Iridium Announces First Quarter 2026 Results

April 23, 2026

 Iridium Communications Inc. reported financial results for the first quarter of 2026 and reiterated its full-year 2026 outlook.

Iridium reported first quarter total revenue of $219.1 million, which consisted of $158.0 million of service revenue and $61.0 million of revenue related to equipment sales and engineering and support projects. Total revenue increased 2% versus the comparable period of 2025. Service revenue, which primarily represents recurring revenue from Iridium's growing subscriber base, grew 2% from the year-ago period and was 72% of total revenue for the first quarter of 2026.

"2026 is off to a solid start, as we continue to grow service revenue and introduce new products, like our next-generation IoT platform," said Matt Desch, CEO, Iridium. "We continue to invest in key areas of differentiation, which offer attractive opportunities for growth, including IoT, PNT, national security missions and aviation safety services."

Income from Operations

Net income was $21.6 million, or $0.20 per diluted share, for the first quarter of 2026, as compared to net income of $30.4 million, or $0.27 per diluted share, for the first quarter of 2025. Operational EBITDA ("OEBITDA")(1) for the first quarter was $116.3 million, as compared to $122.1 million for the prior-year period. The year-over-year OEBITDA decline was driven by a $4.2 million increase in accrued expenses related to a change in practice to pay annual incentive compensation entirely in cash rather than a mix of equity and cash, which the Company previewed on its fourth quarter earnings call. 

Subscribers 

The Company ended the first quarter with 2,555,000 total billable subscribers, up from 2,443,000 for the year-ago period and 2,537,000 for the quarter ended December 31, 2025. Total billable subscribers grew 5% year-over-year, led by growth in commercial IoT.

Business Highlights

Service Commercial

Commercial service remained the largest part of Iridium's business, representing 60% of the Company's total revenue during the first quarter. The Company's commercial customer base is diverse and includes the aviation, construction, emergency services, forestry, maritime, mining, oil and gas, recreation, and transportation markets, among others. Iridium's products and services are critical to these customers' daily operations and integral to their communications and business infrastructure.

Commercial service revenue was $130.4 million, up 2% from the comparable period last year.

Commercial voice and data: Revenue was $57.4 million, up 3% from the year-ago period. Subscribers fell 2% from the year-ago period to 399,000. Average revenue per user ("ARPU") increased to $48 during the first quarter, compared to $45 in last year's comparable period, driven primarily by price actions implemented during the third quarter of 2025.

Commercial IoT data: Revenue was $46.0 million, up 5% from the year-ago period. Subscribers grew 7% from the year-ago period to 2,019,000. ARPU was $7.63 in the first quarter, compared to $7.75 in last year's comparable period.

Commercial broadband: Revenue was $12.2 million, down 5% from the year-ago period. Subscribers declined 1% from the year-ago period to 16,100. ARPU was $254 during the first quarter, compared to $261 in last year's comparable period, reflecting the increased prevalence of Iridium's use in lower-priced companion plans.

Hosted payload and other data service: Revenue was $14.8 million, down 1% from the year-ago period.

Iridium's commercial business ended the quarter with 2,434,000 billable subscribers, which is up from 2,310,000 for the prior-year quarter and compares to 2,416,000 for the quarter ended December 31, 2025. IoT data subscribers represented 83% of billable commercial subscribers at the end of the first quarter, an increase from 82% at the end of the prior-year period.

Service U.S. Government

Iridium's voice and data solutions improve situational awareness for military personnel and track critical assets in tough environments around the globe, providing a unique value proposition. Under Iridium's Enhanced Mobile Satellite Services contract (the "EMSS Contract"), a seven-year, $738.5 million fixed-price airtime contract with the U.S. Space Force signed in September 2019, Iridium provides specified satellite airtime services for an unlimited number of Department of War (formerly Department of Defense) and other federal government subscribers. Iridium also provides maintenance and support work for the U.S. government's dedicated Iridium® gateway under two other contracts with the U.S. Space Force, the revenue of which is included in engineering and support services revenue. Iridium Certus® airtime services are not included under these contracts and may be procured separately for an additional fee.

Government service revenue grew 3% to $27.6 million in the first quarter, reflecting contractual rate increases in the EMSS Contract over the prior year.

Under the terms of the multi-year EMSS Contract, Iridium's fixed-price rate increased to $110.5 million for the contract year beginning September 15, 2025.

Iridium's U.S. government business ended the quarter with 121,000 subscribers, which compares to 133,000 for the prior-year quarter and 121,000 for the quarter ended December 31, 2025. Government voice and data subscribers declined 20% from the year-ago period to 43,000 as of March 31, 2026. Government IoT data subscribers remained relatively flat year-over-year and represented 64% of government subscribers at the end of the first quarter.

Equipment 

Equipment revenue was $20.2 million in the first quarter, down 13% compared to $23.1 million in the prior-year quarter.

For the full-year 2026, the Company expects equipment sales will be in line with 2025.

Engineering & Support

Engineering and support revenue was $40.8 million during the first quarter, up 9% compared to $37.5 million in the prior-year quarter, primarily due to increasing activity with the U.S. government.

For the full-year 2026, the Company expects engineering and support revenue to increase from 2025.

Capital Allocation

Capital expenditures were $30.0 million for the first quarter, including $1.4 million in capitalized interest. The Company ended the first quarter with gross debt of $1.8 billion, and a cash and cash equivalents balance of $111.6 million, for a net debt balance of $1.7 billion. The Company ended the first quarter with net leverage of 3.4 times trailing twelve months OEBITDA.

Iridium paid its first quarter dividend of $0.15 per share of common stock on March 31, 2026, resulting in a total payment of $16.5 million to stockholders. The Company's Board of Directors has increased the dividend paid per share each year since initiating a dividend in 2023.

2026 and Longer-Term Outlook

The Company reiterated its full-year 2026 outlook and reaffirmed its long-term guidance on cash taxes and net leverage:

Total service revenue projected to be flat to 2% for full-year 2026. Total service revenue for 2025 was $634.0 million.

Net income for 2025 was $114.4 million and OEBITDA for 2025 was $495.3 million. In 2026, the Company determined to pay annual incentive compensation entirely in cash, rather than a mix of equity and cash as has been the Company's prior practice. This change is projected to have a $17 million impact to OEBITDA, resulting in expected full-year 2026 OEBITDA of $480 million to $490 million. Without this change, OEBITDA would have been projected to be in a range of $497 million to $507 million.

Cash taxes of less than $10 million per year through 2027. The Company's longer-term cash tax rate is expected to move closer to the statutory rate in 2029.

Net leverage at or below 3.0 times OEBITDA by the end of 2026 and falling below 2.0 times OEBITDA by the end of the decade. Net leverage was 3.4 times OEBITDA at December 31, 2025.