FCC approves Amazon Leo's $11.5 billion purchase of Globalstar
The FCC cleared Amazon Leo to buy mobile-satellite operator Globalstar for $11.5 billion, a deal meant to open a direct-to-device service and give Leo more reach.
Edited by Dot Matrix, Editor-in-Chief
The Federal Communications Commission has approved Amazon Leo’s $11.5 billion acquisition of mobile-satellite operator Globalstar, the regulator announced on Wednesday, October 28, 2026. The deal is meant to widen Leo’s footprint in space and let its growing satellite network offer direct-to-device service. 1
The FCC’s press release leaned on the same talking points Amazon has used. The regulator said the companies’ assets fit together and would make a stronger satellite operator able to serve residential, business and government customers with both fixed and mobile service. It also said the deal is likely to help the public by improving data coverage in underserved areas. 1
You may never have heard of Globalstar, but you may have used it. The company provides the emergency satellite connectivity built into compatible iPhones and Apple Watches. Apple held a 20 percent stake in Globalstar before the takeover. Under the deal, Leo will power satellite services for supported iPhone and Apple Watch models. 1
That last point is the one to watch if you carry an iPhone. The emergency connection that already ships on those devices will now run through Amazon’s network instead of a standalone operator. 1
Leo competes with SpaceX’s Starlink, and it has been busy. Amazon says it has 400 satellites in orbit, and last month Leo launched high-quality satellite internet service in Uzbekistan. It is also working with Delta on satellite internet for flights down the road. 1
The satellite count shows how far there is to go. Amazon recently added six new Arianespace launches and aims to put more than 3,000 low-earth orbit satellites up in the near future. SpaceX already has 11,000. 1
For mobile carriers, the picture is plain. A second big satellite operator is lining up to sell service that reaches phones, with Starlink as the established rival. The approval clears the purchase, but the source material carries no word on what Leo’s direct-to-device service will cost or when it will start. Nor does it say which phones beyond supported iPhones and Apple Watches will work with it. Until those details land, there is no price to compare against a carrier plan.
This story rests on a single outlet’s report of the FCC announcement.
Our read: The approval matters most for what it does to the satellite business, not to your phone bill today. Amazon now owns a working satellite-to-phone operation with Apple as a built-in customer, which is a head start over starting from scratch. But 400 satellites against SpaceX’s 11,000 is a wide gap, and a regulator saying the deal helps rural coverage is a promise, not a coverage map. When Leo names a price and a launch date, that is when carriers and customers will have something real to measure.
Who this is for: iPhone and Apple Watch owners who rely on emergency satellite features, and anyone weighing whether satellite coverage will ever replace a carrier signal in a dead zone.
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