Amazon has agreed to acquire Globalstar in a cash deal valued at $11.57 billion, a move to expand the company’s satellite connectivity capabilities. Announced on Tuesday, the acquisition would bring Globalstar’s satellite operations, infrastructure, and mobile satellite services spectrum licenses into Amazon’s portfolio—enabling Amazon Leo, its low-Earth-orbit (LEO) satellite effort, to deliver direct-to-device connectivity.
The deal positions Amazon in a market where Starlink already operates at scale. According to the source, Starlink currently operates more than 10,000 satellites and offers internet services in about 150 countries to retail users and businesses, including maritime and aviation industries. Amazon’s purchase of Globalstar suggests the company seeks more than launch capacity—it wants an operational foundation and connectivity reach for consumer and enterprise endpoints.
What Amazon is acquiring
The $90-per-share deal will provide Amazon all of Globalstar’s satellite operations, infrastructure, and spectrum licenses for mobile satellite services. For a direct-to-device strategy, spectrum and existing service infrastructure are central components: spectrum enables the radio links that connect user devices to satellites, while operations and infrastructure determine whether the service can be delivered reliably.
Globalstar currently powers Apple’s “Emergency SOS” feature. The company provides satellite services such as emergency text messaging, requesting roadside assistance, and location sharing on Apple’s iPhone 14 and later devices in certain regions. This existing end-to-end connectivity workflow with mainstream devices covers not just satellites, but also the service layer that supports messaging and location functions.
Amazon Leo’s timeline and scale
Amazon Leo is slated to launch with more than 3,200 satellites in low-Earth orbit. However, the project has faced delays: Amazon Leo has so far launched only about 200 satellites. Amazon requested that the Federal Communications Commission extend a deadline requiring about 1,600 satellites in orbit by July this year.
Globalstar currently operates more than 24 satellites in low-Earth orbit and has agreements to acquire more than 50 new satellites. The company also has an agreement with SpaceX to launch replacement satellites for its current constellation this year. For Amazon, acquiring a constellation with active satellites and replacement plans could reduce dependency on waiting for full Amazon Leo deployment before delivering mobile satellite services.
Competition and market positioning
Amazon’s move enters the orbital mobile connectivity market currently served by Starlink. Starlink’s scale includes more than 10,000 satellites and service in about 150 countries to retail users and businesses, including maritime and aviation industries.
Amazon’s approach includes two technology components: (1) direct-to-device satellite services via Amazon Leo, and (2) satellite connectivity hardware for aircraft. Amazon showed a new satellite internet antenna designed for commercial jets that provides high-speed internet during flights. This indicates Amazon is pursuing both mobile endpoint connectivity and higher-throughput connectivity for specific platforms where antenna hardware can be installed and managed.
Continuity with Apple services
Alongside the Globalstar acquisition, Amazon reached an agreement with Apple to continue providing satellite connectivity services for the iPhone and Apple Watch. Globalstar currently provides satellite services including emergency text messaging, roadside assistance requests, and location sharing on iPhone 14 and later devices in certain regions. The continuity agreement indicates that Amazon will maintain the existing direct-to-device service path for Apple users following the acquisition.
Amazon Leo is slated to integrate with Amazon’s current broadband and satellite systems. The company aims to build a network of thousands of satellites in low-Earth orbit to support hundreds of millions of endpoints, a goal that depends on constellation capacity, spectrum access, and service operations.
The combination of the Globalstar acquisition and ongoing Amazon Leo constellation buildout suggests Amazon is aligning two timelines: an immediate path to mobile satellite services and a longer-term path to its own scaled direct-to-device network.
Source: TechCrunch