The satellite company that lets iPhones call for help when there is no cell signal is about to belong to Amazon. On April 13, 2026, Amazon signed a definitive agreement to acquire Globalstar, the satellite operator powering Apple’s Emergency SOS feature, in a deal with an approximate enterprise value of $11.6 billion. If regulators approve and certain technical milestones are met, the transaction is expected to close in 2027.
The acquisition would hand Amazon control of Globalstar’s licensed radio spectrum, ground station network, and constellation of low-Earth orbit satellites. It marks a dramatic escalation in the race to connect smartphones directly to satellites, a contest that already involves SpaceX and T-Mobile, AST SpaceMobile, and Apple itself.
Why Globalstar matters
Globalstar has operated satellites since the late 1990s, but its profile changed sharply in late 2022 when Apple launched Emergency SOS via satellite on the iPhone 14. That feature allows iPhone users to text emergency services from remote areas with no cellular coverage, routing messages through Globalstar’s constellation. Apple committed significant funding to build out the ground infrastructure, and the service has since expanded to newer iPhone models and additional countries.
Amazon had already signaled serious interest in Globalstar. In early 2025, the company invested roughly $2 billion in the satellite operator, taking a significant equity stake and securing commercial agreements. The full acquisition announced in April 2026 converts that strategic bet into outright ownership.
For Amazon, the logic ties directly to Project Kuiper, its own satellite broadband initiative. Kuiper aims to deploy a constellation of more than 3,200 satellites to deliver internet connectivity worldwide. Adding Globalstar’s spectrum licenses and operational infrastructure could accelerate Amazon’s push into direct-to-device satellite services, the ability to connect ordinary phones to satellites without specialized hardware.
How the deal is structured
SEC filings from both companies lay out the mechanics. Amazon disclosed the agreement in a Form 8-K filing, confirming it is subject to regulatory approvals and customary closing conditions. Globalstar filed a parallel 8-K detailing a two-step merger structure: Amazon created two shell subsidiaries (named Grapefruit Acquisition Sub I and II) to execute a tender offer followed by a back-end merger to acquire all remaining shares. This is a standard playbook for large public-company takeovers.
The full merger agreement, filed as Exhibit 2.1, spells out the consideration framework, covenants, termination provisions, and closing conditions. Among the most notable conditions: the deal requires achievement of HIBLEO-4 satellite deployment milestones. HIBLEO-4 is the next-generation constellation Globalstar has been building to replace its aging fleet, and both the merger agreement and Globalstar’s first-quarter 2026 10-Q list those milestones alongside regulatory clearances as prerequisites to closing.
An investor presentation filed with the announcement targets a 2027 closing, giving both sides roughly a year to satisfy requirements and align with operational timelines for launching and testing additional satellites.
The Apple question
For the millions of iPhone owners who depend on Emergency SOS via satellite, the most immediate question is straightforward: will the service keep working under Amazon’s ownership?
Globalstar’s 10-Q for the first quarter of 2026 references amendments to customer-related agreements tied to the deal, almost certainly a reference to the Apple contract that has been central to Globalstar’s revenue. But the amended contract text is not publicly available. It remains unclear whether Apple holds consent rights over a change of control, whether service terms will shift, or whether Amazon and Apple have already negotiated continuity provisions behind the scenes.
The dynamic is unusual. Amazon and Apple compete fiercely in hardware, streaming, and digital services. Now Amazon would own the satellite infrastructure underpinning a flagship iPhone safety feature. How that commercial relationship evolves, and whether Apple might seek alternative satellite partners or build its own capacity, is one of the most closely watched subplots in the deal.
Regulatory and technical hurdles ahead
The filings reference “required regulatory approvals” without specifying every agency involved, but the FCC is the most critical gatekeeper. Satellite spectrum transfers require FCC consent, and the agency’s review process can stretch well beyond six months, particularly if public interest objections, national security concerns, or spectrum policy questions arise. Large technology acquisitions can also draw scrutiny from antitrust authorities, even when the target operates in a niche infrastructure segment.
No public record yet details the FCC’s specific review timeline or any conditions it might attach to the spectrum transfer. Nor is there information about potential parallel reviews by other U.S. or international regulators.
The HIBLEO-4 milestone requirement adds another layer of uncertainty. Neither the investor presentation nor the 10-Q includes the technical exhibits that would define what “achievement” means in practice: whether it requires a certain number of satellites in orbit, successful in-orbit testing, or simply contractual milestones with launch providers. Delays in launch schedules, in-orbit anomalies, or changes in launch provider availability could all affect whether the condition is met in time for a 2027 closing.
What the filings do not say
Several significant details remain absent from public documents as of mid-2026. The exact per-share consideration, including any collar mechanisms, earn-out provisions, or contingent payments, is described in the merger agreement’s schedules but has not been broken out in a simple dollar figure in the summary filings. The $11.6 billion figure should be understood as an approximate enterprise value; investors and analysts will need to parse the full agreement to understand how much of that headline number is cash, stock, or contingent consideration.
Post-closing integration plans are also opaque. The filings do not describe how Amazon intends to align Globalstar’s network architecture with Project Kuiper, whether Globalstar’s management team will stay, or how Amazon will prioritize resources between consumer direct-to-device offerings and enterprise or logistics connectivity. A joint announcement distributed through Business Wire described Amazon’s plan to integrate Globalstar’s assets into its broader satellite connectivity strategy; however, that language reflects Amazon’s own framing and has not been independently confirmed as an operational commitment. Globalstar has historically relied on a mix of debt, equity raises, and strategic partnerships to fund satellite deployments; folding into Amazon would stabilize its balance sheet, but the operational details of that integration remain unaddressed.
A binding agreement with unresolved regulatory, technical, and commercial variables
The weight of the evidence is clear on the fundamentals: Amazon and Globalstar have entered into a binding merger agreement, documented through SEC filings that carry legal weight and securities fraud liability. The deal’s structure, broad conditions, and target timeline are well established in primary sources.
But binding agreements are not closed deals. The FCC must approve the spectrum transfer. HIBLEO-4 satellites must hit milestones that have not been publicly defined. Apple’s role as Globalstar’s most important customer introduces a competitive wrinkle that neither company has addressed publicly. And the broader satellite connectivity market is moving fast, with SpaceX and T-Mobile already offering direct-to-cell service and new entrants pushing for spectrum access.
If the deal closes as planned in 2027, Amazon will control one of the few operational satellite constellations with licensed spectrum suitable for direct-to-device communication. That would reshape the competitive landscape in satellite connectivity and raise new questions about how a single tech giant’s ownership of critical emergency infrastructure sits with regulators and the public.
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*This article was researched with the help of AI, with human editors creating the final content.
