Amazon said it would acquire satellite data firm Globalstar for $90 (£66) a share, in a deal worth about $11.57bn, in a move to boost the direct-to-device capabilities of its Leo service.

The deal, expected to close next year, is to see Amazon acquire Globalstar’s existing satellite operations, infrastructure and assets, including spectrum licences authorised globally.

Globalstar’s new satellites and existing network, which are designed to provide low-data services direct to devices such as mobile phones, are to operate alongside Amazon’s network.

Amazon said the Globalstar acquisition will help it build its own direct-to-device service, which it plans to bring online in 2028.

The company agreed a deal with Apple under which Globalstar will continue to provide satellite-based emergency and device-location services for iPhones and Apple Watches.

Amazon has launched more than 240 satellites over the past year for the Leo initiative, but its launch plans have faced delays.

In January it asked the US Federal Communications Commission for more time to meet a deadline that requires it to launch 1,600 satellites by July 2026.

Currently the satellite data market is dominated by SpaceX’s Starlink, which has more than 10,000 satellites in orbit and more than 9 million users.

Starlink is developing its own direct-to-device service.