Iridium Communications
 |
|
| Public company | |
| Traded as | NASDAQ: IRDM |
| Industry | Satellite Telecommunication |
| Founded | 2001 |
| Headquarters | McLean, Virginia, United States |
|
Area served
|
Global |
|
Key people
|
Matthew J. Desch (CEO), Thomas J. Fitzpatrick (CFO) |
| Products | Satellite communications equipment |
| Services | Satellite voice and data services |
| Revenue |
 US$411.3 million (2015) |
 US$73.8 million (2015) |
|
|
US$7.12 million (2015) |
|
| Total assets |
US$3.20 billion (2015) |
| Total equity |
US$1.22 billion (2015) |
|
Number of employees
|
244 (2015) |
| Website | iridium.com |
Iridium Communications Inc. (formerly Iridium Satellite LLC) is a company, based in McLean, Virginia, United States which operates the Iridium satellite constellation, a system of 66 active satellites used for worldwide voice and data communication from hand-held satellite phones and other transceiver units. The Iridium network is unique in that it covers the whole Earth, including poles, oceans and airways, with 95 satellites launched so far. The company derives its name from the chemical element iridium.
The satellites are frequently visible in the night sky as satellite flares, a phenomenon typically observed as short-lived bright flashes of light.
The Iridium communications service was launched on November 1, 1998 by what was then Iridium SSC. The first Iridium call was made by Vice President of the United States Al Gore.Motorola provided the technology and major financial backing. The logo of the company was designed by Landor Associates, and represents the Big Dipper.
The founding company went into Chapter 11 bankruptcy nine months later, on August 13, 1999. The handsets could not operate as promoted until the entire constellation of satellites was in place, requiring a massive initial capital cost running into the billions of dollars. The cost of service was prohibitive for many users, reception indoors was difficult and the bulkiness and expense of the hand held devices when compared to terrestrial cellular mobile phones discouraged adoption among potential users.
Mismanagement is another major factor cited in the original program's failure. In 1999, CNN writer David Rohde detailed how he applied for Iridium service and was sent information kits, but was never contacted by a sales representative. He encountered programming problems on Iridium's website, and a "run-around" from the company's representatives. After Iridium filed bankruptcy, it cited "difficulty gaining subscribers".
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