Satellite operator Globalstar is expanding its ground infrastructure footprint in Canada.

The Apple-backed company this week announced that construction has commenced at its two Canadian ground stations, High River in Alberta and Smiths Falls in Ontario to add three additional tracking antennas at each facility as part of an ongoing expansion program.

The two Globalstar-owned facilities have been in continuous operation for more than twenty years, providing mobile satellite services across the North American region. The company currently operates four tracking antennas at each site.

The expansion is part of a global expansion initiative to deploy more than 90 additional tracking antennas supporting its third-generation C-3 mobile satellite system.

“Globalstar continues its drive forward with the construction and licensing of a major ground station expansion in Canada, where it has maintained a continuous presence for over 20 years,” said L. Barbee Ponder, general counsel & VP of regulatory affairs for Globalstar. “These significant additional investments in Canada will support new and innovative next-generation mobile satellite products and services throughout the entire North American region.”

The Canadian ground station enhancements will support both Globalstar's existing satellite constellation and provide the critical infrastructure necessary for the advanced capabilities of the third-generation C-3 system.

Launched in 1991 as a joint venture of Loral Corporation and Qualcomm, Globalstar's first-generation constellation consists of 48 LEO satellites, with an additional four satellites in orbit as spares, while its second-generation comprises 24 machines. The company operates 24 ground station sites globally.

Globalstar counts Apple as an investor, which uses the satellite firm's services to power some direct-to-cell services on its iPhones.

The satellite firm recently tapped Australian Edge data center firm DXN to deliver three prefabricated modules to Maui, Hawaii, by the end of 2025.

The company said it was the first of 90 new installations planned across 35 ground stations spanning 25 countries and territories.

Ground station expansion work has started at sites in Clifton, Texas; Castilla La Mancha, Spain; and Bihoro, Japan.