Globalstar, Inc. is an American telecommunications company that operates a satellite constellation in low Earth orbit (LEO) for satellite phone, low-speed data transmission and Earth observation. The Globalstar second-generation constellation consists of 25 satellites. In April 2026, Amazon announced an agreement to acquire Globalstar and merge it into its Amazon Leo business unit with the acquisition intended to close in 2027.
History
The Globalstar project was launched in 1991 as a joint venture between Loral Space & Communications and Qualcomm. On March 24, 1994, the companies announced the formation of Globalstar LP, a limited partnership in the United States with financial participation from eight additional firms, including Alcatel, AirTouch, Deutsche Aerospace, Hyundai, and Vodafone. The system was projected to enter service in 1998 at an estimated cost of $1.8 billion.
In 1994, Globalstar projected pricing of $0.65 per minute, compared to the approximately $3 per minute the competing Iridium service charged. The company obtained a worldwide license from the World Administrative Radio Conference and received U.S. spectrum allocation from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in January 1995, while continuing to negotiate international frequency rights.
The first satellites were launched in February 1998. A launch failure in September 1998 resulted in the loss of 12 satellites, delaying deployment. In late 1999, Globalstar began "friendly user" trials with 44 of the planned 48 satellites. The first call on the system was placed on November 1, 1998, from Qualcomm chairman Irwin Jacobs in San Diego to Loral Space & Communications CEO and chairman Bernard Schwartz in New York City. Limited commercial service began in December 1999, followed by full commercial service in February 2000 across North America, Europe, and Brazil using 48 satellites and four in-orbit spares; additional satellites were maintained as ground spares. Initial pricing was $1.79 per minute.
Following the September 11 attacks in 2001, Qualcomm developed an experimental airborne Globalstar system using multiple user terminals to increase data throughput. The system provided voice and data connectivity, integrated with aircraft systems, and enabled transmission of telemetry and video.
On February 15, 2002, Globalstar and three subsidiaries filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. Restructuring was completed in 2004, following an initial stage in December 2003 in which Thermo Capital Partners assumed operational control. Globalstar LLC was formed in November 2003 and converted into Globalstar, Inc., on March 17, 2006.
In 2007, Globalstar launched eight additional first-generation satellites to supplement failing spacecraft. Between 2010 and 2013, the company deployed 24 second-generation satellites to restore system capacity. During this period, Globalstar relocated its headquarters from Silicon Valley to Covington, Louisiana.
In March 2020, the Third Generation Partnership Project approved Globalstar's Band 53 for 5G use, designated as band n53. In March 2021, the company announced the discontinuation of its Sat-Fi2 and Sat-Fi2 RAS services.
On September 7, 2022, Apple announced satellite-based emergency messaging for iPhone using Globalstar’s network in the United States and Canada. In October 2024, Globalstar disclosed that Apple had agreed to acquire a 20% stake in the company, with new plans to increase the network to 54 satellites.
On April 14, 2026, Amazon announced an agreement to acquire Globalstar for $11.57 billion, while pledging to continue support for Apple devices. unlike Iridium.
A network of ground gateway stations provides connectivity from the 40 satellites to the public switched telephone network and Internet. A satellite must have a Gateway station in view to provide service to any users. Twenty four Globalstar Gateways are located around the world, including seven in North America. Globalstar Gateways are the largest cellular base station in the world with a design capacity for over 10,000 concurrent phone calls over a coverage area that is roughly 50% of the size of the US. Globalstar supports CDMA technology such as the rake receiver and soft handoffs, so a handset may be talking via two spot beams to two Gateways for path diversity.
Globalstar users are assigned telephone numbers on the North American Numbering Plan in North America or the appropriate telephone numbering plan for the country that the overseas gateway is located in, except for Brazil, where the official Globalstar country code (+8818) is used. The use of gateway ground stations provides customers with localized regional phone numbers for their satellite handsets. But service cannot be provided in remote areas (such as areas of the South Pacific and the polar regions) if there are no gateway stations to cover the area. As of May 2012, voice and full-duplex data services are currently non-functional over much of Africa, the South Asian subcontinent, and most mid-ocean regions due to the lack of nearby gateway earth stations.
The Globalstar system uses the Qualcomm CDMA air interface; however, the Ericsson and Telit phones accept standard GSM SIM cards, while the Qualcomm GSP-1600/1700 phones do not have a SIM card interface, but use CDMA/IS-41 based authentication. Therefore, the Globalstar gateways need to support both the CDMA/IS-41 and the GSM standards.
Globalstar has roaming agreements with local cellular operators in some regions, enabling the use of a single phone number in satellite and cellular mode on multi-mode Globalstar handsets. These cellular roaming agreements are not in place in North America. Because of improvements in cellular phones and networks and the limitations inherent to satellite phones, the newest Globalstar handset (released in 2006) does not include cellular connectivity as Globalstar does not expect subscribers to carry it as their only mobile phone.
First generation satellites
Globalstar orbits have an inclination of 52 degrees. Therefore, Globalstar does not cover polar areas, due to the lower orbital inclination.
Globalstar orbits have an orbital height of approximately 1400 km and latency is still relatively low (approximately 60ms).
A Globalstar satellite has two body-mounted, Earth-facing arrays. First-generation Globalstars weigh approximately 550 kg. However, the second-generation Globalstar design will gain significant mass.
In 2005, some of the satellites began to reach the limit of their operational lifetime of 7.5 years. In December 2005, Globalstar began to move some of its satellites into a graveyard orbit above LEO.
First-generation satellite problems
According to documents filed with the SEC on January 30, 2007, Globalstar's previously identified problems with its S-band amplifiers used on its satellites for two-way communications are occurring at a higher rate than expected, possibly eventually leading to reduced levels of two-way voice and duplex data service in 2008. The company's simplex data services used to support the asset tracking products as well as the SPOT Satellite Messenger are not affected by the S-band satellite issue mentioned above. Globalstar also launched eight ground spare satellites in 2007 to help reduce the impact of the issue.
In the filing, Globalstar made the following statements: