FCC filing shows Amazon plans to acquire Apple’s 20% stake in Globalstar
Amazon told the FCC it plans to take over Apple’s 20% stake in Globalstar as part of its $11.6 billion acquisition, while saying iPhone satellite service should continue.
Intelligence analysis by GPT-5.4 Mini
Amazon’s FCC filing says its Globalstar buy will also absorb Apple’s 20% stake, built around the iPhone satellite partnership. Amazon says the current Apple service should keep running while it uses Globalstar to expand satellite connectivity beyond Apple devices.
Amazon wants to buy a satellite company called Globalstar. That company helps phones send emergency messages when normal cell service is not available.
Apple owns part of Globalstar, and Amazon told regulators it also wants to take over Apple’s share. That is like buying a lemonade stand and also taking over a friend’s share of the stand.
Amazon says the current Apple phone service should keep working. It also wants to use Globalstar to build a bigger satellite system for many different phones, not just Apple’s.
Analysis
What Amazon filed
Amazon has told the FCC that its planned acquisition of Globalstar will also include Apple’s 20% equity and voting interest in Globalstar Licensee LLC. The filing comes after Amazon announced last month that it would acquire Globalstar, and it shows the deal structure moving into the regulatory review phase.
Why Apple is involved
The article says that in late 2024 Apple expanded its investment in Globalstar to $1.1 billion, up from an earlier $300 million commitment tied to Emergency SOS via satellite. Under that expanded arrangement, Globalstar committed 85% of its satellite capacity to Apple, and Apple agreed to take a 20% stake in the company through 400,000 Class B shares.
What Amazon says happens next
Amazon says the transaction will not disrupt Globalstar’s existing work with Apple. In the filing, the company argues the acquisition will help it build a “next-generation, global D2D network” for smartphones and other mobile devices across multiple carriers and vendors. That framing suggests Amazon is treating Globalstar as more than a single-partner service: it wants a wider satellite connectivity business, while preserving the Apple-linked service already in place.
The regulatory detail
The filing is an “Application for Consent to Assign and Transfer Control of Licenses and Authorizations,” which means Amazon needs FCC approval for the license and control changes before the deal can fully proceed.
Key points
- Amazon filed with the FCC to take over Apple’s 20% stake in Globalstar as part of its acquisition plan.
- The article says Apple increased its Globalstar investment to $1.1 billion in late 2024, tied to Emergency SOS via satellite.
- Globalstar had committed 85% of its satellite capacity to Apple under the expanded agreement.
- Amazon says the transaction should not disrupt Globalstar’s current Apple-related work.
- Amazon says it wants to build a broader global satellite network for multiple carriers and devices.
