Amazon is accelerating its push into space-based connectivity with a $11.57 billion deal to acquire satellite operator Globalstar.
The deal also includes a parallel agreement with Apple that will bring Direct-to-Device (D2D) satellite services to iPhone and Apple Watch users.
The announcements position Amazon as a more aggressive challenger in the fast-growing Low Earth Orbit satellite communications market, where firms are racing to extend mobile coverage beyond terrestrial infrastructure and into remote or underserved regions.
Under the agreement, Amazon will acquire Globalstar, a long-established mobile satellite services operator with an existing fleet of more than 20 LEO satellites and licensed spectrum assets. The company’s infrastructure and spectrum holdings will be integrated into Amazon’s low Earth orbit network, Amazon Leo, enabling the development of D2D services designed to connect standard mobile devices directly to satellites.
The deal reflects a broader shift in satellite strategy, from traditional fixed terminals towards handset-based connectivity.
Amazon plans to combine Globalstar’s spectrum and operational expertise with its own fleet of more than 200 satellites to support voice, messaging, and data services for mobile users outside terrestrial network coverage.
Alongside the acquisition, Amazon has signed a commercial agreement with Apple to provide satellite connectivity for selected iPhone and Apple Watch models. The partnership will support features such as emergency messaging, location sharing, roadside assistance, and emergency communications, building on Apple’s existing satellite-enabled safety services.
For Apple, the arrangement extends its Emergency SOS via satellite capabilities, which currently allow users to contact emergency services when off-grid. Amazon will continue to support existing Globalstar-powered features while developing future services through Amazon Leo’s expanded constellation.
Panos Panay, Senior Vice President of Devices and Services at Amazon, said the objective was to extend connectivity to “billions of customers” operating beyond the reach of existing networks, combining Globalstar’s spectrum assets with Amazon’s satellite infrastructure to improve coverage, performance, and resilience.
The number of LEO satellites in orbit has been expanding rapidly over the past decade and is predicted to number more than 40,000 by 2032.
In January, Blue Origin, the space company owned by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos announced that it too was entering the satellite internet market, setting up TeraWave, a network of 5,400 satellites which it plans to begin to deploy from late 2027. It joins Elon Musk’s Starlink which has a fleet of around 10,000 satellites in orbit which it has been deploying since 2019. Eutelsat, OneWeb, Telesat and a clutch of Chinese firms also have similar satellites in orbit.
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