Globalstar is a study in corporate survival. It lives on while its 90’s cohort Iridium didn’t make it.
Consider the journey:
2002: Bankruptcy.
2007: Satellite amplifier failures threatened its voice service.
2010–2013: A replacement constellation helped restore capacity.
2022: Apple's iPhone Emergency SOS gave Globalstar a major new purpose.
2024: Apple committed approximately $1.5 billion in investment and infrastructure funding.
Now: This acquisition by Amazon would bring Globalstar's satellite assets and spectrum into Amazon's competition with Starlink, while preserving satellite services for Apple devices.
Fun Iridium trivia: it was originally designed to need 77 satellites, hence the name. By the time they deployed they’d figured out they’d only need 66, but for some reason didn’t change their name to Dysprosium.
This kind of trivia can be discovered in the very interesting and entertaining book "Eccentric Orbits: The Iridium Story" by John Bloom. Highly recommended read (if you're generally into tech/business/startup chronicles)!
And while you're at it, read "Chip Wars" by Christopher R. Miller as well. Extremely good read to understand tomorrows' most relevant geopolitical conflict.
Surprisingly they're profitable, but still saddled with a lot of debt.
I know to people over at Iridium that have stayed through the past 15 years or so. They have a niche they're serving that seems stable for now.
I half expect Amazon to keep making acquisitions to try and accelerate their satellite efforts. I don't think it's a net negative thing, there's so much more we can do.
There are countless niches like this in telematics, one of the only industries I've encountered where a seemingly established company will be doing a "Series K" round, typically as a means to buy or build out the infrastructure they need for whatever customer.
The Iridium constellation(s) are very much in active use. They transitioned their business model from pure communications to RF remote sensing. They are among the leaders in some markets for RF remote sensing platforms. AFAIK the businesses in these markets do not use the Iridium name, which makes sense given it is a historical telecom brand.
> 2022: Apple's iPhone Emergency SOS gave Globalstar a major new purpose.
I wondered who it was that Apple was using for that but never looked into it. Was it for any particular reason on Apple's part other than it probably saved them a bundle compared to going with literally anyone else? Or is there something else I'm missing? Just curious. I wish I could be a fly on the wall for some of these corporate events nobody thinks too much about.
Globalstar's technology over everyone else. They've just been crude bent pipes up in the sky. They still are. C-3 is just a bunch of new radio repeaters.
Globalstar's original network was just CDMA over the bent pipe satellite link, their second-gen Duplex network (sold as Sat-Fi 2) was an attempt to go WCDMA, then Apple dangled a lot of cash at them to build out and drop the entire Sat-Fi 2 product, the entire WCDMA core, and go roll Apple's new toys out for them. I'm assuming C3 is going to be heavily LTE-based if it isn't already at this point.
(I had a Sat-Fi 2 device and it was an interesting and short-lived experience. I was also there for the weird interim 201x satellite failure era - I remember having to pull up the Optimal Satellite Availability Tool to go see exactly how many long ~2-10 minute windows I could make phone calls in with a GSP-1600.)
((Double-fun-fact: The GSP-1600 is still actively used on Globalstar today, and it's one of the only tri-mode phones that existed of the era. It was satellite via GSTAR, then had CDMA for local calling and AMPS for the sticks. I had my GSP-1600 activated on a Verizon MVNO for local calls, which was a blast to use.))
It lives on while its 90’s cohort Iridium didn’t make it.
Garmin inReach users will be disappointed to hear that:
“inReach devices use the Iridium satellite constellation, which forms a mesh with 100% globe coverage.”
Bankruptcy doesn't mean that assets will be destroyed. Valuable assets (including satellites, brand etc.) will be sold off to new owners, and the proceeds go to the lenders.
Two types of bankruptcy in the U.S.: liquidation and reorganization. The latter lets a company reshuffle assets and debt and schedule new payment plans to continue to exist as a going concern. It often wipes out shareholders.
The news is that the FCC approved the acquisition. It was already announced back in April that Amazon would be purchasing Globalstar. I don’t think anyone expected it to be held up by regulators.
