Satellite operator Globalstar has announced it will act on its satellite system filing for its HIBLEO-XL-1 satellite constellation, to expand its service offering.

HIBLEO-XL-1 includes numerous new satellites, orbital shells, and frequency bands beyond its existing licensed L, S, and C-Band frequencies.

As well as mobile service bands and additional feeder-link spectrum, which the company describes will expand and enhance connectivity services to absorb new consumers and industries.

“We believe that bringing HIBLEO-XL-1 into use provides Globalstar with significant optionality as the Company grows as a major provider of connectivity in the global space economy that is expected to reach $1.8 trillion by 2035,” said Dr. Paul Jacobs, Globalstar CEO, in a statement. “We look forward to providing operational updates on our progress as we enter a new era in Globalstar’s expanding investments in connecting everyone, everywhere.”

The filing, made in 2020 with the International Telecommunications Union through the German regulator BNetzA, specifies a 3,080-satellite constellation in 110 orbital planes between 485-700km, which it resubmitted in France in 2022.

The company applied to extend its HIBLEO-4 authorization with the FCC for an additional 15 years and operate 26 replacement satellites in August 2024.

Later that year, in November, the company announced an additional investment of $1.5 billion from Apple in a third-generation satellite system it referred to as C-3 to support iPhone services, which would include 48 new satellites supported by about 90 new ground station antennas installed globally. At that time, Globalstar estimated it was, and would continue to allocate about 85 percent of its network capacity to Apple.

Globalstar has been operating its current mobile satellite system since 2000, using the same LEO frequency bands, which have seen billions of dollars in investment over the years.

Globalstar has signed a launch agreement with SpaceX for Falcon 9 missions to deploy nine replacement satellites built by MDA Space, with the first launch planned for 2025 and a second in 2026, shoring up its second-generation constellation to enable uninterrupted service.

The company projects $383.1 million in revenue and $75.2m in earnings by 2028, assuming 13.7 percent annual venue growth and a $124.2m increase in earnings. The company saw an eight percent bump in share price in the afternoon session the day of its expansion announcement, and closed out 6.8 percent higher than previous close at $34.29 a share.