Amazon is playing catch-up to Elon Musk’s Starlink with its satellite-based Internet service Leo, the rebrand of Project Kuiper. Leo is previewing a gigabit-speed “Ultra” antenna for business customers. Amazon claims that Leo Ultra is “the fastest customer terminal in production,” with download speeds of up to 1 Gbps and upload speeds that max at 400 Mbps. Amazon Leo has “more than 150 satellites in orbit” with “initial network testing underway” and plans to have a total of 3,000 satellites. Because it’s satellite rather than terrestrially based, Leo is accessible in areas without reliable connectivity, anywhere on the globe.

“Amazon Leo will help close critical connectivity gaps across major industries, from energy and manufacturing to media and transportation, and these announcements represent another important step for the program as it moves from the deployment phase toward commercial operations,” according to a news post.

“From our satellite and network design to our portfolio of high-performance phased array antennas, we’ve designed Amazon Leo to meet the needs of some of the most complex business and government customers out there,” said Chris Weber, Amazon Leo VP of consumer and enterprise business.

Amazon “will be shipping units of the Leo Ultra and Leo Pro antennas to select customers for the preview, including Hunt Energy Network, Vanu Inc., JetBlue Airways Corp., and NBN Co.” ahead of a wider public rollout expected next year, writes Bloomberg.

The company began deploying its first satellites in April with the launch of 27 spacecraft, notes a second Amazon announcement. The next mission is set for December 15, when 27 more satellites will launch, bringing Leo to a constellation of 180.

SpaceX, led by CEO Musk, “has a big head start,” with more than 9,000 Starlink satellites currently orbiting, reports Bloomberg. Meanwhile, on Earth, worldwide customers will be able to access Leo through either user terminals or personal antennas.

Digital Trends says the fact that Amazon has begun shipping its Leo Ultra terminals for testing “is a massive milestone,” writing that “after years of development, it’s sending out the hardware.”

Amazon also plans a lower-tier Leo Pro service that will have a top download speed of 400 Mbps. Neither Leo Pro’s maximum upload speed nor pricing for the services has been announced. But Dishy Central reports that “the price differential could prove significant — Amazon hopes to keep costs down so it can sell Project Kuiper dishes for less than $400, compared to Starlink’s current $599 standard terminal price.”