MCLEAN, Va., Aug. 5, 2015 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Iridium Communications Inc. (Nasdaq:IRDM) today announced the latest milestone in the development of their next-generation Iridium Certus broadband service with the delivery of the first Broadband Core Transceiver (BCX) prototypes for interoperability testing on the Iridium NEXT satellite network infrastructure. Designed by product development firm Cambridge Consultants, the prototypes will be used by Iridium's industry-leading manufacturing partners to design, build and distribute products compatible with the new broadband capabilities enabled by the Iridium NEXT network, scheduled to begin launching in late 2015 with commercial service expected in late 2016.

The BCX module will provide a significant advancement from Iridium's current-generation broadband products and offers a streamlined form factor, at approximately 75 percent of the first-generation Iridium broadband equipment size, while initially supporting triple the data speeds of the current service. The BCX will be made available to the Iridium Certus broadband manufacturing partners that Iridium announced earlier this year. Iridium is working closely with terminal manufacturers to introduce innovative solutions for affordable mobile broadband, with an addressable market of more than 750,000 potential subscribers across the aeronautical, maritime and land mobile markets.

"This is another exciting step forward for us that reinforces our strategy to drive innovation by designing core technology and putting it into the hands of industry-leading partners to build and distribute end solutions," said Brian Pemberton, vice president and general manager, Iridium aviation and maritime business. "As initial development continues, we'll be working diligently to support our partners in a collaborative environment and create a number of truly cutting-edge mobile satellite broadband solutions that meet the needs of our many diverse markets."

Iridium Certus will be an enterprise-grade mobile satellite broadband service, with the reliability and versatility to operate as a standalone solution or complementary to VSAT platforms. While the BCX will initially support data speeds over the Iridium NEXT network that are comparable to current industry mobile broadband products, the scalable architecture of the transceiver will enable a broad range of products with data speeds as high as 1.4 megabits per second for a single user terminal after the Iridium NEXT satellites are fully online.

Iridium will make the BCX prototypes available to manufacturers as part of the Iridium Certus Integrator Development Kits and will assist product development efforts with technical support and testing services. BCX production deliveries are planned for the first half of 2016, and commercial availability of the Iridium Certus broadband service is anticipated to begin in late 2016.

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 and the development, deployment and capabilities of products for Iridium Certus broadband. 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 the Iridium NEXT deployment, the development of and market for Iridium Certus and related products, 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, 2014, filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission ("the SEC") on February 26, 2015, and the Company's 10-Q for the quarter ended June 30, 2015, filed with the SEC on July 30, 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: Press Contact:



         Diane Hockenberry

         Iridium Communications Inc.

         +1 (703) 287-7421

         Diane.hockenberry@iridium.com