Overview

• Apple’s Emergency SOS and Messages via satellite features remain free through at least September 2025, positioning them as safety tools rather than full internet services.
• Some senior executives, including Craig Federighi, are pushing to discontinue Apple’s costly satellite offerings amid doubts about their long-term viability.
• The company spends hundreds of millions annually on Globalstar’s network, and introducing user fees could trigger federal telecom regulations requiring surveillance backdoors.
• SpaceX has challenged Globalstar’s radio spectrum use in legal filings, a move that could cripple Apple’s satellite messaging functions if successful.
• Apple initially explored a full-scale satellite internet system called Project Eagle and in 2022 rejected Elon Musk’s $5 billion Starlink exclusivity deal in favor of its limited Globalstar partnership.