Globalstar’s satellite ground station expansion program has arrived in Brazil, with the company adding new infrastructure at four sites across the country

The Apple-backed satellite operator this week announced the addition of eight new six-meter C-3 tracking antennas installed at four ground station sites across Brazil.

Globalstar has provided mobile satellite services across Brazil via ground stations located in Manaus, Petrolina, and Presidente Prudente for more than two decades.

Each of the three sites will see two new antennas installed, while the company will also establish a fourth ground station site with two antennas at an Ascenty Data Centers’ existing teleport in São Paulo.

The expansion is part of a global initiative to deploy more than 90 additional tracking antennas supporting its third-generation C-3 mobile satellite system across 35 ground stations spanning 25 countries and territories.

“Brazil and South America have always been very important markets for Globalstar, and we are looking forward to supporting the latest mobile satellite solutions there with the substantial upgrades and expansions of our ground infrastructure and third-generation C-3 satellite system,” said L. Barbee Ponder, Globalstar general counsel and VP of regulatory affairs. “With Brazil, Globalstar has now announced construction projects related to its third-generation C-3 system that are ongoing at 14 different locations in eight countries on four continents – and this is just the beginning.”

Ground station expansion work has started at sites in Estonia; Clifton, Texas; Singapore; Castilla La Mancha, Spain; Bihoro, Japan; Nemea, Greece; Talkeetna and Wasilla, Alaska; and High River in Alberta and Smiths Falls in Ontario, Canada.

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 constellation comprises 24 spacecraft.

Globalstar counts Apple as an investor. The company uses the satellite firm's services to power some direct-to-cell services on its iPhones. Elon Musk’s SpaceX is reportedly exploring a potential takeover of the company.