Apple Picks Amazon Satellites for iPhone, Snubbing Starlink in Major Satellite Deal

Apple has chosen Amazon's satellite network to power connectivity for iPhones and Apple Watches, a strategic partnership that directly pits Amazon against SpaceX's Starlink. The deal, announced alongside Amazon's $11.6 billion acquisition of satellite operator Globalstar, marks a significant escalation in the satellite internet race and gives Amazon's fledgling Project Kuiper network a flagship consumer electronics partner.

The agreement makes Amazon the "primary satellite service provider" for Apple devices, according to Amazon's senior VP of devices and services, Panos Panay. This move leverages Globalstar's existing partnership with Apple for satellite messaging, which Amazon will now absorb and expand. The acquisition is explicitly aimed at accelerating Amazon's entry into the Direct-to-Device (D2D) market, where satellites connect directly to standard mobile phones without specialized hardware.

The partnership represents a major coup for Amazon's Project Kuiper, providing a guaranteed, high-profile customer base as it builds out its constellation to compete with Starlink. For Apple, it secures a dedicated satellite infrastructure for future emergency and connectivity features. The deal also underscores a years-long strategic shift; Apple reportedly rejected an offer from SpaceX's Starlink years ago, opting instead to build its satellite features with Globalstar and now, by extension, its new corporate parent, Amazon.