Amazon has announced two satellite deals it reckons will make its Amazon Leo network a nastier rival to SpaceX’s Starlink.
It has signed a merger agreement to buy satellite operator Globalstar and struck a pact with the Fruity Cargo Cult Apple to provide satellite service for iPhones and Apple Watches.
Amazon is spending an estimated $11.6 billion to acquire Globalstar, which has already partnered with Apple for satellite messaging on the iPhone. Amazon said the buy will push it into the direct-to-device market, where satellites beam connectivity straight to mobile phones.
In a press release, Amazon said: “In addition to the agreement with Globalstar, Amazon and Apple signed an agreement to provide satellite connectivity for current and future iPhone and Apple Watch features.”
Amazon senior vice president of devices and services, Panos Panay, said the deal will make Amazon the “primary satellite service provider for iPhone and Apple Watch.”
The current Globalstar service works with the iPhone 14 and later models, and the Apple Watch Ultra 3, “allowing users to text emergency services, message friends and family, request roadside assistance, and share their location,” Amazon said.
Amazon said it will keep supporting those device models and “collaborate with Apple on future satellite services using Amazon Leo’s expanded satellite network.”
Globalstar reportedly held talks with SpaceX about a sale to Elon Musk’s outfit last year. Amazon’s move is meant to stop that kind of chatter and turn Globalstar into a bolt-on for Leo’s direct-to-device ambitions.
Apple senior vice-president of worldwide product marketing Greg Joswiak said: “Apple and Amazon have a long and proven track record of working together through Amazon’s core infrastructure services, and we look forward to building on that collaboration with Amazon Leo.”
“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, so they can stay safe and connected while off the grid.”
Amazon did not spell out much more about what it will support on Job’s Mob devices. Bloomberg reported in November that Apple was working on a satellite framework for third-party apps, letting developers add satellite links to their software.
Apple was reportedly tinkering with satellite-powered maps and richer messaging for those connections. That sort of platform play would fit neatly with Amazon’s urge to turn connectivity into another subscription funnel.
Amazon and Globalstar are playing on a smaller scale than Starlink, which already has more than 10,000 satellites in orbit and wants many more. Starlink’s constellation includes about 650 direct-to-device satellites for mobile service, sold through T-Mobile in the US and other carriers abroad.
Amazon has deployed 241 satellites and says it will have more than 3,000 once its initial constellation is complete. Globalstar runs 24 satellites in low Earth orbit and has said its third-generation system, or C-3, will add 48 more.
Amazon’s Globalstar plan is not landing next week. The merger is expected to close in 2027, subject to regulatory approval and a requirement that Globalstar meet deadlines to replace some satellites.
A year later, if everything goes according to plan, Amazon expects to roll out a new direct-to-device service.
“Beginning in 2028, Amazon Leo will deploy its own next-generation D2D satellite system, allowing Amazon to deliver more advanced voice, data, and messaging services to mobile phones and other cellular devices,” the company said.