Band n53 adds premium midrange spectrum to the premium performance of XCOM RAN. As midband spectrum, it provides a balance of speed and coverage for 5G with download speeds up to 250 Mbps and upload speeds up to 100 Mbps, wider coverage than millimeter-wave frequencies and greater efficiency than lower bands for better throughput. If you run the wireless networks that run the world, the combination of band n53 and XCOM RAN is a marriage made in heaven. Learn more in the Terrestrial Wireless section at www.globalstar.com.
Are those the iridium satellites? They are doing something completely different from starlink. For one thing, they are in much higher orbit, increasing both latency and coverage. They also have much less available bandwidth.
I'm not sure they are competitors. They could be, but these networks are serving different purposes.
Why is Amazon interested in Globalstar? The first thing that comes to my mind is like... Amazon's lowkey business model is "pick unsexy, logistics-heavy areas and just Do The Work better than others until a niche is carved out."
And from that POV I think the acquisition makes sense, but I'm not sure how this benefits the existing constellation of Amazon IP. Is it more like an attempt to have a relevant AWS-like play but for satcom because they see demand in that area growing a ton? Okay sure but is Globalstar really getting you that unlock?
It's largely because Amazon started Leo / Project Kuiper in the late 2010s when Jeff Bezos was still CEO of Amazon. Musk and Bezos both run rival spaceflight companies, and during this era, Musk and Bezos had multiple public spats stemming from:
1) Blue Origin & SpaceX competing for the same NASA / DoD contracts
2) Blue Origin blocking / stalling significant monetary contracts that would go to SpaceX.
When Musk fired a number of Seattle-based Starlink execs in mid-2018, Bezos took them in to build a competing product. After Starship launched its inaugural flight and it was clear Blue was 10-15 years behind SpaceX, the rivalry died down. Bezos stepped down as CEO of Amazon in 2021. Now Amazon is sitting on an inherited project.
Much like their customers, I suspect Amazon themselves don't actually ever do anything other than buy random shit they won't ever use...at least on the space side. I know a bunch of people who work out at the cape and it sounds horrid.
> the C-3 System will comprise 48 low Earth orbit satellites operating at an altitude of 1414 kilometers along with 6 in-orbit spares, supported by approximately 90 six-meter ground station antennas installed around the world
Just fyi, LEO is up to 2000km / 1200mi. But this is still double Starlink altitude. And multiple orders of magnitude less satellites.
Those are very absolute statements. And mayeb you're not aware, but if you notice people pulling away from you in conversation or it's difficult for you to maintain longterm, deep, relationships, it might be partly because of the way you express yourself. And it probably comes from a good place, you might just want to warn people to not go through whatever bad experience you had. But it is a very one way type of communication. It doesn't allow anybody except those that agree. But those that agree won't agree on some other big statement and you'll still resent each other.
Just something to think about as you navigate the challenges of social interactions. The best to you.
It's OK to not agree,that's how we progress. Everybody can be wrong too,and we shouldn't be afraid to be vulnerable.
Now, how could a satellite service be useless? And what many people don't understand, is that if somebody that is using it (as thousands of people are) hears that, it might be hurtful. It comes down to calling somebody "dumb". And the statement doesn't invite anybody to come up with arguments. No, most people would walk away from a discussion. Avoid this person with his big ideas. This is how society is individualized and how we fail to understand each other.
I also believe that it comes from a good place, like actual "advice". I've been giving my little snarky comment to about 20 people. Most of them were open to it, changed their style a little and the workplace became some much more pleasant.
Maybe you're not aware, but if you notice people pulling away from you in conversation or it's difficult for you to maintain longterm, deep, relationships, it might be partly because of the way you express yourself. And it probably comes from a good place, you might just want to warn people to not go through whatever bad experience you had. But it is a very one way type of communication. It doesn't allow anybody except those that agree. But those that agree won't agree on some other big statement and you'll still resent each other.
Just something to think about as you navigate the challenges of social interactions. The best to you.
Ku band gives Starlink a run for its money on planes. And if I’m backpacking, Starlink is worthless. These are real contexts where Starlink isn’t competitive, a category set to grow in the coming years with new launches and regulations. (Anything you do on Starlink should be presumed to be open to warant-free inquiry by the American and Putin regimes at this point.)
