Iridium Accelerates Direct-to-Device Service with Acceptance into 3GPP Standards; Announces Iridium NTN Direct℠

MCLEAN, Va., Sept. 25, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Iridium Communications Inc. (NASDAQ: IRDM), a leading provider of global voice and data satellite communications, today announced that the 3^rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) accepted Iridium's request to extend the functionality of Narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT) for Non-Terrestrial Networks (NTN) into the Work Plan for 3GPP Release 19 as an official Work Item. This will pave the way for Iridium's satellite service to be accessible via industry standard chipsets, furthering the company's progress in developing and deploying its newest service, Iridium NTN Direct℠, over the Iridium^® Network. Born from the company's Project Stardust initiative, the Iridium NTN Direct service being announced today is expected to be the world's first truly global 5G NB-IoT service. 3GPP Release 19 is currently scheduled to be completed in the fourth quarter of 2025.