Overview
- Amazon, which announced the $90‑per‑share cash‑and‑stock deal Tuesday, expects the Globalstar purchase to close in 2027 subject to regulators.
- Globalstar investors can elect cash or Amazon stock with cash capped at 40% of the payout, and holders controlling about 58% of voting power have backed the merger.
- A separate agreement makes Amazon Leo the provider for iPhone and Apple Watch satellite features such as Emergency SOS, messaging, Find My, and roadside assistance, preserving service for current devices.
- The acquisition brings Globalstar’s operating satellites, ground sites, and mobile‑satellite spectrum, including Band 53 that supports direct links to phones, as Amazon targets next‑generation direct‑to‑device service in 2028 and a roughly 3,200‑satellite network by 2029.
- The FCC will review the deal, and Chairman Brendan Carr called the agency open‑minded, while Amazon still faces a July 2026 milestone to have about 1,600 satellites that it has sought to extend, trailing Starlink’s roughly 10,000 satellites and millions of users.