FCC Grants Globalstar Nationwide C-3 Direct-to-Device Authority

Daniel Okafor

As of October 23, 2026, the FCC has authorized Globalstar to operate a 54-spacecraft C-3 constellation across the United States, comprising 48 operational satellites and six on-orbit spares for direct-to-device service on commercial smartphones.

What does the FCC approval change?

The FCC’s Space Bureau granted nationwide regulatory authority. Globalstar can use its licensed Mobile Satellite Services (MSS) spectrum for direct-to-device (D2D) connectivity. The order clears the operational path for the space architecture supporting Apple’s satellite communications services in the US.

Regulatory approval is not a completed rollout. The disclosed schedule starts with 12 satellites in early to mid-2027. No subscriber count, coverage footprint or full-fleet service date has been disclosed. Commercial availability remains tied to deployment under the disclosed schedule, not the grant itself.

How large is the C-3 network?

Globalstar identifies C-3 as its third-generation constellation. The disclosed system links 54 spacecraft with 90 ground antennas worldwide. The ground network has 36 more antennas than the approved fleet.

• Fleet: 48 operational low-Earth-orbit satellites and six on-orbit spares, for 54 approved spacecraft.
• Operating altitude: The C-3 satellites will operate at 1,414 kilometres.
• Manufacturing: MDA Space leads primary satellite production, while Rocket Lab fabricates the satellite platforms.
• Registration and control: The system is registered in France, with command and control from Toulouse.
• Ground segment: Ninety antennas, each six metres in diameter, connect to the constellation globally.

At 1,414 kilometres, the operating altitude is about 24 times the 60-kilometre transfer orbit planned for the first tranche, capturing a sequence in which spacecraft launch low before completing orbit-raising.

What does the Apple transaction mean for service?

Apple is in the process of acquiring Globalstar for $11.6 billion. Globalstar has contracts to supply satellite connectivity to Apple phones. The FCC decision removes a US regulatory obstacle around that arrangement. The acquisition itself remains pending.

For handset makers, carriers and service providers, the immediate change is regulatory, not a new nationwide commercial launch, and the announcement gives no models, prices, service packages or subscriber targets. Those commercial details remain undisclosed despite the explicit Apple link.

What does the 2032 deadline require?

The FCC order sets strict orbital compliance milestones. Globalstar must launch and operate at least half of the 48 authorized operational satellites by October 11, 2032. Half equals 24 satellites. The six spares sit outside that 48-satellite denominator.

Globalstar expects to launch 12 C-3 satellites in early to mid-2027, entering a 60-kilometre transfer orbit before orbital maneuvers raise the craft into their final positions. Twelve satellites represent one quarter of the 48-satellite operational target. The tranche remains 12 satellites short of the compliance floor. The initial launch is not the full deployment.

The deadline does not require all 48 operational satellites. It does require 24 by the stated date. Another 24 satellites would complete the authorized operational fleet. That second group represents capacity above the compliance minimum, rather than part of it.

What should operators watch next?

Operators should watch the first 12-satellite tranche. It must launch within the early-to-mid-2027 window. The craft must then reach the 1,414 km operating orbit. Execution shifts toward the 24-satellite minimum due on October 11, 2032.

Apple’s pending $11.6 billion acquisition close is another milestone. Existing contracts and the satellite architecture already connect the two companies. For practitioners, the sequence is regulatory clearance, satellite launch, orbital deployment, commercial activation and wider service scale. The FCC approval begins that sequence without completing it.

The next hard checkpoint is the first launch in early to mid-2027, while the FCC’s compliance deadline remains October 11, 2032 for at least 24 operating satellites.