Globalstar is a study in corporate survival. It lives on while its 90’s cohort Iridium didn’t make it.
Consider the journey:
2002: Bankruptcy.
2007: Satellite amplifier failures threatened its voice service.
2010–2013: A replacement constellation helped restore capacity.
2022: Apple's iPhone Emergency SOS gave Globalstar a major new purpose.
2024: Apple committed approximately $1.5 billion in investment and infrastructure funding.
Now: This acquisition by Amazon would bring Globalstar's satellite assets and spectrum into Amazon's competition with Starlink, while preserving satellite services for Apple devices.
Iridium has a museum: iridium museum.com
Iridium exists today, refreshed their constellation with Iridium NEXT just a few years ago, and was just bought by Rocket Lab for $8 billion.
(disclaimer: my Dad worked there for years)
Fun Iridium trivia: it was originally designed to need 77 satellites, hence the name. By the time they deployed they’d figured out they’d only need 66, but for some reason didn’t change their name to Dysprosium.
This kind of trivia can be discovered in the very interesting and entertaining book "Eccentric Orbits: The Iridium Story" by John Bloom. Highly recommended read (if you're generally into tech/business/startup chronicles)!
And while you're at it, read "Chip Wars" by Christopher R. Miller as well. Extremely good read to understand tomorrows' most relevant geopolitical conflict.
the person you are responding to seems to have massively massively downplayed iridium then….
And they have: https://www.wsj.com/business/telecom/rocket-lab-buys-satelli...
Surprisingly they're profitable, but still saddled with a lot of debt. I know to people over at Iridium that have stayed through the past 15 years or so. They have a niche they're serving that seems stable for now.
I half expect Amazon to keep making acquisitions to try and accelerate their satellite efforts. I don't think it's a net negative thing, there's so much more we can do.
There are countless niches like this in telematics, one of the only industries I've encountered where a seemingly established company will be doing a "Series K" round, typically as a means to buy or build out the infrastructure they need for whatever customer.
The Iridium constellation(s) are very much in active use. They transitioned their business model from pure communications to RF remote sensing. They are among the leaders in some markets for RF remote sensing platforms. AFAIK the businesses in these markets do not use the Iridium name, which makes sense given it is a historical telecom brand.
> 2022: Apple's iPhone Emergency SOS gave Globalstar a major new purpose.
I wondered who it was that Apple was using for that but never looked into it. Was it for any particular reason on Apple's part other than it probably saved them a bundle compared to going with literally anyone else? Or is there something else I'm missing? Just curious. I wish I could be a fly on the wall for some of these corporate events nobody thinks too much about.
Globalstar's technology over everyone else. They've just been crude bent pipes up in the sky. They still are. C-3 is just a bunch of new radio repeaters.
Globalstar's original network was just CDMA over the bent pipe satellite link, their second-gen Duplex network (sold as Sat-Fi 2) was an attempt to go WCDMA, then Apple dangled a lot of cash at them to build out and drop the entire Sat-Fi 2 product, the entire WCDMA core, and go roll Apple's new toys out for them. I'm assuming C3 is going to be heavily LTE-based if it isn't already at this point.
(I had a Sat-Fi 2 device and it was an interesting and short-lived experience. I was also there for the weird interim 201x satellite failure era - I remember having to pull up the Optimal Satellite Availability Tool to go see exactly how many long ~2-10 minute windows I could make phone calls in with a GSP-1600.)
((Double-fun-fact: The GSP-1600 is still actively used on Globalstar today, and it's one of the only tri-mode phones that existed of the era. It was satellite via GSTAR, then had CDMA for local calling and AMPS for the sticks. I had my GSP-1600 activated on a Verizon MVNO for local calls, which was a blast to use.))
It lives on while its 90’s cohort Iridium didn’t make it.
Garmin inReach users will be disappointed to hear that: “inReach devices use the Iridium satellite constellation, which forms a mesh with 100% globe coverage.”
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garmin_inReach
Very high value acquisition
How did they not become spacex/starlink
> How did they not become spacex/starlink
You need to go big first with the rockets.
If you have the rockets, everything else is easy later on. Collect millions from others to launch the satellites in the meantime.
walmart has a museum too
https://www.visitbentonville.com/blog/stories/post/the-new-w...
