Apple and Amazon are teaming up to challenge Starlink’s smartphone ambitions

Amazon has made a deal to buy Globalstar’s low-Earth orbit satellite network for $11.57 billion, snapping up its spectrum licenses, operations, and assets to combine with its upcoming Leo internet satellite constellation. Apple owned 20 percent of Globalstar, and as a part of the deal, Amazon will continue to support satellite services like Emergency SOS for iPhones and Apple Watches, and develop future services that connect them to its Leo satellite network. The deal is currently scheduled to close in 2027, pending approval by regulators.

Globalstar currently provides direct-to-device services like Emergency SOS to the iPhone and Apple Watch. That’s different than Starlink’s Direct-to-Cell (aka, Starlink Mobile) service, which ties connectivity to carriers in order to provide messaging services. Starlink is partnered with T-Mobile in the US, with additional partners extending globally. Amazon’s announcement suggests it wants to have the best of both worlds, saying it plans to work with mobile network operators “to deliver on that vision and extend reliable, high-speed connectivity to customers, no matter where they are in the world.”

SpaceX said it had more than 650 cellular-equipped satellites in orbit, out of about 10,000 Starlink satellites, at the end of 2025. Globalstar’s low Earth orbit network has about 25 satellites in operation. Last month, Amazon said it was on track to double its annual launch rate for Leo, which currently has over 200 satellites in orbit as it builds up to a network of over 3,200 satellites.