Iridium Communications has introduced the Iridium 9604, a compact three-in-one Internet of Things (IoT) module that integrates Iridium Short Burst Data (SBD) satellite connectivity, LTE-M cellular service and GNSS positioning into a single device. The new module is designed to simplify solution architecture, reduce costs and speed up time to market, making dual-mode IoT deployments more accessible for high-volume and price-sensitive applications.
Tim Last, Executive Vice President, Iridium, said: “By integrating cellular, GNSS, and Iridium satellite into a single, power-efficient module, we’re giving customers the flexibility to design and deploy lower cost, smaller, power-efficient, and location-aware solutions without the burden of integrating multiple components. With our best-in-class proprietary satellite IoT service and upcoming standards-based NB-IoT service debuting this year, anyone thinking about IoT beyond terrestrial networks is thinking about Iridium first.”
The Iridium 9604 beta programme, launched earlier this year, was oversubscribed by selected industry participants and has received positive feedback. Early developers cited reduced hardware complexity, simplified power design and improved location-aware network selection. The module delivers board space savings of 60 percent or more compared with multi-component solutions and represents Iridium’s smallest IoT form factor to date.
Alastair MacLeod, CEO, Ground Control, added: “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.”
MacLeod continued: “Additionally, having dual mode connectivity options enables a smarter, location-aware network selection in our application. The Iridium 9604 turned what would have been a complex multi-component design into a single-module solution. This is a major breakthrough for our IoT solutions.”
Dean Welten, CEO, Everlink, stated: “Our customers require essential data and real-time intelligence to operate with confidence anywhere in the world. By integrating the Iridium 9604 with our secure cloud platform, we can now enable global connectivity, greater operational efficiency, and measurable impact at scale.”
The launch represents the next phase of Iridium’s IoT strategy, expanding beyond traditional satellite-only modules toward a unified multi-mode connectivity architecture. The company now offers three IoT pathways: SBD-based solutions integrated with cellular and GNSS through the 9604 or dedicated SBD modules; standards-based direct-to-device connectivity via Iridium NTN Direct using third-party chipsets; and Iridium Messaging Transport (IMT) for industrial-scale applications requiring larger payload capabilities through the Iridium Certus 9704.
Built on the u-blox SARA-R5 platform, the Iridium 9604 measures 16 mm by 26 mm by 2.4 mm, targeting industrial, infrastructure and mobility use cases where dual-mode connectivity was previously considered cost-prohibitive. Commercial availability is scheduled to begin in June 2026, with a development kit offered to support testing of both satellite and cellular services.
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