activations begin in selected territories later this year.

Working with Amazon Leo will enable us to expand connectivity options in areas where the deployment of traditional terrestrial infrastructure is limited

Bakhrom Azimov, general director of UZ-SAT, confirmed the arrangement.

Central Asian network competition

For regional telecoms, integrating non-terrestrial networks removes the heavy capital expenditure required to lay long-haul fiber across sparsely populated territory. Partnering with state-backed incumbents also prevents friction with regional regulators and state monopolies.

Hardware affordability and bandwidth allocation present the main commercial risks. Satellite terminal pricing and subscription fees often exceed local wireline rates. UZ-SAT will target enterprise logistics, mining sites, and public sector outposts to recoup deployment costs.

Digital transformation timeline

Officials signed the agreement in Tashkent during the 5th Tashkent International Investment Forum on the opening day of ICT Week Uzbekistan 2026. Securing foreign network infrastructure investments remains a government priority to expand the domestic digital economy.

Amazon Leo is preparing to accelerate satellite manufacturing and launch operations to double its annual mission cadence. Initial regional commercial activations will begin before the end of 2026.

What this means

Amazon Leo’s partnership with Uztelecom appears a deliberate step to penetrate the Central Asian market by using an incumbent’s reach and avoiding regulatory friction. This allows Uztelecom, already serving 13 million users, to expand connectivity where its 378,000 kilometres of fibre cannot, targeting enterprise logistics and mining with satellite capacity. While this sidesteps the capital expenditure of terrestrial networks, the commercial risk lies in hardware affordability and subscription fees exceeding local wireline rates. This mirrors no previous Amazon Leo moves in Asia detailed here. The key determinant of success will be how UZ-SAT positions and prices its service to recoup deployment costs, especially once commercial activations begin before end of 2026.

Wei Zhang