MCLEAN, Va., March 27, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Iridium Communications Inc. (NASDAQ:IRDM) announced today that Speedcast has signed an agreement to become a land-mobile service provider for its next-generation satellite broadband technology, Iridium Certus. Speedcast joins a world-class group of service providers and will help further expand the Iridium Certus footprint. Designed for on-the-move vehicles, assets and teams, Iridium Certus will support the only truly global communications solution enabling capabilities like real-time vehicle tracking, internet, phone and data transfer, all from one service.

Already a global maritime launch partner for Iridium Certus, Speedcast will bring its international network and expertise to the Iridium Certus land-mobile program as well. "We are excited to continue working with Iridium to expand our portfolio of services with Iridium Certus," said Tim Bailey, Executive Vice President, Products, Marketing, and Business Development, Speedcast. "Iridium Certus will greatly complement our Speedcast Atlas™ managed services portfolio delivering reliable communications to end users anywhere on the planet. We look forward to continuing working with Iridium for many years to come."

Specific to the land-mobile market, Iridium Certus will run on the new Thales MissionLINKTM terminal, ideal for off-the-grid public safety, utility, oil and gas, military and non-government organization applications. Iridium Certus will offer cost-effective, reliable and global L-band satellite broadband communications that can smoothly transition between satellite and cellular connectivity as needed, providing the end user unprecedented flexibility.   

"Expanding our global partner ecosystem is a key component of our Iridium Certus strategy," said Josh Miner, vice president, land-mobile line of business, Iridium. "For the land-mobile market, Iridium Certus is ideal for customers operating vehicles on the move and in remote areas.  The solution can act as a multi-service communications platform, supporting all connectivity needs or as a complementary solution, filling the gaps in coverage where cellular falls short.  It will allow customers to configure terminals to match their specific needs and requirements, helping to control costs and provide a seamless experience, which is raising the bar within the industry. We are looking forward to expanding our partnership with Speedcast and rolling out the service in the coming months."

Testing of the Iridium Certus service is already underway and will be commercially introduced in a series of service classes.  Current focus is on the 352 Kbps speed class and will be updated to 704 Kpbs through a firmware update available at a later date. The service will operate on the Iridium® network and will leverage the inherent advantages of the constellation. Through its unique architecture of 66 low earth orbit crosslinked satellites, Iridium Certus will provide a global reach that is highly reliable, even in rugged terrain and inclement weather, making it an ideal solution for mobile and remote applications.  

Iridium Certus is enabled by the Iridium NEXT satellite constellation, which is in the process of replacing the original Iridium network.  To date, there have been four successful Iridium NEXT launches, deploying more than half of the new constellation. Four additional launches are planned for 2018.

For more information about Iridium Certus, please visit https://www.iridium.com/network/iridium-certus/

For more information about Speedcast, please visit https://www.speedcast.com/

For more information about Iridium NEXT, please visit https://www.iridiumnext.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 deployment and capabilities of the Iridium NEXT constellation and products and services to be offered over the constellation, including Iridium Certus, as well as the potential market for such products and services. 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 potential delays in the Iridium NEXT deployment, the development and functionality of Iridium NEXT and related 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, 2017, filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC") on February 22, 2018, 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 and Iridium undertakes no obligation to update forward-looking statements.

Press Contact:

Jordan Hassin 
Iridium Communications Inc.
+1 (646) 872-0067
Jordan.Hassin@iridium.com 
Twitter: @IridiumComm

Investor Contact:

Kenneth Levy
Iridium Communications Inc.
+1 (703) 287-7570
Ken.Levy@iridium.com 
Twitter: @IridiumIR