Amazon Nears $9 Billion Deal to Buy Globalstar in Direct Challenge to Musk’s Starlink
Summary
Amazon is in advanced talks to acquire satellite operator Globalstar in a deal valued at approximately $9 billion, according to Bloomberg and the Financial Times. The acquisition would dramatically accelerate Amazon’s satellite ambitions — but Apple’s 20% stake in Globalstar adds a layer of complexity that could still derail the deal.
Amazon is closing in on an agreement to acquire Globalstar, the satellite communications company that trades under the ticker $GSAT, in a move that would significantly strengthen its push to compete with Elon Musk’s SpaceX Starlink service, according to reports from Bloomberg and the Financial Times on April 14, 2026.
The deal would give Amazon an established satellite operator with existing orbital assets and ground infrastructure, shortening the timeline for its Project Kuiper initiative, which aims to build a constellation of low Earth orbit satellites to deliver broadband internet globally. Kuiper has faced repeated delays and lags far behind Starlink, which already operates thousands of satellites and serves customers across dozens of countries.
Acquiring Globalstar rather than building from scratch would provide Amazon with operational spectrum rights, an active satellite fleet, and existing customer relationships — assets that take years and billions of dollars to develop independently. For a company that has already committed over $10 billion to Kuiper, adding Globalstar’s infrastructure could represent the difference between a competitive entry and a perpetual catch-up.
One significant complication remains: Apple holds a roughly 20% stake in Globalstar. Apple partnered with the satellite operator to power its Emergency SOS via satellite feature for iPhones, making Globalstar a strategic asset for two of the world’s most valuable companies simultaneously. How Apple responds to an Amazon acquisition — whether it sells its stake, negotiates continued service guarantees, or blocks the deal entirely — could determine whether the transaction closes.
The talks are ongoing and could still fall apart, sources caution. Financial terms beyond the approximately $9 billion valuation reported by the Financial Times have not been confirmed.
If completed, the acquisition would escalate the satellite internet race into a direct contest between Amazon and SpaceX, two companies controlled by rival billionaires with fundamentally different approaches to space infrastructure. Starlink’s first-mover advantage is substantial, but Amazon’s distribution reach, cloud infrastructure through AWS, and willingness to sustain years of losses in new markets make it a credible long-term competitor.
The deal would also mark the latest example of Big Tech vertically integrating into physical infrastructure — from data centers to undersea cables to, now, orbital satellite networks.