In The News

U.S. News - (Reuters) - Satellite services firm Globalstar Inc said on Wednesday it will partner with Apple Inc for a feature on the company's flagship iPhone 14 series that will allow users to call for help during an emergency. Apple will pay for 95% of the approved capital expenditure for the new satellites that would be needed to support the service, but Globalstar will still need to raise additional debt to construct and deploy the satellites, Globalstar said. "Goldman Sachs & Co LLC and is currently exploring capital markets opportunities and expects to complete a financing in the fourth quarter of 2022," Globalstar said in a regulatory filing. Read More >

Yahoo Finance - (Reuters) - Apple Inc on Wednesday selected Globalstar Inc as its partner for a feature that would allow iPhone 14 users to send emergency messages from remote locations. Read More >

ViaSatellite - Apple’s new iPhone 14 will be able to send emergency SoS messages outside the reach of cellular networks, enabled by Globalstar satellite connectivity. The service will be available on the iPhone 14 in November in the U.S. and Canada. It will be free for two years but Apple did not specify what the service would cost after two years. Apple announced the service in a Wednesday keynote, and Globalstar confirmed in SEC filings that it will provide the satellite connectivity. Apple did not mention Globalstar by name in the keynote. Globalstar said it is allocating 85% of its current and future network capacity to support the services and has agreed to prioritize the services on its network. Read More >

Tech Central - Satellite services firm Globalstar will partner with Apple for a feature on the company’s flagship iPhone 14 series that will allow users to call for help during an emergency. Apple will pay for 95% of the approved capital expenditure for the new satellites that will be needed to support the service, but Globalstar will still need to raise additional debt to construct and deploy the satellites, Globalstar said.Globalstar’s stock fell about 16% on Wednesday before being halted ahead of the announcement. The stock has gained about 50% year to date. Read More >

Wall Street Journal - Apple Inc. said users of its newest iPhone models will be able to send distress signals and broadcast their locations from far-flung areas where ground-based cellular towers aren’t within reach. The new service, called Emergency SOS via satellite, will allow iPhone 14 users to send special low-bandwidth text messages to emergency responders through space-based relays. Apple said the service will launch in November in the U.S. and Canada. The company plans to offer the service for free for two years. Smartphones have long used the U.S. Global Positioning System's existing network of satellites for wayfinding, but technical limitations have typically kept consumer-grade devices from reaching space-borne communications networks. The power needed to send a strong signal skyward has restricted the market to heavy, expensive satellite phones from specialists like Iridium Communications Inc. and Globalstar Inc. Read More >

Connectivity Business News - Satellite communications provider Globalstar announced today that Apple is its long-rumored $327 million customer. Globalstar made the announcement as a Reg FD filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Globalstar is required to raise additional debt capital, according to its agreement with Apple, the filing said Read More >

Claudia Smith, Regional Business Development Manager, Globalstar, discusses what satellite IoT technologies can do to combat natural disasters.

Besides loss of life, there are other significant losses that communities suffer due to natural disasters, such as damage to infrastructure, misplacement of assets and overall financial impact. 

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When fires do break out, knowing the location of firefighting vehicles and crews is critical. Solar-powered satellite asset trackers, feeding GPS coordinates to digital mapping systems, let fire managers in the US Forest Service make the most efficient use of every vehicle in their fleet. 

Emergency managers spend their time imagining the worst that can happen and trying to prepare for it. Satellite IoT is making the job easier by the year.

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Few industries stand to gain more than the agriculture sector does from the adoption of technology at scale. A plethora of studies have shown the benefits of using detailed, real-time information about crops – known as precision agriculture (precision ag) – to increase yields while reducing water, fertilizer, and herbicide. Additionally, livestock ranchers have achieved sharp reductions in lost and injured animals by tagging them with trackers that transmit their location and identify behavior that may signal problems.  Read More >

The Internet of Things (IoT) is revolutionizing the capabilities of smart, autonomous devices and transforming the way many industries conduct business. However, an IoT device is only useful so long as it maintains an internet connection. In remote areas, satellite networks are often the only surefire way to keep track of valuable assets. Read More >