FCC Approves Globalstar's C-3 Constellation Ahead of Amazon Takeover

The US Federal Communications Commission has granted Globalstar nationwide authority to operate its next-generation C-3 satellite system, clearing a key regulatory hurdle months before Amazon is set to absorb the company in an $11.6 billion acquisition.

The order, issued by the FCC's Space Bureau, authorizes a system designed to connect hundreds of millions of mobile devices across the US, including direct-to-device (D2D) links to standard smartphones. It also covers ground station antennas in Alaska, Hawaii, Nevada, Texas, Florida and Puerto Rico.

For practitioners in the satellite and mobile sectors, the approval settles a multi-year licensing process and hardens the regulatory foundation of an asset Amazon wants to use against SpaceX's Starlink in the emerging D2D market. Nothing in the order changes Amazon's obligations, but it removes a risk factor that could have complicated the deal's satellite-milestone conditions.

What does the C-3 system look like?

The constellation is a mid-sized, purpose-built D2D architecture rather than a broadband mega-constellation:

• 48 low Earth orbit satellites at an altitude of 1,414 kilometres
• Six in-orbit spares
• Roughly 90 six-metre ground antennas deployed worldwide
• MDA Space of Canada building the satellites under contract
• Control centres in Toulouse, France and at Globalstar's Louisiana headquarters
• France filed the system's notification with the ITU

CEO Paul Jacobs called the approval a key step in improving the capacity, performance and flexibility of Globalstar's services. Regulatory affairs chief Barbee Ponder said it concluded a multi-year licensing process with the FCC's Space Bureau.

How does this fit Amazon's plan?

Amazon agreed in April to acquire Globalstar for $11.6 billion as part of a push to add D2D services to its Amazon Leo constellation. The deal is expected to close in 2027, subject to regulatory approval and Globalstar meeting specified satellite milestones — a condition that makes the FCC's C-3 authorization directly relevant to the transaction's timeline.

Amazon Leo applied to the FCC in July for permission to deploy up to 5,105 satellites for direct-to-device services. As of October, Amazon communications manager Zack Brown said the company had 396 LEO satellites in orbit and had built more than 1,000 at its 172,000-square-foot production facility in Kirkland, Washington.

That build rate — more than 1,000 satellites manufactured against 396 launched — signals Amazon is stockpiling hardware ahead of an accelerated deployment phase once full licensing lands.

Where does Apple stand?

Apple remains the anchor customer in this story. The company has invested more than $1 billion in Globalstar over a long-term partnership, and Globalstar's existing fleet supports iPhone satellite features including emergency texting, messaging, roadside assistance and location sharing.

Amazon has also signed a separate agreement to provide satellite connectivity for current and future iPhones and Apple Watches, and committed to maintaining those services. In practical terms, iPhone satellite features will survive the ownership change, and the C-3 fleet gives them a capacity path beyond the current constellation's limits.

What changes for the D2D market?

The approval consolidates three facts into one picture. Globalstar now holds nationwide US operating authority for a purpose-built D2D fleet. Amazon has the capital and manufacturing base to scale it. And SpaceX's Starlink faces a competitor backed by an $11.6 billion asset purchase plus a 5,105-satellite application of its own.

The competitive fight now moves to deployment speed and spectrum positioning, with the 2027 acquisition close date and the C-3 satellite milestones as the benchmarks to watch.