The combination of “Globalstar’s spectrum and established MSS capabilities with the scale, performance, and reach of Amazon Leo” will help Amazon “deliver continuous connectivity for consumer, enterprise, and government customers around the world—whether they’re living or working in remote areas or simply moving in and out of traditional cellular networks,” the merger press release said.
FCC chair open to Amazon/Globalstar deal
Amazon will need Federal Communications Commission approval for the transaction. Amazon and SpaceX have repeatedly clashed in regulatory proceedings at the FCC, with each company raising objections to the other’s satellite deployments.
While FCC Chairman Brendan Carr recently took SpaceX’s side in a dispute with Amazon, Carr said on CNBC today that “we’re very open-minded to” the deal. Carr said the Amazon/Globalstar combination is “consistent with the long-term vision that we have to make sure that the US leads in this next-gen era of direct-to-cell technologies.”
Carr said he hopes to have at least three major satellite operators in the direct-to-cell market, similar to how there are three major nationwide cellular network operators in AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile. Carr noted that Starlink and Amazon have competition from AST SpaceMobile, which has deals with both AT&T and Verizon.
Amazon recently filed a petition asking the FCC to deny SpaceX’s request to launch up to 1 million satellites, which led Carr to issue a blistering criticism of Amazon. “Amazon should focus on the fact that it will fall roughly 1,000 satellites short of meeting its upcoming deployment milestone, rather than spending their time and resources filing petitions against companies that are putting thousands of satellites in orbit,” Carr wrote at the time.
Carr was referring to a previous Amazon request for a two-year deadline extension. Amazon was supposed to launch half of its constellation by July 30, 2026, but told the FCC in January that “Amazon Leo is producing satellites considerably faster than others can launch them.”
