The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) issued and released an approval notice for Amazon Leo’s acquisition of Globalstar on October 27, 2026. Under the proposed transaction, Amazon would acquire Globalstar’s satellite operations, infrastructure, assets and mobile-satellite spectrum licenses with global authorizations. Globalstar’s April announcement expected the deal to close in 2027, subject to closing conditions.
What Globalstar’s announced deal terms provide
Globalstar said shareholders could elect cash or Amazon stock for each Globalstar common share, subject to different limits:
| Election | Consideration per Globalstar common share | Limit or condition |
| Cash | $90.00 | Cash elections are capped at 40% of Globalstar shares in aggregate. Excess cash elections convert pro rata to stock. |
| Stock | 0.3210 Amazon common shares | The stock consideration is capped at $90.00 per Globalstar share. |
Globalstar also said the total consideration could be reduced by up to $110 million if certain operational milestones are not achieved. Its April 14, 2026 announcement put the expected closing in 2027, subject to conditions including regulatory approvals and milestones for Globalstar’s HIBLEO-4 replacement satellites.
The satellite plans have separate timelines
Direct-to-device (D2D) connectivity sends satellite service directly to phones and other cellular devices. Globalstar said Amazon Leo planned to begin deploying its own next-generation D2D system in 2028, with intended voice, data and messaging services for those devices.
The Economic Times separately reported that Amazon was preparing commercial satellite services for the end of 2026. That report describes a different milestone from the planned 2028 start of Amazon Leo’s next-generation D2D deployment.
Globalstar also announced a separate agreement with Apple under which Amazon Leo would power satellite features for supported current and future iPhone and Apple Watch models. The announced scope includes iPhone 14 or later and Apple Watch Ultra 3, with features such as Emergency SOS, Messages, Find My and Roadside Assistance via satellite.