This is giving me real Severance Perpetuity Wing vibes.
You're not lying.
"The wait is finally over—the Walmart Museum is back and better than ever!"
"This video series is intended to be updated as time goes on, so go ahead and come back on your next visit to experience more messages!"
"The floor also features the Hologram Theater, where Sam Walton himself shares his story"
I'm wondering if the show writers used it as a reference.
https://www.iridiummuseum.com/
> 2002: Bankruptcy.
Why wasn't this the end?
Bankruptcy doesn't mean that assets will be destroyed. Valuable assets (including satellites, brand etc.) will be sold off to new owners, and the proceeds go to the lenders.
Two types of bankruptcy in the U.S.: liquidation and reorganization. The latter lets a company reshuffle assets and debt and schedule new payment plans to continue to exist as a going concern. It often wipes out shareholders.
in the US corporate bankruptcy allows the company to restructure its debts.
case in point: the three largest airlines in the US have declared bankruptcy at some point: United, Delta, American
What? Doesn’t iridium exist?
It does. That is until its acquisition by Rocket Lab completes in 2027.
The link didn't work for me.
https://www.reuters.com/business/media-telecom/us-agency-app...
US agency approves Amazon Leo’s $11.5 billion acquisition of Globalstar By David Shepardson October 27, 2026
This link works, on the original I am getting a 404
The original duplicates the path
Here's the link:
https://www.reuters.com/business/media-telecom/amazon-signs-...
The news is that the FCC approved the acquisition. It was already announced back in April that Amazon would be purchasing Globalstar. I don’t think anyone expected it to be held up by regulators.
Edit: proper link to it https://www.reuters.com/business/media-telecom/us-agency-app...
Previous discussion about the deal on HN (119 comments): https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47775183
From https://www.globalstar.com/en-us/resource-center/articles/ba...
Band n53 adds premium midrange spectrum to the premium performance of XCOM RAN. As midband spectrum, it provides a balance of speed and coverage for 5G with download speeds up to 250 Mbps and upload speeds up to 100 Mbps, wider coverage than millimeter-wave frequencies and greater efficiency than lower bands for better throughput. If you run the wireless networks that run the world, the combination of band n53 and XCOM RAN is a marriage made in heaven. Learn more in the Terrestrial Wireless section at www.globalstar.com.
You're not supposed to publicly acknowledge the existence of XCOM ;)
Starlink have over 11,000 satellites in orbit.
Globalstar have 24 satellites in orbit (at least according to Google).
How does this acquisition by Amazon meaningfully expand Leo to compete against Starlink?
Are those the iridium satellites? They are doing something completely different from starlink. For one thing, they are in much higher orbit, increasing both latency and coverage. They also have much less available bandwidth.
I'm not sure they are competitors. They could be, but these networks are serving different purposes.
Pre-existing infra, designs and know-how?
Spectrum and IP, probably.
Maybe spectrum.
Kind of an interesting acquisition, no?
Why is Amazon interested in Globalstar? The first thing that comes to my mind is like... Amazon's lowkey business model is "pick unsexy, logistics-heavy areas and just Do The Work better than others until a niche is carved out."
And from that POV I think the acquisition makes sense, but I'm not sure how this benefits the existing constellation of Amazon IP. Is it more like an attempt to have a relevant AWS-like play but for satcom because they see demand in that area growing a ton? Okay sure but is Globalstar really getting you that unlock?
It's largely because Amazon started Leo / Project Kuiper in the late 2010s when Jeff Bezos was still CEO of Amazon. Musk and Bezos both run rival spaceflight companies, and during this era, Musk and Bezos had multiple public spats stemming from:
1) Blue Origin & SpaceX competing for the same NASA / DoD contracts
2) Blue Origin blocking / stalling significant monetary contracts that would go to SpaceX.
When Musk fired a number of Seattle-based Starlink execs in mid-2018, Bezos took them in to build a competing product. After Starship launched its inaugural flight and it was clear Blue was 10-15 years behind SpaceX, the rivalry died down. Bezos stepped down as CEO of Amazon in 2021. Now Amazon is sitting on an inherited project.
