FCC clears Amazon Leo's $11.5 billion purchase of Globalstar
The deal would put Globalstar's satellite link behind Apple's emergency SOS under Amazon Leo's control.
US regulators have signed off on Amazon Leo's $11.5 billion purchase of Globalstar, a mobile satellite operator. Leo expects the combination to bolster its direct-to-device offering and widen its orbital coverage. Globalstar currently supplies the satellite link behind Apple's emergency SOS feature on compatible iPhones and Apple Watches, and under the agreement Leo will take over powering those services. Apple previously owned about 20 percent of Globalstar. The move positions Leo more directly against SpaceX's Starlink, which already has far more satellites in orbit.
Why it matters
Owners of compatible iPhones and Apple Watches will see Amazon Leo take over the satellite service behind emergency SOS, and Apple's 20 percent stake in Globalstar ends with the takeover. The approval also gives Amazon Leo a wider fixed and mobile offering aimed at residential, business and government customers. Leo still has 400 satellites in orbit against its target of more than 3,000, while SpaceX's Starlink has 11,000, so the combined company remains well behind the market leader in constellation size.
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