Iridium: transition in the emerging standards-based NTN market

Iridium is an established mobile satellite service provider that operates in the IoT, position, navigation and timing (PNT), aviation and government sectors. It currently aims to expand in the narrowband IoT (NB-IoT) market. This report analyses Iridium’s evolution, its non-terrestrial network (NTN) strategy and Rocket Lab’s acquisition of the company, highlighting how spectrum, scale and vertical integration are becoming key competitive differentiators.

Information included in this report 

• An overview of Iridium’s business, including financial performance, technical details, main service offerings and growth areas
• An analysis of Iridium’s historical evolution and its current transition towards standards-based NTN services
• A comparison of Iridium’s spectrum assets with competing operators
• Details on Rocket Lab’s acquisition of Iridium, and the strategic value of vertical integration
• Implications for competing operators and the wider industry