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On Tuesday, Amazon announced that it would acquire Global StarIt is a company that manufactures and operates low-Earth orbit satellites with the spectrum needed to communicate with devices on Earth. Amazon also says it is collaborating with Apple, which has relied on Globalstar to provide off-network services Emergency calling features On devices like iPhone and Apple Watch.
the A deal worth $11.57 billion It is Amazon’s latest effort to take on Elon Musk Starlink. This comes at a time when satellite Internet has become crucial to the spread of… Artificial intelligence technologyBut it also raises concerns about what happens as we orbit It fills with junk.
Here’s what to know about the Amazon deal.
Why did Amazon buy Globalstar?
Amazon began aiming to Fill the sky With satellites in earnest in 2023, when it launches its first satellite for the Kuiper Project. Amazon is now developing these efforts under the name Project Leo (LEO is an industrial abbreviation for Low Earth Orbit Satellite). The goal is to build a fleet of thousands of satellites that can keep people connected anywhere they go, bridging the gap between terrestrial cell networks.
As Amazon said in its press release, “Amazon Leo’s complete network will include thousands of advanced low-Earth orbit satellites and have enough capacity to support hundreds of millions of customer endpoints around the world.”
Globalstar is a small satellite company, with about two dozen satellites currently in orbit. What Opportunity Amazon Offers A more robust network of GPS asset tracking technology, ideal for tracking packages or delivery vehicles. Amazon will also control access licensed to Globalstar Wireless spectra Which enables signals from the satellite to be sent “directly to the device”. This would likely give Amazon the ability to launch satellites that communicate directly with devices sooner, rather than having to go through a country-by-country approval process.
“It takes advantage of this package of global spectrum rights that were previously approved, which then feeds into a giant mobile phone company,” says Aparna Venkatesan, a professor of astronomy at the University of San Francisco. “It’s going to be tied into this huge iPhone market. So I think this is a very compelling business package for Amazon and Apple.”
Apple isn’t the only company offering emergency SOS features via satellite. Both Google and Samsung offer it ability On their Smartphones involvedThese features are only expected to grow in the coming years.
What does direct to device mean?
Most smartphone communications work by bouncing signals between cell towers. There are a large number of cell towers around the world, but they are limited to rural areas, the ocean, or in countries with less signal detection infrastructure.
The goal of satellite internet is Contact directly From the satellite to the device on the ground. To do this, you need line of sight to the satellite. Which means you need more of them in orbit to see everything.
That’s why companies like Amazon and SpaceX’s Starlink want to put thousands of satellites into low Earth orbit. The more stuff there is, the more land (or water) it can cover.
Does this affect my iPhone or Apple Watch?
Apple devices using Globalstar features, such as iPhone 14 or later and Apple Watch Ultra 3, should not see any immediate changes. Amazon said in its press release that the company and Apple “have signed an agreement to provide satellite connectivity for current and future iPhone and Apple Watch features.”
It will be interesting to see how Apple, which has used privacy as a strong selling point, will fare with the location service operated by Amazon, a company that has… Proven track record To retain users Data Secure through it products and Services.
Does this have anything to do with Starlink?
Starlink, a division of Elon MuskSpaceX’s subsidiary SpaceX remains the undisputed leader in satellite internet. It currently has nearly 10,000 satellites in orbit. In January, Musk filed an application with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to launch the project A million others Satellites to build Data centers in space.
SpaceX too It appears to be filing for an IPO Very soon, with a stated (and ridiculous) goal of reaching a valuation of $1.75 trillion. Starlink is estimated to be worth $1 trillion of that. (Another $250 billion of the estimated value goes to XAI horny and racist chatbot Your puppy.)
When will these satellites get there?
Amazon’s Project Leo already has 241 satellites in orbit. More are scheduled to launch later this month and into 2027. As for the Globalstar acquisition, Amazon says the deal has not closed yet, though it expects it to close in 2027, barring any regulatory intervention.
“We are in the early stages of the process,” Paul Flaningan, a business and corporate development communications representative at Amazon, wrote in an email response to WIRED’s request for comment. “Nothing changes today; both companies will continue independent operations in the meantime.”