As Globalstar expands its satellite messaging services for Apple, the company faces a nagging radio interference problem from a Chinese government satellite system. 

At issue is the satellite constellation from China’s BeiDou, an alternative GPS navigation provider. Its current-generation BeiDou-3 system became fully operational in 2020, with over 30 satellites spread across various orbits. In a meeting with the FCC last week, Globalstar says it’s encountered “substantial harmful interference” from BeiDou’s system with its own mobile satellite services in the Asia-Pacific region. 

In the last few years, “BeiDou’s operators have failed to effectively address these interference concerns,” according to Globalstar, which said it received priority for the satellite radio spectrum from the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) before BeiDou.

“We urged that the Commission continue to pursue the ITU’s complaint procedures, inter-administration negotiations, and other activity needed to resolve these interference issues,” Globalstar told the FCC. 

According to Communications Daily, the radio interference has affected Globalstar’s HIBLEO-4 satellite system, which the company is preparing to upgrade as it develops its upcoming C-3 constellation. 

The FCC has complained to China’s telecommunications regulator about the BeiDou constellation disrupting messaging traffic and limiting capacity for the HIBLEO-4 system. But China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology has reportedly pushed back, suggesting the interference originated from other satellite systems.  

Globalstar didn’t respond to a request for comment. But the radio interference issue could hold back its efforts to provide satellite messaging for iPhones in Asia. Last year, Apple expanded satellite messaging to users in Japan; the capability is already available in the US. 

Communications Daily adds that the FCC also wrote to China’s telecommunications regulator “30 separate times about Chinese systems registered with the ITU and how they might pose interference risks to US satellites.”

Get Our Best Stories!

Your Daily Dose of Our Top Tech News

Sign up for our What’s New Now newsletter to receive the latest news, best new products, and expert advice from the editors of PCMag.

By clicking Sign Me Up, you confirm you are 16+ and agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.

Thanks for signing up!

Your subscription has been confirmed. Keep an eye on your inbox!

About Michael Kan

Senior Reporter

I’ve been working as a journalist for over 15 years—I got my start as a schools and cities reporter in Kansas City and joined PCMag in 2017.

Read Michael’s full bio

Read the latest from Michael Kan