On October 27, 2026, the FCC Space Bureau approved Amazon Leo’s application to acquire Globalstar in Order DA-26-1160, Docket 26-134. The FCC order record identifies the regulatory action. The FCC’s authorization for Amazon Leo to use Globalstar’s C-3 System grant to build and launch is conditional on the transaction closing, according to a statement from the commission quoted by Light Reading.
What the FCC approved
Advanced Television reported that the application covers about 25 MHz of internationally harmonized mobile-satellite service (MSS) spectrum. Advanced Television and Light Reading valued the transaction at about $11.5 billion. Light Reading also reported that the FCC denied Yippy’s petition to block the deal.
Reported terms for Globalstar shareholders
A Bloomberg-sourced report published by Perfil on April 14, 2026, said Globalstar shareholders were offered either $90 in cash per share or 0.32 Amazon shares per Globalstar share, with the stock alternative capped at a value of $90 per Globalstar share. That report then expected the transaction to close in 2027, a forecast made before the FCC’s October approval.
C-3 use depends on closing
The FCC statement quoted by Light Reading says that, following the transaction’s close, Amazon Leo may use the C-3 System grant to build and launch the authorized system. Light Reading separately reported a next-generation Amazon Leo direct-to-device (D2D) platform for voice, text and data planned for 2028. That platform is a separate plan from the C-3 authorization covered by the acquisition approval.
