MCLEAN, Va., Oct. 13, 2015 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Iridium Communications Inc. (Nasdaq:IRDM) today announced the availability of its next-generation broadband technology to manufacturing partners, to assist in their development of the first Iridium CertusSM broadband terminals, which will operate over the Iridium NEXT satellite constellation. Functional terminal prototypes using these Iridium® broadband core transceiver (BCX) modules, are expected to begin end-to-end testing over the Iridium NEXT network in early 2016, with production units to be introduced later in the year as the Iridium Certus broadband service becomes commercially available.

“Delivering these developer kits into the hands of our manufacturing partners is a crucial milestone in our progress toward bringing exciting new Iridium Certus products to market, as it allows our partners to continue to advance their development,” said Brian Pemberton, vice president and general manager, maritime and aviation businesses at Iridium. “Documents, schematics and protocols are helpful, but now they have the technology in their hands, and can turn the conceptual into the practical.”

Entering the next phase of product development, the Iridium Certus manufacturing partners will be able to incorporate the BCX module into broadband terminal designs to begin physical testing and production of their software and prototype terminals for the aeronautical, maritime and terrestrial markets. The BCX module itself will provide a significant advancement from Iridium’s current-generation broadband products.  Initially supporting triple the data speeds of the current service, and eventually scalable to ten times the current throughput while consuming 75 percent less volume than the first-generation platform, the BCX module will be at the heart of a new generation of mobile satellite broadband solutions which will transform the industry.

Pemberton added, “Iridium Certus broadband products will be targeting the more than 750,000 potential subscribers across the core vertical markets. We envision that the products from our manufacturing partners will significantly alter the mobile satellite broadband landscape over the next decade.” Iridium will continue to work closely with each of the manufacturers to provide technical support and testing services throughout the development process. The BCX modules, which have been delivered to manufacturers, have been pre-tested and pre-integrated with both the current Iridium network satellites and Iridium NEXT waveforms to enable testing in both environments.

Iridium Certus will be an enterprise-grade mobile satellite broadband service, with the functionality, reliability and versatility to operate as a standalone solution or complementary component of a VSAT solution. While the BCX module 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 eventually as high as 1.4 megabits per second, for a single user terminal after the Iridium NEXT satellites are fully deployed.
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