Much like their customers, I suspect Amazon themselves don't actually ever do anything other than buy random shit they won't ever use...at least on the space side. I know a bunch of people who work out at the cape and it sounds horrid.
global drone network. governments will pay far and wide for access.
they're already knee deep with LEO/kuiper(?)
The deal was announced in April. It just got FCC approval.
I bet this is about about acquiring spectrum rights or something
404 for me
I get 9600.
How does Globalstar's offering compare to Starlink?
9.6Kbps
Not a joke
They are serving different needs.
That's their legacy product.
2nd gen is 256 Kbps
Au Contraire, that bandwidth is definitely a joke.
Does it also make modem sounds??
The spectrum and various other rights are probably worth more than the current kit.
Well that’s more than most people can get out of Leo today so it’s a start!
9600bps ought to be enough for anyone.
That's enough bandwidth to play Trade Wars and SRE so it's good enough for me.
What about LORD?
Why no Legend of the Red Dragon? :(
i would think that globalstar is specialised in IoT and Starlink more as an extention of the cellular coverage.
On the same note: https://investors.globalstar.com/news-releases/news-release-...
The new direct-to-device network Amazon is getting their hands on is now approved and live on the air.
> the C-3 System will comprise 48 low Earth orbit satellites operating at an altitude of 1414 kilometers along with 6 in-orbit spares, supported by approximately 90 six-meter ground station antennas installed around the world
Just fyi, LEO is up to 2000km / 1200mi. But this is still double Starlink altitude. And multiple orders of magnitude less satellites.
Previously in April:
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47775183
if you can't beat 'em, join 'em
Just use Thuraya or Inmarsat.
Every satellite internet provider other than Starlink is complete garbage. Slow, unreliable, useless.
Those are very absolute statements. And mayeb you're not aware, but if you notice people pulling away from you in conversation or it's difficult for you to maintain longterm, deep, relationships, it might be partly because of the way you express yourself. And it probably comes from a good place, you might just want to warn people to not go through whatever bad experience you had. But it is a very one way type of communication. It doesn't allow anybody except those that agree. But those that agree won't agree on some other big statement and you'll still resent each other.
Just something to think about as you navigate the challenges of social interactions. The best to you.
Do you have experience in satellite Internet? I do, and he's not wrong. Your snarky comment is off topic and isn't adding anything here, imo.
I've used Globalstar from the top of a mountain on my iPhone and it did the job. Not everything has to be broadband to be useful.
It's OK to not agree,that's how we progress. Everybody can be wrong too,and we shouldn't be afraid to be vulnerable.
Now, how could a satellite service be useless? And what many people don't understand, is that if somebody that is using it (as thousands of people are) hears that, it might be hurtful. It comes down to calling somebody "dumb". And the statement doesn't invite anybody to come up with arguments. No, most people would walk away from a discussion. Avoid this person with his big ideas. This is how society is individualized and how we fail to understand each other.
I also believe that it comes from a good place, like actual "advice". I've been giving my little snarky comment to about 20 people. Most of them were open to it, changed their style a little and the workplace became some much more pleasant.
Maybe you're not aware, but if you notice people pulling away from you in conversation or it's difficult for you to maintain longterm, deep, relationships, it might be partly because of the way you express yourself. And it probably comes from a good place, you might just want to warn people to not go through whatever bad experience you had. But it is a very one way type of communication. It doesn't allow anybody except those that agree. But those that agree won't agree on some other big statement and you'll still resent each other.
Just something to think about as you navigate the challenges of social interactions. The best to you.
Thank you for letting me know, I have not noticed, as you can see, I'm open to criticism and friendly. And pleasant to be around.
> he's not wrong
Ku band gives Starlink a run for its money on planes. And if I’m backpacking, Starlink is worthless. These are real contexts where Starlink isn’t competitive, a category set to grow in the coming years with new launches and regulations. (Anything you do on Starlink should be presumed to be open to warant-free inquiry by the American and Putin regimes at this point.)
An Iridium Go is small and light enough to throw in your backpack, so it was/is a different kind of product.
I imagine it won't be long before we'll see the next gen from Starlink:
Starlink Standard (fixed) Starlink Mini (portable) Starlink Pocket (ultra-portable)