MCLEAN, Va., July 28, 2026 – Iridium Communications Inc. (Nasdaq: IRDM), a leading provider of global voice, data, aircraft surveillance, and positioning, navigation, and timing (PNT) satellite services, today announced a strategic partnership with SKYWAVE, a global leader in industrial IoT connectivity, devices and enablement solutions for mission-critical assets, to help heavy equipment manufacturers build and scale more resilient connected equipment services across global operating environments.
As heavy equipment manufacturers expand connected services, they face growing pressure to improve equipment uptime, modernize legacy deployments, and deliver a consistent customer experience across fleets operating in remote and often disconnected locations. Many deployments rely on fragmented communications infrastructure that limits asset visibility, delays service response, and constrains the rollout of new digital capabilities.
Together, Iridium and SKYWAVE are addressing these challenges by combining Iridium’s truly global, weather-resilient low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite network and proven Short Burst Data® (SBD®) services with SKYWAVE’s intelligent multi-network management solution and award-winning OGx IoT platform. The integration is underway, with Iridium SBD being embedded directly into SKYWAVE satellite IoT terminals, giving SKYWAVE’s heavy equipment OEM customers the option to access Iridium’s LEO satellite network. The combined solution will give OEMs a flexible platform that seamlessly extends connected services across satellite, cellular, and Wi-Fi networks, helping ensure reliable connectivity wherever equipment operates.
The integrated solution supports a wide range of connected equipment applications for OEMs, including remote monitoring, diagnostics, predictive maintenance, service support, and the modernization of existing connected equipment fleets. The partnership initially focuses on heavy equipment manufacturers, with the underlying architecture designed to support additional industrial verticals where assets operate globally, remotely, or beyond the reach of terrestrial networks.
“For more than two decades, Iridium has provided the only pole-to-pole mobile satellite network, delivering the coverage, resiliency, and reliability that mission-critical operations demand,” said Matt Desch, CEO, Iridium. “We look forward to partnering with SKYWAVE to bring Iridium’s global LEO capabilities to industrial IoT customers operating in even the most demanding environments.”
“This partnership is an important step in SKYWAVE’s mission to become the intelligent networking layer for industrial IoT,” said Sameer Agrawal, Chief Executive Officer of ORBCOMM. “Heavy equipment OEMs are looking for ways to modernize legacy deployments, expand connected service capabilities and deliver reliable digital experiences wherever their equipment operates. By combining Iridium’s global LEO capabilities with SKYWAVE’s platform, we are enabling OEMs to build and scale those capabilities across multiple networks.”
The partnership builds on the long-standing satellite IoT leadership of Iridium and SKYWAVE, bringing Iridium’s global LEO network together with SKYWAVE’s intelligent multi-network platform. Together, the companies are creating a more resilient foundation for the next generation of industrial IoT applications, helping equipment manufacturers extend connected operations wherever their assets are deployed.
For more information about Iridium, visit www.iridium.com
For more information about SKYWAVE, visit www.skywave.com
About Iridium Communications Inc.
Iridium Communications Inc. (Nasdaq: IRDM) operates the world's only truly global mobile satellite network. It serves as a platform for innovation, enabling voice, data, and messaging, positioning, navigation, and timing (PNT), and aircraft surveillance services anywhere on Earth. Through its satellite constellation and integrated capabilities like Aireon, the world's only space-based air traffic surveillance system, Iridium delivers services that support safety-focused operations across aviation, maritime, government, industrial, and consumer markets. The company is a leader in satellite Internet of Things (IoT) connectivity and is advancing direct-to-device (D2D) communications based on open standards to expand access to satellite services.
Headquartered in McLean, Virginia, Iridium innovates through an ecosystem of more than 500 technology and distribution partners, serving millions of customers worldwide. For more information visit www.iridium.com.
About SKYWAVE, an ORBCOMM company
SKYWAVE, an ORBCOMM company, is a global provider of IoT solution enablement technology. We empower solution providers, system integrators and OEMs to serve their customers through satellite and cellular managed IoT networks and a complete application enablement platform. We provide a fully integrated ecosystem of purpose-built devices, data automation and connectivity services for high-reliability, low-data solutions. SKYWAVE is where IoT powers mission-critical applications for the transportation, agriculture, oil and gas, and maritime industries. For more information, visit www.skywave.com.