The iPhone’s satellite feature provider, Globalstar, has confirmed it’s reached a deal with Skylo, which has been powering satellite messaging on Android devices, including the Google Pixel line.
Globalstar mentioned the deal in a Friday filing with the Federal Communications Commission, a few months after Skylo requested a major increase in the mobile devices it can support for satellite services.
At the time, Skylo refrained from naming Globalstar in the request, but the company’s application covered the key radio frequencies that Globalstar has long been authorized to use for its own satellite services. Skylo asked permission to support up to 250 million devices for “emergency, safety, short-messaging data services.”
In Friday’s filing, Globalstar said it supported Skylo’s application, and urged the FCC for swift approval. “Grant of the Application will help expand direct-to-device (‘D2D’) emergency and safety services for consumers across the United States, and Globalstar respectfully urges the Commission to act on it promptly,” the company wrote.
The filing also notes that Skylo will tap satellite connectivity over Globalstar’s upcoming C-3 constellation, which the FCC approved earlier this month. “Under a contractual arrangement with Globalstar, Skylo will function as the network service provider for certain services provided to devices operating over the C-3 System, pursuant to Globalstar’s exclusive MSS use rights under its Big LEO MSS license,” the company wrote. The first C-3 satellites are slated to start launching next year.
The Mountain View-based Skylo didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment. But the deal suggests users of Skylo’s satellite services will be moved over to Globalstar’s network at some point soon. Skylo’s service has been available on eligible Google Pixel devices, along with certain Samsung Galaxy phones on Verizon and Xfinity Mobile.
Skylo’s service is also similar to iPhone’s free satellite messaging, enabling a user in a cellular dead zone to reach emergency responders or text someone when no cell tower is in sight. Unlike other providers though, Skylo doesn’t directly own any satellites. Instead it’s been focused on partnering with satellite players, such as Viasat, Echostar, Inmarsat, and Ligado Networks.
Industry consolidation is likely causing Skylo to sign up with Globalstar, which used to be the exclusive satellite provider for the iPhone. However, Apple is selling its stake in the company as part of Amazon’s $11.6 billion acquisition of Globalstar. Amazon’s goal is to eventually expand Globalstar and turn it into a major provider of satellite-to-phone services, making it a competitor to SpaceX’s Starlink Mobile and AST SpaceMobile.
About Our Expert
Michael Kan
Principal Reporter
Experience
I’ve been a journalist for over 15 years. I got my start as a schools and cities reporter in Kansas City and joined PCMag in 2017, where I cover satellite internet services, cybersecurity, PC hardware, and more. I’m currently based in San Francisco, but previously spent over five years in China, covering the country’s technology sector.
Since 2020, I’ve covered the launch and explosive growth of SpaceX’s Starlink satellite internet service, writing 600+ stories on availability and feature launches, but also the regulatory battles over the expansion of satellite constellations, fights with rival providers like AST SpaceMobile and Amazon, and the effort to expand into satellite-based mobile service. I’ve combed through FCC filings for the latest news and driven to remote corners of California to test Starlink’s cellular service.
I also cover cyber threats, from ransomware gangs to the emergence of AI-based malware. In 2024 and 2025, the FTC forced Avast to pay consumers $16.5 million for secretly harvesting and selling their personal information to third-party clients, as revealed in my joint investigation with Motherboard.
I also cover the PC graphics card market. Pandemic-era shortages led me to camp out in front of a Best Buy to get an RTX 3000. I’m now following how the AI-driven memory shortage is impacting the entire consumer electronics market. I’m always eager to learn more, so please jump in the comments with feedback and send me tips.
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