Amazon Buys Globalstar, Taking Control Of Apple's Satellite Tech
Amazon has announced the $11.57 billion acquisition of satellite operator Globalstar, thus upping the game in the whole Musk-Bezos space race. By absorbing Globalstar’s established orbital infrastructure and lucrative spectrum licenses, Amazon will be in a position to become a leader in the direct-to-device market.
BREAKING: Amazon is acquiring @Globalstar to bring direct-to-device (D2D) satellite connectivity to @Amazonleo, and has signed an agreement with @Apple to power satellite services for iPhone and Apple Watch.
— Amazon (@amazon) April 14, 2026
We’ll begin launching Leo D2D services in 2028, ensuring your phone… https://t.co/d8siE4gpsx
Finalized this week, the deal integrates Globalstar’s existing constellation and prized L-band/S-band frequencies into Amazon’s Project Kuiper, an ambitious initiative that has been racing to deploy thousands of low-Earth orbit (LEO) satellites. While Project Kuiper was originally meant to provide high-speed backhaul and residential service via ground terminals, the integration of Globalstar allows Amazon to enter the lucrative market of eliminating cellular dead zones for potentially billions of existing mobile users. The acquisition also provides another bonus: Globalstar is currently the primary space-based service provider for Apple iPhones and Watches.
By controlling both the satellite hardware and the spectrum, Amazon can integrate satellite-linked SOS and messaging features directly into its ecosystem, potentially bundling these capabilities with Prime memberships or AWS enterprise services.
The financial markets responded sharply to the news with Globalstar’s stock surging more than 15% on initial reports of the acquisition. And by securing these rights, Amazon bypasses years of regulatory hurdles and R&D, instantly catapulting itself into a proper battle with SpaceX, which has already begun testing similar direct-to-cell capabilities via its partnership with T-Mobile.
Beyond consumer devices, Amazon plans to leverage the Globalstar network to enhance its logistics empire, Amazon can now potentially track its global fleet of vans, planes, and ships with pinpoint accuracy using its own proprietary satellite backbone, reducing its reliance on third-party telecommunications providers. Likewise, analysts suggest that this move could disrupt the telecommunications industry, as tech giants increasingly take on the role of global wireless providers.
The technical synergy between Project Kuiper’s planned 3,236 satellites and Globalstar’s existing orbital infrastructure creates a hybrid network capable of handling both high-bandwidth data and low-latency mobile signals. As Amazon begins the aggressive deployment of its Kuiper satellites later this year, the Globalstar acquisition ensures that the infrastructure for a truly always-connected world is already in place. We're definitely inching closer to the end of terrestrial-only smartphones, replaced instead dual-layered systems.
