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Iridium Certus(SM) Mission-Critical Broadband Readies for Department of Defense Users with COMSAT

Iridium Certus to provide secure, reliable and global next-generation satellite communications solutions to government end users

MCLEAN, Va., Feb. 19, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Iridium Communications Inc. (NASDAQ:IRDM) announced today that COMSAT, Inc., has signed an agreement to become an Iridium Certus service provider for U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) users. This unique, long-term deal will allow COMSAT Inc. to provide Iridium’s secure global satellite broadband connectivity for mobile voice and data services to the Department of Defense (DoD) beginning in mid-2018.

COMSAT, Inc., a leader in delivering world-class, secure satellite solutions to government, military and maritime customers, will bring its full suite of value-added services to the Iridium Certus program. By leveraging the inherent advantages of the Iridium® network, like truly global, on-the-move L-band connectivity, COMSAT will be able to deliver enhanced capabilities that meet Communications Security (ComSec) requirements for the DoD and warfighter. These capabilities include, but are not limited to, real-time usage statistics, telematics data, voice calling, personnel tracking applications, and real-time environmental assessments.  The Iridium Certus service will offer dramatic improvements to current L-band services offered by other satellite companies.  Iridium Certus terminals are smaller and capable of maintaining broadband connectivity in fast-paced, unpredictable environments on land, at sea, in the air – and can do it without landing or passing through non-U.S. territories.  The service will debut at speeds of 352 Kbps, with terminals upgradable to 704 Kbps through a future firmware update.

“This is a new generation of technology that will keep users connected on-the-move, combining the robustness and reliability of the Iridium network with the value-added services and years of experience provided by COMSAT,” said David Greenhill, president of COMSAT. “U.S. government users will experience a new level of mission-critical mobile capabilities thanks to this partnership.  We’re excited to bring this new service to them.”

Whether in high-risk combat zones or during inclement weather events, Iridium’s network provides uncompromised satellite communications that keeps users connected when it’s needed most. Through the service, U.S. government users will be able to securely connect remote assets to respective command and control centers back on U.S. soil in a cost-effective and secure manner, from anywhere on the planet including Arctic and Antarctic regions.

“Iridium and the DoD have maintained a longstanding and collaborative partnership through our Enhanced Mobile Satellite Services (EMSS) contract, and we believe Iridium Certus complements this perfectly by bringing never-before-possible, mission-critical broadband capabilities to the warfighter,” said Matt Desch, CEO, Iridium. “We’re excited to partner with COMSAT, who brings innovation and a broad portfolio of capabilities to the table, and we look forward to working together for many years to come.”

Iridium Certus is planned for commercial availability in mid-2018. Iridium NEXT is the Company’s next-generation satellite constellation, which will replace its existing 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/company/industryleadership/iridiumcertus

For more information about COMSAT, Inc., please visit http://www.comsat.com/

For more information about Iridium NEXT, please visit www.IridiumNEXT.com


About COMSAT Inc.

COMSAT, Inc. is a leading operator of customized, secure end-to-end satellite communications services. We deliver a full portfolio of fixed satellite solutions (C-Band, Ku-Band, Ka-Band, X-Band and UHF), mobile satellite solutions (Inmarsat, Thuraya and Iridium) to aeronautical, land-mobile and maritime users in multiple markets, including U.S. government and military, global governments, educational

institutions and commercial maritime. COMSAT owns and operates two teleports located in Southbury, CT and Santa Paula, CA that provide various teleport and data center services to commercial, government and educational institutions world-wide including end to end connectivity, co-location and research efforts, critical data backup and recovery, satellite and terrestrial network data center, cloud and cybersecurity services.

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 press release 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, 2016, filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) on February 23, 2017, 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:

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

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