MCLEAN, Va., March 11, 2015 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Iridium Communications Inc. (Nasdaq:IRDM) today announced Thales has joined the roster of manufacturing partners that will design, manufacture and distribute products for the Iridium Certus broadband service. Iridium Certus will leverage the enhanced capabilities of Iridium NEXT to deliver versatile, reliable, enterprise-grade communications, anywhere and everywhere in the world. Adding Thales as a manufacturing partner is another example of continued execution of Iridium's long-term, strategic plan to team with industry leaders for the production and distribution of best-in-class mobile broadband products, supporting aviation, maritime and terrestrial markets.

"We are excited to welcome Thales as a partner developing solutions for the Iridium Certus broadband platform," said Matt Desch, CEO, Iridium. "Leading manufacturers such as Thales will drive innovation and inspire a greater diversity of solutions to the industry. The products based on Iridium Certus broadband will provide critical and reliable communications for people and companies globally."

Thales joins previously announced manufacturing partners Cobham SATCOM, Rockwell Collins, L-3, and ICG (International Communications Group), all top companies in the commercial and defense technology industries. Thales is a global technology leader in aerospace, defense, security, space and transportation, and provides innovative solutions for critical systems and services meeting the most complex requirements for every operating environment on land, at sea, in the air and beyond in space.Thales Alenia Space, a joint venture of Thales Group and Finmeccanica Group, has developed and is building the Space Segment of the Iridium NEXT constellation as the prime contractor.

"Iridium Certus broadband is a huge leap forward for the industry. It will deliver unmatched mobile satellite services globally for commercial and government users," said Alan Pellegrini, president and CEO, Thales USA. "We're extremely pleased to expand our relationship with Iridium and to have the opportunity to develop and bring to market new and innovative solutions for land, maritime and aeronautic applications allowing Thales to leverage its presence in every market segment."

By the end of 2015, Iridium plans to announce Iridium Certus broadband service providers who will be approved to sell broadband services to the aeronautical, maritime and terrestrial markets. Iridium Certus broadband will support a portfolio of partner manufactured, multi-service products with a broad range of data speeds eventually as high as 1.4 megabits per second for a single user terminal after Iridium NEXT deployment is completed.

Iridium will provide Iridium Certus manufacturing partners with the core satellite communications technology, leveraging decades of experience and advanced digital processing and radio frequency (RF) design. Iridium will also assist development efforts with technical support and testing services.

Like the current Iridium® constellation, the Iridium NEXT system will cover 100 percent of the globe -- even polar regions -- and its mesh architecture is less susceptible to inclement weather or interference that may impact performance of other systems. This reliable, global coverage is necessary for critical communications.

For more information on Iridium NEXT, go to www.iridium.com.

About Iridium Communications Inc.

Iridium is the only mobile voice and data satellite communications network that spans the entire globe. Iridium enables connections between people, organizations and assets to and from anywhere, in real time. Together with its ecosystem of partner companies, Iridium delivers an innovative and rich portfolio of reliable solutions for markets that require truly global communications. The company has a major development program underway for its next-generation network — Iridium NEXT. Iridium Communications Inc. is headquartered in McLean, Va., U.S.A., and its common stock trades on the NASDAQ Global Select Market under the ticker symbol IRDM. For more information about Iridium products, services and partner solutions, visit www.iridium.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

Statements in this press release that are not purely historical facts may constitute forward-looking statements as defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. The Company has based these statements on its current expectations and the information currently available to us. Forward-looking statements in this presentation include statements regarding the development and capabilities of the Iridium NEXT constellation, including the expected Iridium NEXT deployment and launch schedule; and the development, manufacture, marketing and capabilities of products using the Iridium Certus broadband service. Forward-looking statements can be identified by the words "anticipates," "may," "can," "believes," "expects," "projects," "intends," "likely," "will," "to be" and other expressions that are predictions or indicate future events, trends or prospects. These forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of Iridium to differ materially from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, uncertainties regarding Iridium NEXT development and functionality, potential delays in Iridium NEXT deployment or the development of Iridium Certus broadband products, and the company's ability to maintain the health, capacity and content of its current satellite constellation, as well as general industry and economic conditions, and competitive, legal, governmental and technological factors. Other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those indicated by the forward-looking statements include those factors listed under the caption "Risk Factors" in the Company's Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2014, filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission ("the SEC") on February 26, 2015, as well as other filings Iridium makes with the SEC from time to time. There is no assurance that Iridium's expectations will be realized. If one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or if Iridium's underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those expected, estimated or projected. Iridium's forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this press release, and Iridium undertakes no obligation to update forward-looking statements.

CONTACT: Diane Hockenberry

         Iridium Communications Inc.

         +1 (703) 287-7421

         Diane.hockenberry@iridium.com