MCLEAN, Va., Oct. 23, 2013 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Iridium Communications Inc. (Nasdaq:IRDM) today announces that it has been awarded a contract with the Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) to support the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) Enhanced Mobile Satellite Service (EMSS) Gateway in Hawaii. The Gateway Maintenance and Support Service (GMSS) contract value for the initial year is $7.2 million with four additional one-year options available for a potential total value of $38 million.

The DoD's Iridium EMSS gateway serves as a dedicated portal for the uplink and downlink of mission-critical voice and data traffic through Iridium's satellite network for DoD users and their federal partners. Upgrades and maintenance performed on the gateway will support the renewed, five-year EMSS contract Iridium was awarded by DISA this month and will ensure it operates effectively to handle the network's current capabilities as well as the enhanced services that will become available with Iridium NEXT -- the Company's next generation satellite constellation scheduled for first launch in early 2015.

"Iridium is proud to serve as the only mobile satellite services company offering complete coverage over the entire globe, uniquely positioning us to support the mission-critical communications of our U.S. government customers," said Scott Scheimreif, executive vice president of government programs for Iridium. "The DoD's dedicated gateway allows for direct connectivity into their Defense Switch Network (DSN) providing a critical level of operational security for their users. Our gateway work will include upgrades and maintenance supporting the DoD's use of the Iridium® network, particularly as we anticipate demand increasing to service their global voice, low and high-speed data, paging and Distributed Tactical Communication Services (DTCS) needs."

Iridium NEXT will maintain the existing Iridium constellation mesh architecture of 66 cross-linked Low-Earth-Orbit (LEO) satellites and include six in-orbit spares — all providing coverage over the entire Earth's surface, including Polar Regions. It will deliver more bandwidth and higher data speeds to support powerful new devices with enhanced voice quality, further extending Iridium's ability to service the communications needs of more than 300 government and commercial partners.

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 ever-expanding 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 of and transition to the Iridium NEXT constellation; features of the Iridium NEXT system; expected Iridium NEXT project costs and deployment schedule; the expected potential value of the GMSS contract; and expected DoD usage requirements.   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 overall Iridium NEXT development and costs, potential delays in the Iridium NEXT deployment, levels of demand for mobile satellite services (MSS), and the company's ability to maintain the health, capacity and content of its 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, 2012, filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission ("the SEC") on March 5, 2013, and the Company's Form 10-Q for the quarter ended June 30, 2013, filed with the SEC on August 1, 2013, 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: Press Contact:

         

         Diane Hockenberry

         Iridium Communications Inc.

         +1 (703) 287-7421

         diane.hockenberry@iridium.com

         

         Investor Contact:



         Steve Kun-Szabo

         Iridium Communications Inc.

         +1 (703) 287-7570

         steve.kunszabo@iridium.com