Amazon to Acquire Globalstar and Move Apple iPhone, Watch Satellite Services to Amazon Leo

Amazon moved to buy Apple’s satellite partner Globalstar on Tuesday and, at the same time, struck a long‑term deal to shift iPhone and Apple Watch satellite features onto its own low‑Earth‑orbit network, Amazon Leo. The twin announcements mark a major escalation in Amazon’s race against SpaceX’s Starlink and fast‑track the company into direct‑to‑device satellite connectivity with implications for emergency communications and off‑grid mobile coverage.

In a corporate statement, Amazon said it had signed a definitive agreement on April 14, 2026, to acquire Globalstar Inc., a mobile satellite services operator whose low‑Earth‑orbit (LEO) constellation underpins Apple’s Emergency SOS via satellite and related features on iPhone and Apple Watch. Globalstar also holds globally authorized spectrum, including Band 53 (also known as n53), that can support both satellite and some terrestrial uses.

Amazon will fold Globalstar into Amazon Leo, its renamed Project Kuiper satellite program, which the company describes as “powered by an initial constellation of more than 3,000 satellites.” Amazon said it expects the transaction to close in 2027, subject to regulatory approvals and Globalstar meeting specified deployment milestones for its HIBLEO‑4 replacement satellites.

At the same time, Amazon announced an agreement with Apple under which Amazon Leo will power satellite services for supported Apple devices. That includes Emergency SOS via satellite, Messages, Find My and Roadside Assistance via satellite, ensuring those features continue as Globalstar’s network is integrated into Amazon’s system.

“Since launching more than three years ago, our groundbreaking safety service Emergency SOS via satellite has helped save many lives… we look forward to building on that collaboration with Amazon Leo,” Greg Joswiak, Apple’s senior vice president of worldwide product marketing, said in Amazon’s statement. “This ensures our users will continue to have access to the vital satellite features they have come to rely on, including Emergency SOS, Messages, Find My, and Roadside Assistance via satellite…”

Financial terms are structured on a per‑share basis rather than as a headline deal value. Each Globalstar shareholder can elect either $90 in cash or 0.3210 shares of Amazon common stock for each Globalstar share, with the stock consideration effectively capped at $90 per share. Overall cash elections are limited to 40% of Globalstar’s total shares; any additional cash elections will be satisfied with Amazon stock on a pro‑rated basis. The total payment may be reduced by up to $110 million if Globalstar fails to meet certain operational milestones.

Analysts had previously estimated a potential deal value in the $8 billion to $10 billion range when news of talks leaked in early April, but Amazon’s announcement does not specify a total purchase price beyond the per‑share terms and possible adjustment.

Amazon said Globalstar stockholders controlling about 58% of the company’s voting power have already approved the merger by written consent. Globalstar’s regulatory filings show roughly the same share is controlled by Thermo, an investment group affiliated with Globalstar founder James Monroe III, suggesting Thermo’s backing effectively secures shareholder approval.

For Amazon, the acquisition immediately adds an operating LEO network, valuable spectrum holdings and a proven direct‑to‑device (D2D) service used by millions of Apple customers. D2D services allow standard smartphones and other devices to connect directly to satellites for text and, potentially, voice and data when outside cellular coverage.

“There are billions of customers out there living, traveling, and operating in places beyond the reach of existing networks, and we started Amazon Leo to help bridge that divide… We’re excited to support Apple users through the Leo D2D system, and look forward to working with mobile network partners to help extend coverage to every corner of the planet,” Panos Panay, Amazon senior vice president for devices and services, said in the announcement.

Globalstar, which has operated for more than three decades, has increasingly tied its fortunes to Apple. In an updated services arrangement dated Nov. 5, 2024, Globalstar disclosed that Apple — referred to as “the Customer” — bought 400,000 Class B units in a Globalstar special purpose entity for $400 million, representing a 20% stake in that entity, and committed to an infrastructure prepayment of up to $1.1 billion. Together, those arrangements amount to roughly $1.5 billion in support for Globalstar’s network.

Under those agreements, Globalstar retains 15% of its current and future network capacity, implying Apple can access about 85%. Globalstar has warned in filings that losing this customer would materially harm its business, underscoring why the Amazon‑Apple arrangement to preserve and migrate services is central to the deal.

“With this announcement, we are building on that foundation,” Globalstar chief executive Paul Jacobs said in Amazon’s statement. “For more than 30 years, Globalstar has executed on this vision through sustained, long‑term investment in technological innovation, operational excellence, and development of globally harmonized spectrum across both satellite and terrestrial applications. The combination with Amazon Leo will advance innovations in digital connectivity that will benefit our customers and advance us toward a more intelligent, continuously connected world.”

Amazon said it plans to integrate Globalstar’s existing and planned satellites, its global mobile satellite services spectrum — including Band 53 / n53 — and its operational experience into Amazon Leo. The company explicitly signaled it will add D2D services as a result of the acquisition and aims to deploy a next‑generation LEO D2D system beginning in 2028. The combined system is expected to include thousands of satellites and is designed to serve “hundreds of millions” of endpoints.

Amazon Leo already has announced customers and partners, including Delta Air Lines, JetBlue, AT&T, Vodafone, DirecTV Latinoamérica, Australia’s national broadband network and NASA. The Globalstar acquisition positions Amazon to expand beyond fixed broadband and aviation into handset‑class satellite connectivity, putting it into more direct competition with SpaceX’s Starlink, which today dominates consumer LEO broadband.

The deal will face multiple layers of regulatory review. Any transfer of Globalstar’s spectrum licenses or change of control will require consent from the Federal Communications Commission, which must determine transactions serve the public interest and typically seeks public comment. Major communications and spectrum deals also often undergo national‑security scrutiny by interagency groups such as so‑called Team Telecom and, where relevant, the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States.

Regulators are likely to focus on competition in satellite connectivity and the resilience of emergency communications, given that a single large technology company would control key LEO assets and spectrum supporting Apple’s safety features. Amazon also faces timing pressure from its own FCC milestones for Amazon Leo and has previously sought an extension for a mid‑2026 requirement to have roughly half its licensed constellation in orbit, a challenge given limited launch capacity. Acquiring Globalstar’s operating network and spectrum offers an immediate boost toward those ambitions.

For Apple users, the companies are presenting the move as a continuity story, not a change in service: the same Emergency SOS and related satellite features, but eventually running on a combined Amazon Leo‑Globalstar architecture. For Amazon and its rivals, it is another sign that the battle for the next phase of connectivity — reaching phones far beyond the edge of cell towers — is moving into higher orbit.