Satellite D2D Competition Heats Up: Starlink, Amazon Globalstar, Big Three JV
Key Questions
What is Amazon acquiring and how does it impact its satellite plans?
Amazon is acquiring Globalstar for $11.57 billion to strengthen its Kuiper LEO constellation with D2D spectrum, Apple SOS support, and AT&T partnerships. The deal also includes 800,000 subscribers and aviation Wi-Fi services delivering up to 1 Gbps for Delta and JetBlue by 2026.
What recent changes has Starlink made to its pricing and technology?
Starlink has raised monthly plan prices by $5-10 effective June 18 and removed the local GPS API on May 20. It is also signaling reduced reliance on carriers by 2027 through V2 satellites and EchoStar spectrum.
What does an analyst predict for Starlink Mobile's future?
An analyst forecasts that Starlink will launch its own MVNO within a year using EchoStar spectrum. The service could reach 20 million US subscribers by 2031 despite carrier rejections of partnership proposals.
What is the Big Three carriers' D2D joint venture planning to offer?
T-Mobile, AT&T, and Verizon are pooling spectrum for a D2D service focused on rural, highway, and disaster coverage. The initiative requires no new hardware from users.
How is T-Mobile expanding its T-Satellite service?
T-Mobile is extending T-Satellite roaming to Canada and New Zealand. This builds on its broader satellite strategy amid competition from Starlink and Amazon's Globalstar move.
Amazon's $11.57B Globalstar acquisition bolsters Kuiper/LEO with D2D spectrum, Apple SOS, AT&T ties, 800k subs, and 1Gbps/400Mbps aviation Wi-Fi for Delta/JetBlue by 2026. Starlink raises plan prices $5-10/mo (eff. June 18), removes local GPS API (May 20), and signals reduced carrier dependency by 2027 via V2 sats and EchoStar spectrum. Analyst predicts Starlink Mobile MVNO within a year using EchoStar spectrum, 20M US subs by 2031. Big Three D2D JV via spectrum pooling for rural/highway/disaster coverage (no new hardware). T-Mobile expands T-Satellite roaming to Canada and New Zealand.