Globalstar Takeover
Amazon and Globalstar have announced a definitive merger agreement under which Amazon will acquire the satellite operator.
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Alongside the acquisition, Amazon and Apple have signed a separate agreement for Amazon’s Leo satellite network to power existing iPhone and Apple Watch satellite features, including Emergency SOS, Messages via satellite, Find My, and Roadside Assistance via satellite.
Amazon acquiring Globalstar gives it a leg up in its attempt to take on Starlink, which is the biggest player in this space. But Apple previously sank a billion-dollar-plus investment into Globalstar, whose system underpins its satellite features.
That stake seems to have bought Apple some assurances, including support for not only current but future devices. The ongoing question for Apple’s satellite features is whether users will ever end up paying for them, something that the company has been happy to continually kick down the road.
Amazon didn’t go into much more detail about the features it will support on Apple devices. Bloomberg reported in November that Apple was working on a satellite framework for third-party apps that would let developers add satellite connections to their apps. Apple was also reportedly working on satellite-powered maps and richer messaging capabilities for satellite connections.
Amazon and Globalstar operate at smaller scales than Starlink, which already has over 10,000 satellites in orbit and plans for many more. So far, Starlink’s constellation includes about 650 D2D satellites for mobile service, which is offered through T-Mobile in the US and other carriers abroad.
Amazon has deployed 241 satellites and says it will have over 3,000 when its initial satellite constellation is complete. Globalstar operates 24 satellites in low-Earth orbit (LEO) and has said its third-generation system, or C-3, will include 48 additional satellites.
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Hopefully this deal comes with rights for Apple to fire the space laser weapons.
Apple’s prior investment and Amazon’s acquisition makes zero sense when you factor in that Starlink is multiple step-changes in evolution over Global Star and that Amazon has their own flavor of Starlink on their roadmap. What are they buying with these billions exactly, other than brand? Makes no sense
