MCLEAN, Va., Feb. 18, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Iridium Communications Inc. (NASDAQ:IRDM) announced today that it has been awarded a $8.57 million task order, under the Gateway Modernization Efforts contract, from the Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA), to make upgrades and enhancements to the U.S. Department of Defense's dedicated Iridium® gateway that will improve network effectiveness, enhance performance and enable continued preparation efforts for its next-generation, global satellite constellation, Iridium NEXT.

This milestone signifies Iridium's continued investment in enabling a global and reliable, secure network that supports mission-critical communications for the Department of Defense (DoD). Additionally, under the fixed-price Enhanced Mobile Satellite Services (EMSS) contract, the DoD and its partners have access to unlimited airtime service for voice, data, paging and Distributed Tactical Communications Services (DTCS).  This task order reinforces Iridium's strong and longstanding relationship with the DoD, and enables continued collaboration and modernization efforts to support warfighter communication needs now and into the future.

"Iridium is proud to work with the DoD and enable global and reliable communications for the United States warfighters and other DISA approved users," said Scott Scheimreif, executive vice president of government solutions at Iridium. "We place significant value and take great pride in our longstanding partnership with the DoD, and look forward to continuing working together as we move towards our next-generation constellation."

Iridium NEXT, Iridium's next-generation global satellite constellation, is scheduled to begin launching in 2016 and for completion in late 2017.  The new constellation will offer greater bandwidth and data speeds, dramatically enhancing Iridium's ability to meet the rapidly-expanding demand for truly global mobile communications on land, at sea and in the skies.

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 and benefits of the gateway modernization efforts. 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 gateway modernization efforts, 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 September 30, 2015, filed with the SEC on October 29, 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.

Press Contact:
Diane Hockenberry
Iridium Communications Inc.
+1 (703) 287-7421
Diane.Hockenberry@iridium.com