- The latest report says Amazon is in talks to buy Globalstar for about $9 billion
- But SpaceX is also said to be in the race
- Apple’s ownership stake in Globalstar and C-3 funding adds complexity to the deal
Shares in Globalstar were up more than 8% this morning after the Financial Times reported that Amazon is in talks to acquire the satellite telecommunications company.
Citing people familiar with the matter, the publication said the two sides were still negotiating after lengthy talks and that discussions could still shift or collapse. The sale price could be in the neighborhood of $9 billion.
Rumors swirled last week at the SatShow 2026 about who might be buying Globalstar, with many people guessing Amazon as the likely winner. However, satellite industry analyst Tim Farrar told Fierce that his best hunch is that SpaceX will end up being the successful bidder.
Farrar, who wrote about the sale speculation in his blog last week, said he suspects Globalstar Chairman Jay Monroe was in talks with Amazon and then took its offer to SpaceX for a better deal.
It’s conceivable that SpaceX agreed to up the ante in an effort to further cement Starlink’s dominance of the satellite industry. Amazon is preparing to compete in the direct-to-device (D2D) and broadband market via Amazon Leo.
Globalstar declined to comment, saying it doesn’t comment on industry rumors. Amazon and Apple didn’t respond to requests for comment.
Apple’s role is crucial
Complicating all this is the fact that Apple holds an estimated 20% stake in a Globalstar subsidiary that is effectively the funding vehicle for its up-and-coming C-3 constellation. Apple uses Globalstar's satellites to provide emergency SOS and texting for Apple iPhone 14 and newer devices.
Apple started offering its satellite SOS cell phone service before the D2D market took off in a big way. T-Mobile’s T-Satellite service is powered by Starlink. AT&T and Verizon are invested in AST SpaceMobile.
Meanwhile, Amazon Leo's constellation for broadband is just getting off the ground. In a keynote at the SatShow, Amazon Leo's VP of Business Chris Weber described a “very aggressive” launch schedule ahead of plans to commercially launch service later this year.
Amazon’s request for a launch deadline extension is pending at the Federal Communications Commission.
Globalstar shares rise
Shares in Globalstar have risen more than 250% over the past year. Its current market cap is about $8.81 billion.
Rumors that Globalstar was up for sale started in earnest last year after Bloomberg reported that Globalstar was in early talks with SpaceX. Prior to that, an article in The Information chronicled SpaceX’s relationship with Apple and said that Monroe had talked with associates about potentially selling the company for more than $10 billion.
Besides providing satellite connectivity to devices, Globalstar’s been building up its private wireless business via the XCOM RAN platform.