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Iridium Communications

Iridium Communications

Iridium Communications is a Maryland-based satellite communications provider that focuses on supplying both voice and data connections.

OverviewStructured DataIssuesContributors

Contents

iridium.com
Is a
Company
Company
Organization
Organization

Company attributes

Industry
Aircraft
Aircraft
Unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV)
Unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV)
Positioning, Navigation, and Timing
Positioning, Navigation, and Timing
Telecommunications equipment
Telecommunications equipment
0
Defense Industry
Defense Industry
Electronics
Electronics
Marine technology
Marine technology
...
Location
United States
United States
McLean, Virginia
McLean, Virginia
0
Bethesda, Maryland
Bethesda, Maryland
Tempe, Arizona
Tempe, Arizona
0
B2X
B2B
B2B
CEO
‌
Sergei Korol
Matthew J. Desch
Matthew J. Desch
Founder
‌
Sergei Korol
Pitchbook URL
pitchbook.com/profiles...124999-93
Legal Name
Iridium Communications Inc.0
Legal classification
Public company
Public company
Corporation
Corporation
Number of Employees (Ranges)
501 – 1,000
Email Address
uk@iridium.com
iridium.online@iridium.com
Phone Number
+170328774000
+148075211000
Full Address
1750 Tysons Blvd Ste 1400 McLean​, VA, 22102-4244 United States0
8440 South River Parkway Tempe, AZ 85284 USA0
CIK Number
1,418,819
Place of Incorporation
Delaware
Delaware
DUNS Number
0001418819
IRS Number
221,344,998
Founded Date
2000
Fax Number
+1 480 752 11050
+1 703 287 74500
Competitors
Skylo Technologies, Inc.
Skylo Technologies, Inc.
Swarm Technologies
Swarm Technologies
NSLComm
NSLComm
Ligado Networks
Ligado Networks
Globalstar
Globalstar
Intelsat
Intelsat
Telia Company
Telia Company
‌
Oceus Networks
...
Stock Symbol
IRDM
Exchange
Nasdaq
Nasdaq
0
Glassdoor ID
4959357
CTO
Greg Pelton
Greg Pelton
CFO
‌
Thomas Fitzpatrick
Key People
Matthew J. Desch
Matthew J. Desch
NAICS Code
517,312
CAGE Code
616G3
Country
United States
United States
Headquarters
McLean, Virginia
McLean, Virginia
0

Other attributes

CoinGecko ID
iridium0
Company Operating Status
Active
SIC Code
3,669
Ticker Symbol
IRDM0
Wikidata ID
Q154387

Iridium Communications is a satellite communications provider in Maryland that focuses on supplying both voice and data connections. Founded 2000 in Bethesda, Maryland, United States by Sergei Korol, Iridium manages several operations centers, including those in Tempe, Arizona and Leesburg, Virginia. The company offers software that enables users to control audio and video equipment and home automation systems, including lighting control, temperature, and other multimedia devices from any device. Iridium's constellation consists of sixty-six low-earth orbiting (LEO), cross-linked satellites operating as a fully meshed network and supported by multiple in-orbit spares.

Iridium has a list of verticals ranging from aviation safety and heavy equipment OEMs to voice-chat. Caterpillar and Sumitomo currently embed Iridium IoT modules into new equipment and retrofitted older models, allowing tracking and IoT services for heavy machinery working in remote locations such as deserts or rainforests.

Low Earth orbit network

Iridium claims that its low Earth orbit (LEO) network at 780km from Earth provides global coverage and in comparison to GEO satellites, have shorter transmission paths, stronger signals, lower latency, and shorter registration time.

The Iridium ground infrastructure is interconnected by fiber-optic and broadband satellite links. It consists of the Satellite Network Operating Center (SNOC), ground stations, and a technical support center. This infrastructure provides terrestrial connections for mobile satellite voice and data, enabling network command, control, monitoring, and technical support.

Iridium is partnered with over 450 companies around the world. These companies leverage Iridium's network to manufacture, develop, market, and support applications for a variety of sectors.

Iridium enables remote solutions for unmanned vehicle systems anywhere in the world, making work safer and more efficient across industries. Iridium's solutions are employed in infrastructure and industrial inspection tasks, such as the inspection of turbines, rail or distribution lines, remote package delivery, climate monitoring, search and rescue missions, disaster assessment, and more.

Partner program

Iridium partners with various kinds of companies, including service providers (SPs), value-added resellers (VARs), value-added manufacturers (VAMs), value-added developers (VADs), and dealers.

