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MCLEAN, Va., Jan. 18, 2011 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Iridium Communications Inc. (Nasdaq:IRDM) announces that 17 service partners have signed up to participate in the company's Network Quality Guarantee program. The Iridium Network Quality Guarantee promises complete network availability for customers purchasing new Iridium satellite phones and airtime service.
"Our decision to expand our Network Quality Guarantee program is a reflection of our leadership in the industry. We are confident in the reliability of our satellite constellation and network infrastructure now and through the transition to Iridium NEXT," said Matt Desch, CEO of Iridium. "This Network Quality Guarantee expresses our confidence in our long-term position in the marketplace and in the health of the constellation."
Under its Network Quality Guarantee, Iridium offers credits of up to 100 minutes of airtime, as well as up to three months of free subscription fees, if the network fails to complete properly initiated voice calls from customers' new Iridium handsets. The offer applies only to new customers using Iridium 9555 or Iridium 9505A satellite phones. If customers are unable to complete a properly initiated call within the first 90 days of activation, they can submit a credit claim through participating service providers. Iridium will work with the service providers to ensure issues are not related to dialing errors or improper usage, and if possible, will provide assistance to resolve the problems to the customer's satisfaction.
"This is a strong program," said Erik Ceuppens, CEO of Vizada EMEA & Asia. "Offering an actual guarantee enables Vizada to sell Iridium service with a reliable communications lifeline. This is critical for customers who use satellite phones because they are often in remote locations where no other forms of communication exist."
The following Iridium service providers have agreed to extend this industry-leading guarantee offer: Blue Sky Network, LLC; Comsatel S.A.; Comunicaciones Latincom LTDA; General Dynamics Satellite Communication Services Inc.; GMPCS Personal Communications, Inc.; Infosat Communications, Inc.; SatCom Direct Communications Inc.; SatCom Global FZE; Spacenet Communications Services de Mexico, S.A. de C.V.; Stratos Wireless, Inc.; Tecnologias de Control Del Norte SA de CV (TECNOR); Tesacom do Brasil Comunicacoes Ltda; Tesacom Panama, SA; Tesacom Peru S.A.C.; TR PTY LTD; Vizada, Inc.; and Vizada SAS. Iridium expects others will follow suit.
"The Iridium constellation remains healthy, with fuel load in our operational satellites expected to last until our next-generation satellites are deployed," said Scott Smith, executive vice president, Satellite Development & Operations, Iridium. "Furthermore, recent testing indicates that key parts of Iridium's satellites are even more radiation tolerant than we expected and therefore the radiation environment of our orbit should not be an issue for the current Iridium constellation."
Iridium recently released a series of materials on its Iridium Global Network documenting the quality of service metrics for its satellite network. The data shows that Iridium's first-time call completion rate is better than 98.5 percent, and dropped call rates are less than 0.5 percent for a 45-second call. The reports are available on Iridium's website at: http://www.iridium.com/About/IridiumGlobalNetwork.aspx.
About Iridium Communications Inc.
Iridium Communications Inc. (www.iridium.com) is the only mobile satellite service (MSS) company offering coverage over the entire globe. The Iridium constellation of low-Earth orbiting (LEO) cross-linked satellites provides critical voice and data services for areas not served by terrestrial communication networks. Iridium serves commercial markets through a worldwide network of distributors, and provides services to the U.S. Department of Defense and other U.S. and international government agencies. The company's customers represent a broad spectrum of industry, including maritime, aeronautical, government/defense, public safety, utilities, oil/gas, mining, forestry, heavy equipment and transportation. Iridium has launched a major development program for its next-generation satellite constellation, Iridium NEXT. The company is headquartered in McLean, Va., U.S.A. and trades on the NASDAQ Global Select Market under the ticker symbols IRDM (common stock), IRDMW ($7.00 warrants), IRDMZ ($11.50 warrants) and IRDMU (units).
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. Forward-looking statements include statements regarding the development of Iridium NEXT, anticipated growth in subscribers and commercial and government services revenue, and anticipated equipment revenue and Operational EBITDA, Operational EBITDA margin and net leverage. Other 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 increases in customer demand for our products and services, growth in subscribers and revenue, expected Operational EBITDA growth, Iridium's ability to maintain the health, capacity and content of its satellite constellation, and the development of and transition to Iridium NEXT, including expanded capacity and features, 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-Q for the quarter ended September 30, 2010 and filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on November 9, 2010. 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.