Amazon has agreed to acquire satellite communications company Globalstar in an approximately $11.6 billion deal, expected to close in 2027. The acquisition gives Amazon globally harmonized L-band and S-band spectrum licenses, a ground station network across 24 global gateways, and operational infrastructure spanning 120+ countries. Separately, Amazon and Apple signed an agreement for Amazon Leo to continue powering satellite features on iPhone and Apple Watch, including Emergency SOS via satellite. Amazon Leo plans to launch its own next-generation direct-to-device satellite system in 2028, capable of delivering voice, data, and messaging directly to mobile phones. The deal accelerates Amazon's satellite ambitions significantly, compressing years of development into a single transaction, while Amazon Leo currently has only 180-200 satellites compared to Starlink's 10,000+.
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