  • Service providers sell products (Iridium devices) and services (Iridium airtime) for both voice and data.
  • Value-added resellers sell primarily data products and services (Iridium technology and partner solutions).
  • Value-added manufacturers make solutions based on Iridium and their proprietary technology that are sold to other partners.
  • Value-added developers develop and market new products based on Iridium equipment, incorporating Iridium technical data and specifications into their own self-distributed solutions.
  • Dealers are authorized to sell Iridium technology via SPs and VARs, providing Iridium products and services to customers.
Iridium NEXT

Iridium NEXT is a development program for the company's satellite constellation, which aims to offer a variety of benefits for partners and customers, such as improved data speeds, voice, flexible allocation of bandwidth, the ability to host secondary payloads, and more. The Iridium partner program is available to companies whose solutions utilize the Iridium satellite network. Iridium lists the following partnership benefits:

  • Sales and product development support
  • Technical tool kits
  • Co-marketing opportunities
  • Product and solution exposure
  • Access to Iridium's secure partner portal which provides access to products, sales and marketing tools, and more.
Industries served

Iridium serves commercial markets through a worldwide network of distributors. The company's customers represent a broad spectrum of industries, including maritime, aeronautical, government and defense, public safety, utilities, oil and gas, mining, forestry, heavy equipment, and transportation. In addition, Iridium provides services to the U.S. Department of Defense and other U.S. and international government agencies.

Maritime

Iridium enables global use of unmanned surface vessels (USVs), autonomous surface vessels (ASVs), unmanned undersea vehicles (UUVs), and maritime autonomous surface ships (MASS) for applications including:

  • Maritime Domain Awareness and collision detection
  • Performance optimization
  • Ocean profiling and climate monitoring
  • Scientific research
  • Autonomous and semi-autonomous cargo shipping
Aviation

Iridium's network is also used in unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) across a variety of industries, enabling connectivity for:

  • Urban air mobility (UAM) and air taxis
  • Autonomous vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) vehicles
  • Unmanned aviation system traffic management (UTM)
  • Global network-based remote ID
  • Package delivery
Government

Moreover, Iridium offers solutions for government applications ranging from ISR (Intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance) to cargo delivery, scientific research, and more. In particular, Iridum's solutions are applied in:

  • Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV)
  • Submarines and unmanned undersea vehicles (UUV)
  • Disaster assessment and response
  • Atmospheric observations
  • Meteorology and weather forecasting
  • Wildlife and habitat monitoring
Products

Iridium's product range comprises satellite phones, IoT products, push-to-talk over cellular (PoC) devices, antennas, and more.

Services

Iridium offers broadband, voice and data, push-to-talk, GMDSS, and other services, including:

  • Voice
  • Background IP data
  • Streaming IP data
  • Messaging
  • Prepaid voice and data
  • Secondary data flows
  • Global maritime distress safety system (GMDSS)
  • Aeronautical mobile satellite route service (AMSRS)
Case studies
UAV weather data transmission

Iridium helped circumvent connectivity limitations preventing UAVs from collecting and transmitting data related to predicting cyclones. UAVs were equipped with ATMOSPHERE’s Iridium Connected terminals to enable real-time reaction to weather conditions and in order to capture more data with Iridium’s Global Line of Sight services.

Vaccine distribution

Iridium was employed to tackle the problem of supplying vaccines to children on a remote Island in the South Pacific Ocean, over terrain that is difficult to traverse. In order to distribute vaccines, the company embedded the Iridium Core 9523, a lightweight transceiver, into the command systems of UAVs. Using Iridium Global Line of Sight services and Iridium Connected drones, local healthcare workers were able to deliver vaccines and essential medical supplies.

Lunar simulation expedition

Iridium was used in research and experiments on living conditions astronauts would experience on the moon. The LUNARK exhibition sought to design a habitat that, on Earth, could simulate lunar conditions, including the stress and genuine isolation in an extreme environment. These astronauts also required a method of communication. Iridium was chosen, and the LUNARK team used an Iridium 9555 satellite phone and an Iridium Connected Garmin inReach. The global network offered by Iridium was capable of providing communication service to the northern areas of Greenland, and in adverse weather conditions.

Further case studies

Case study
Link

Iridium automates oil equipment in the Argentine desert

https://www.iridium.com/case-studies/oil-equipment-argentine-desert/

Iridium Certus enables remote monitoring of sub-sea systems

https://www.iridium.com/case-studies/iridium-certus-enables-remote-monitoring-of-sub-sea-systems/

Iridium Certus keeps remote scientific facility connected

https://www.iridium.com/case-studies/iridium-certus-keeps-isolated-scientific-facility-connected/

Iridium Connected UAVs help forecast tropical cyclones

https://www.iridium.com/case-studies/iridium-connected-uavs-keeps-help-forecast-tropical-cyclones/

Iridium connects participants during historic yacht race

https://www.iridium.com/case-studies/yacht-race/

...

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SBIR/STTR Awards

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