9 миллиардов долларов за покупку спутникового оператора GSAT, Amazon хочет присоединиться к «космической войне»

Amazon is seeking to challenge SpaceX in the low Earth orbit satellite internet market by pursuing an acquisition of Globalstar.

According to people familiar with the matter who spoke to the British Financial Times, Amazon is in talks with satellite telecom operator Globalstar about a possible acquisition. As of Wednesday, April 1, Globalstar’s market value was approximately $9 billion, and its stock price has risen about 230% over the past year. The market has long been betting that this company could become a potential competitor to SpaceX or an acquisition target. After the news broke, Globalstar jumped more than 15% in after-hours trading.

The negotiations have been ongoing for a long time, but the two sides are still discussing several complex issues. The people familiar with the matter noted that there is currently no final agreement, and negotiations could still change or fall apart. Globalstar said, “The company’s policy does not comment on industry rumors or speculation”; Amazon declined to comment; Apple did not respond immediately.

Apple holds 20% and the transaction structure adds variables

One of the core obstacles to this acquisition is Apple’s stake in Globalstar.

In 2024, Apple invested $1.5 billion in Globalstar, gaining about a 20% equity stake. As part of the agreement, Globalstar pledged to reserve 85% of its network capacity for Apple, to be used for iPhone satellite messaging services in areas outside cellular signal coverage.

This means that if Amazon wants to complete the acquisition, it must also negotiate with Apple and address this strategic capacity arrangement, making the transaction structure even more complex.

Amazon’s pressure to catch up

Amazon’s project to enter low Earth orbit satellite internet is named “Leo” and completed its first batch of satellite launches last year.

But the gap is huge: Amazon currently has only a bit over 180 satellites in orbit, while Starlink’s actively operating satellites in orbit under SpaceX have already exceeded 10,000.

Its progress is also under pressure. In February this year, Amazon had to apply to the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) for a two-year extension to meet the regulatory requirement to launch 1,600 satellites originally due before July of this year. According to regulatory filings, Amazon plans to increase the number of satellites in orbit to about 700 by mid-year this year, but insufficient launch capacity is constraining its expansion pace.

Amazon CEO Andy Jassy told investors in February this year that Leo is one of the series of “incremental opportunities” the e-commerce giant with a market value of $2.2 trillion is going to pursue.

Globalstar’s business value

Globalstar was founded in 1991 and is already a satellite telecom company with a meaningful operating scale.

Its latest annual report shows that for fiscal year 2025 full-year revenue was $273 million, up 9% year over year; operating income was $7.4 million, compared with a slight loss in the prior year.

For Amazon, acquiring Globalstar would not only mean obtaining an existing satellite network and spectrum resources, but also directly narrowing the gap with Starlink. According to Bloomberg, Globalstar was exploring sale possibilities as early as October last year and had preliminary contacts with SpaceX, indicating that this asset has attracted interest from multiple parties.

On the commercial implementation front, Amazon has already signed agreements with JetBlue and Delta Air Lines to provide in-flight internet services for its flights in 2027 and 2028, respectively—making Globalstar’s network capacity even more strategically valuable to Amazon.

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