MCLEAN, Va., May 7, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Iridium Communications Inc. (NASDAQ: IRDM) announced today that Iridium Certus has won the award for "Top Connected Platform" during the annual Mobile Satellite Users Association (MSUA) Mobility Satellite Innovation Awards at SATELLITE 2019.  Iridium Certus is a unique platform that enables both the development and adoption of specialty broadband applications while serving as the world's only truly global commercial broadband service.  The "Top Connected Platform" award comes less than four months after the service made its acclaimed commercial debut on January 16, 2019.

With more than 30 global service providers and six Value Added Manufacturers producing terminals for a combination of maritime, land-mobile and aviation markets, Iridium Certus continues to see growing adoption at a global level.  This is the result of its best-in-class service reliability, top-end L-band broadband speeds, smaller antenna and terminal sizes compared to competitive services, cost-effectiveness and unique truly global coverage.  The service has already proven to be a powerful ally for crews at sea, teams deployed to remote areas and organizations in need of on-the-move connectivity anywhere in the world at any given moment.

"We're honored to see Iridium Certus gain such important recognition from our colleagues in the satellite industry.  Iridium Certus is a truly unique platform and is already serving as an engine for innovation for our partners around the world," said Matt Desch, CEO, Iridium. "This is just the beginning though, and later this year our partners will receive our new Iridium Certus 9770 transceiver that will open the door for an entirely new family of devices optimized for highly mobile and lower-cost applications.  This can include personal devices offering rich data streams, pictures and even some video at a price point never before possible from a satellite operator.  We thank MSUA for this honor and look forward to what the future will bring!"

"Innovations in mobility, such as Iridium Certus, help reduce the barriers and showcase the benefits of satcom for organizations that previously may not have been able to justify its adoption," said Catherine Melquist, president of MSUA. "MSUA is proud to present Iridium with the 'Top Connectivity Platform' award and looks forward to witnessing the company's future innovations and continued leadership in our industry."

Currently, three Iridium Certus terminals are commercially available, including the Cobham SAILOR 4300, MissionLINK^™ by Thales, the only land-mobile terminal available today, and VesseLINK™ by Thales, with aviation terminals making their debut in late 2019 and 2020. These terminals are currently enabling on-the-move mobile office functionality for deployed personnel and two-way remote communication for assets, autonomous vehicles, trains and ships at sea for companies, governments and other organizations. Iridium Certus is also being developed as a platform for both maritime (GMDSS) and aviation safety services, as well as an ideal complement to other satellite and terrestrial technologies.

For more information about Iridium, visit: www.iridium.com

For more information about MSUA visit: www.msua.org

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 recently completed its next-generation satellite network and launched its new specialty broadband service, Iridium Certus. 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.   

SOURCE Iridium Communications Inc.