Iridium Communications Inc. IRDM and Eutelsat Group’s EUTLF subsidiary Eutelsat America Corp. and OneWeb Technologies Inc. (“EACOWT”) recently inked a partnership whereby EACOWT will deliver Iridium Certus and Iridium Satellite Time and Location (STL) services to U.S. government clients. These services will be available to the government through the IRDM’s U.S. Space Force's Proliferated Low Earth Orbit (P-LEO) contracts and OneWeb Technologies. 

Headquartered in Paris, France, Eutelsat is a global provider of satellite communications, connectivity and broadcast services that offer television channels (more than 6,500) to cable and satellite homes. Now, Eutelsat America and OneWeb Technologies is a wholly owned independent U.S. proxy company under the Eutelsat Group. It serves as a prominent provider of commercial satellite communications (SATCOM) for the U.S. government and its allies.

EACOWT is set to enhance its portfolio of government services by incorporating Iridium Certus and Iridium STL services, providing a robust GNSS-resilient LEO Ku-Band/L-band solution. This addition will allow OneWeb Technologies to deliver reliable connectivity and remote terminal management capabilities.

Eutelsat OneWeb has an extensive network of more than 600 high-speed Ku-band LEO satellites, complemented by the reliable and weather-resistant L-band Iridium Certus LEO companion service. U.S. government customers can benefit from this combination, gaining exceptional effectiveness and reliability. Together, these services offer a strong alternative for positioning, navigation and timing (PNT) information, which is crucial for mission-critical operations and vital government-managed public infrastructure. This integration also provides the necessary PNT stability to navigate environments where GNSS may face challenges.

Iridium Communications Inc Price and Consensus

Iridium Communications Inc price-consensus-chart | Iridium Communications Inc Quote

Demand for STL to Aid IRDM’s Services Revenue Growth

Earlier in the year, IRDM completed the acquisition of Satelles, Inc. The buyout has enhanced Iridium’s solution portfolio with advanced STL services, now called Iridium STL. STL emerges as an important service in areas where Global Positioning System (GPS) or Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) signals are unable to reach. It works on signals relayed by a constellation of Low Earth orbit (LEO) satellites. The acquisition aligns with Iridium's strategy of investing in advanced technologies that excel within its network. 

The company aims to achieve about $1 billion in annual service revenues by 2030, focusing on key initiatives like Iridium STL services. The Iridium STL business is likely to generate more than $100 million in service revenue per year by 2030. In the third quarter of 2024, IRDM's total service revenues increased 5% year over year to $159.9 million, driven by strong recurring revenues from a growing subscriber base. 

Headquartered in McLean, VA, Iridium is a satellite communications company providing dedicated commercial global voice and data communications services to businesses, governments and non-governmental organizations worldwide.

IRDM’s Zacks Rank & Stock Price Performance

IRDM currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). Shares of the company have lost 18.3% in the past year against the sub-industry's growth of 16.5%.

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Stocks to Consider

Some better-ranked stocks from the broader technology space are BlackBerry Limited BB and SS&C Technologies Holdings, Inc. SSNC.  BB presently sports a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), whereas SSNC carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.

Double-digit year-over-year revenue growth across Cybersecurity and IoT businesses is boosting Blackberry’s performance. It delivered an earnings surprise of 131.3%, on average, in the trailing four quarters. In the last reported quarter, BB pulled off an earnings surprise of 100%. 

SS&C Technologies Holdings delivers investment and financial management software and related services focused exclusively on the financial services industry. It delivered an earnings surprise of 3.1%, on average, in the trailing four quarters. In the last reported quarter, SSNC pulled off an earnings surprise of 4.9%.

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