April 15, 2026
Who owns the sky now?
Amazon to Acquire Globalstar and Expand Amazon Leo Satellite Network
Coverage everywhere or Amazon owns the sky? Fans hype, critics yell monopoly
TLDR: Amazon is buying Globalstar to power its Amazon Leo satellites and bring iPhone/Watch satellite texting and wider phone-to-satellite service by 2028. Commenters are split between excitement for off-grid coverage and competition with SpaceX, and fear that Amazon’s “own the sky” move invites antitrust breakups.
Amazon just scooped up Globalstar to supercharge its Amazon Leo satellite network, and the comments section went orbital. Fans are buzzing about phones that talk to space when cell towers vanish, especially with Apple on board for iPhone and Apple Watch emergency texts, friend messages, and roadside help. But the loudest chorus? Power panic. User kumarvvr opened with, “So, Amazon wants to own the tubes too?”—a meme-y jab at Amazon owning everything from cloud servers to TV boxes and now the sky.
Another camp is treating this like the Space Race: Amazon vs. SpaceX, with jameslk betting “the next acquisition target will be AST SpaceMobile,” and predicting old-school telecom mergers to survive “competition from the heavens.” Meanwhile Ekaros channeled breakup energy: if Amazon’s tentacles keep growing, “will [they] be forcibly cut up?” The antitrust alarm bells are ringing as loudly as the rocket engines.
There’s also spicy trivia: some folks didn’t realize Amazon Leo is the rebrand of Project Kuiper, cue the “missed the memo” jokes. And because it’s the internet, a thread detour debated meteors vs. space junk, proving nothing escapes gravity—or derailment. Bottom line: D2D (direct-to-device) service arrives in 2028, promising coverage everywhere, while the community argues whether that future is freedom… or a monopoly in orbit.
Key Points
- •Amazon announced a definitive agreement to acquire Globalstar, incorporating its satellite operations and MSS spectrum into Amazon Leo.
- •Amazon and Apple agreed for Amazon Leo to power satellite services for supported iPhone and Apple Watch models, including Emergency SOS via satellite.
- •The acquisition enables Amazon Leo to add direct-to-device (D2D) services, extending voice, text, and data beyond terrestrial cellular coverage.
- •Globalstar’s existing and next-generation satellites will operate alongside Amazon Leo’s broadband system and planned D2D system.
- •Amazon plans to deploy its own next-generation D2D satellite system beginning in 2028 to serve mobile phones and other cellular devices.