On February 24, 2026, Iridium Communications Inc. (Nasdaq: IRDM) announced the launch of the Iridium 9604, a compact hardware solution designed to unify satellite, cellular, and positioning services.
The module represents a significant shift in Iridium’s industrial strategy, moving from satellite-only components toward a multi-mode architecture that facilitates the “Direct-to-Device” (D2D) revolution. Built on the u-blox SARA-R5 platform, the 9604 is specifically engineered for high-volume, cost-sensitive IoT deployments that require global resiliency.
Technical Specifications and Footprint Reduction
The Iridium 9604 integrates three core connectivity technologies into a single 16 mm x 26 mm x 2.4 mm form factor. By consolidating these disparate systems, the module reportedly reduces required board space by more than 60% compared to traditional multi-component designs.
- Satellite Connectivity: Iridium Short Burst Data® (SBD®) for global, two-way messaging.
- Cellular Connectivity: LTE-M for high-bandwidth terrestrial data where available.
- Positioning: Integrated GNSS for location-aware network selection and asset tracking.
- Power Efficiency: Designed for long-term, battery-powered deployments in extreme environments.
Executive Perspectives on Hardware Industrialization
The module’s development was informed by an oversubscribed beta program involving several key Iridium partners. Alastair MacLeod, CEO of Ground Control, highlighted the economic impact of the new hardware: “As an early Iridium 9604 developer, utilizing the three-in-one module has already fundamentally changed our product economics. We eliminated two components from our bill of materials, reduced our board size, and simplified our power architecture. Additionally, having dual-mode connectivity options enables a smarter, location-aware network selection in our application.”
Tim Last, Iridium Executive Vice President, added that the integration gives customers the flexibility to deploy “lower cost, smaller, and power-efficient solutions without the burden of integrating multiple components.”
Commercial Availability
Iridium has confirmed that commercial availability for the Iridium 9604 will begin in June 2026. To support initial integration, the Iridium 9604 Development Kit will be released simultaneously, allowing engineers to test simultaneous satellite and cellular service switching. This product launch is positioned as the first of three distinct IoT service paths Iridium is pursuing in 2026, alongside Iridium NTN Direct for standards-based smartphone connectivity and the Iridium Certus 9704 for industrial-scale payloads.
