A Globalstar ground station that enables emergency messaging via satellite on the iPhone 14. Photo via Apple.

Globalstar is building out its ground network around the world with recent moves in Japan, Spain, and Texas to support its next-generation satellite constellation, called C-3. The company plans to add more than 90 additional tracking antennas at 35 ground stations around the world to support the C-3 constellation. 

The operator acquired additional land at its existing ground station in Bihoro, Japan, and construction has started on additional gateway infrastructure at the site. Globalstar said this is a strategic expansion to grow its mobile satellite services in Asia, and it now ad the additional space to support future expansion in Japan. 

“We’re just getting started,” L. Barbee Ponder, general counsel and vice president of Regulatory Affairs commented.“The installation and operation of the infrastructure in Japan is the first step in the Asia-Pacific portion of our global expansion designed to support Globalstar’s third-generation mobile satellite system serving hundreds of millions of people around the world.”

Globalstar started the ground network expansion with a new 6-meter antenna called Clifton-8 in Clifton, Texas. Clifton-8 is the eighth tracking antenna installed at the Texas site and it is the first of five new antennas planned to support the C-3 system,

Last week, Globalstar signed an agreement with Telecom CLM to expand the Alcazar Teleport in Castilla La Mancha, Spain, with additional ground station antennas and associated infrastructure. Globalstar plans to double its footprint at the Alcazar Teleport with three new tracking antennas and supporting infrastructure.

C-3 is the next-generation constellation announced in November 2024, separate from the network upgrade that is also underway. Globalstar has said C-3 will support advanced commercial/enterprise IoT and consumer-based MSS offerings, and new direct-to-device satellite features for Apple. 

Globalstar is allocating 85% of the C-3 network capacity for Apple services, and Apple is paying Globalstar up to $1.1 billion to fund this new constellation.