MCLEAN, Va., Sept. 23, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Iridium Communications Inc. (NASDAQ: IRDM) today announced SKYTRAC as the newest aviation Value Added Manufacturer (VAM) for the Iridium Certus 9810 transceiver. Already an Iridium Certus service provider, SKYTRAC will now be able to both manufacture equipment and provide service to customers across the aviation industry.

Designed for optimal size, weight and power (SWaP), SKYTRAC's new SDL-350 terminal will be a 2-MCU satellite communications system, planned for market introduction in 2021.  The new terminal will offer broadband speeds of up to 352 kbps both to and from the aircraft.  Built for the only L-band broadband platform providing truly global connectivity, the SDL-350 also takes advantage of the Iridium Certus platform's flexibility to scale device speeds, sizes, and power requirements based on the needs of the end-user.

SKYTRAC is also producing the ISAT-200A-08 terminal utilizing Iridium Certus 9770 with 22/88 kbps midband speeds that will bring a 10x bandwidth improvement as compared to Iridium's narrowband services, to operators looking to streamline their efficiencies with VoIP communications, FDR streaming capability, real-time alerts, advanced situational awareness and more.

"Iridium Certus ushers in a new era of globally available connectivity for operators looking for higher bandwidth satellite communication solutions," mentioned Jan van der Heul, SKYTRAC's Vice President of Sales. "We're excited to introduce the two new terminals to the market and look forward to working with operators around the world to enhance their operations through the capabilities we provide."

The SDL-350 terminal will combine SKYTRAC's historical strengths in flight data acquisition and satellite communications with processing power and Iridium Certus bandwidth. This makes it an ideal solution for applications like flight data monitoring, onboard electronic flight bag (EFB) capabilities, real-time health and usage monitoring (HUMS), medical data transfer, Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) communications, Global Aeronautical Distress and Safety System (GADSS) compliance functions, situational awareness, connected aircraft solutions, large file transfers, and more, depending on the terminal's bandwidth level.

"As a new VAM for the Iridium Certus 9810 and a valued long-time Iridium partner, SKYTRAC continues to produce full-service data-driven solutions to the aviation industry," says Bryan Hartin, Executive Vice President, Sales and Marketing, Iridium. "We're excited to see SKYTRAC expand their product offerings by designing, developing and manufacturing new products utilizing the Iridium Certus 9810 and Iridium Certus 9770 transceivers."

The wide-array of capabilities both the new terminals will offer provides solutions for operators in all segments of aviation for both rotary and fixed-wing markets. The new terminals will provide truly global capabilities for operators in aerial firefighting, business aviation, Emergency Medical Services/Search and Rescue, air transport, oil and gas, law enforcement, and more.

For more information about Iridium visit: www.iridium.com
For more information about SKYTRAC Iridium Certus solutions visit: go.skytrac.ca/certus

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. In 2019, the company completed a generational upgrade of its 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. 

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 press release include statements regarding the timing of introduction, capabilities and benefits of products and services enabled by the Iridium constellation, including Iridium Certus broadband and midband solutions. 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 the development and functionality of Iridium products and services, 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, 2019, filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC") on February 25, 2020, and the Company's Form 10-Q for the quarter ended June 30, 2020, as filed with the SEC on July 28, 2020, 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.

Press Contact:
Jordan Hassin
Iridium Communications Inc.
Jordan.Hassin@Iridium.com 
+1 (703) 287-7421
Twitter: @Iridiumcomm

Investor Contact:
Kenneth Levy
Iridium Communications Inc.
Ken.Levy@Iridium.com
+1 (703) 287-7570

SOURCE Iridium Communications Inc.