Source: Global Network
[Global Network Technology Comprehensive Report] On May 28th, according to the latest report of the technology media The Information, Elon Musk, CEO of SpaceX, has had a fierce competition with Apple regarding satellite connectivity services.
It is reported that after learning about Apple's plan to cooperate with satellite communication company Globalstar to introduce satellite connection functions for the iPhone 14 series, Musk quickly reached out to Apple, proposing that SpaceX's Starlink network exclusively handle this service.
According to disclosed negotiation details, Musk's terms were highly aggressive: requiring Apple to pay a prepayment of $5 billion (approximately RMB 35.961 billion), and committing to an exclusive cooperation period of 18 months. After the expiration of the cooperation period, Apple would need to pay an additional $1 billion annually to continue using the Starlink network. This offer had a higher financial threshold compared to Globalstar's existing solutions.
Currently, Apple and Globalstar's satellite cooperation has entered a substantive phase. In 2022, Globalstar disclosed that 85% of its satellite network bandwidth would be exclusively used by Apple and received a $252 million investment from Apple. However, Musk's high-profile intervention not only uses the coverage range of the Starlink network (over 50 countries worldwide) and the technical advantages of low-orbit satellites as negotiation chips but also attempts to bind Apple, a consumer electronics giant, through the "astronomical" prepayment model, thereby expanding Starlink's market share in the civilian communication sector. (Qing Shan)
Original article: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7509417222863929883/
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