alt Hacker NewsUS agency approves Amazon Leo’s $11.5B acquisition of Globalstar
Previously: Amazon to acquire Globalstar and expand Amazon Leo satellite network - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47775183 - April 2026 (119 comments)
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The link didn't work for me.
https://www.reuters.com/business/media-telecom/us-agency-app...
US agency approves Amazon Leo’s $11.5 billion acquisition of Globalstar By David Shepardson October 27, 2026
The news is that the FCC approved the acquisition. It was already announced back in April that Amazon would be purchasing Globalstar. I don’t think anyone expected it to be held up by regulators.
Edit: proper link to it https://www.reuters.com/business/media-telecom/us-agency-app...
Previous discussion about the deal on HN (119 comments): https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47775183
From https://www.globalstar.com/en-us/resource-center/articles/ba...
Band n53 adds premium midrange spectrum to the premium performance of XCOM RAN. As midband spectrum, it provides a balance of speed and coverage for 5G with download speeds up to 250 Mbps and upload speeds up to 100 Mbps, wider coverage than millimeter-wave frequencies and greater efficiency than lower bands for better throughput. If you run the wireless networks that run the world, the combination of band n53 and XCOM RAN is a marriage made in heaven. Learn more in the Terrestrial Wireless section at www.globalstar.com.
The deal was announced in April. It just got FCC approval.
Kind of an interesting acquisition, no?
Why is Amazon interested in Globalstar? The first thing that comes to my mind is like... Amazon's lowkey business model is "pick unsexy, logistics-heavy areas and just Do The Work better than others until a niche is carved out."
And from that POV I think the acquisition makes sense, but I'm not sure how this benefits the existing constellation of Amazon IP. Is it more like an attempt to have a relevant AWS-like play but for satcom because they see demand in that area growing a ton? Okay sure but is Globalstar really getting you that unlock?
Starlink have over 11,000 satellites in orbit.
Globalstar have 24 satellites in orbit (at least according to Google).
How does this acquisition by Amazon meaningfully expand Leo to compete against Starlink?
I bet this is about about acquiring spectrum rights or something
Previously in April:
On the same note: https://investors.globalstar.com/news-releases/news-release-...
The new direct-to-device network Amazon is getting their hands on is now approved and live on the air.
if you can't beat 'em, join 'em
Just use Thuraya or Inmarsat.
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Every satellite internet provider other than Starlink is complete garbage. Slow, unreliable, useless.
Globalstar is a study in corporate survival. It lives on while its 90’s cohort Iridium didn’t make it.
Consider the journey:
2002: Bankruptcy.
2007: Satellite amplifier failures threatened its voice service.
2010–2013: A replacement constellation helped restore capacity.
2022: Apple's iPhone Emergency SOS gave Globalstar a major new purpose.
2024: Apple committed approximately $1.5 billion in investment and infrastructure funding.
Now: This acquisition by Amazon would bring Globalstar's satellite assets and spectrum into Amazon's competition with Starlink, while preserving satellite services for Apple devices.
Iridium has a museum: iridium museum.com