Company: IRDM
Filing Date: 2025-02-13
Form Type: 10-K
Source: 0001628280-25-005302
Chunk: 36

Company: Iridium Communications Inc.
Filing Date: 2025-02-13
Form: 10-K
Item: Item 1
Chunk 36
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 formed in 2011 and which received subsequent investments from several ANSPs, to provide a global air traffic surveillance service through a series of ADS-B receivers on our satellites. Aireon has contracted to offer this service to ANSPs, which use the service to provide improved air traffic control services over the oceans, as well as polar and remote regions. Aireon also markets its data and services to airlines and other commercial users. 

Under our agreements with Aireon, Aireon agreed to pay us fees of $200.0 million to host the ADS-B receivers on our satellites, of which they have paid us $110.5 million as of December 31, 2024. These fees are recognized over the estimated useful life of the satellites. Additionally, Aireon pays power and data services fees of approximately $23.5 million per year in the aggregate for the delivery of the air traffic surveillance data over the Iridium system.

While the Aireon ADS-B receivers are the primary hosted payload on our satellites, L3Harris utilizes a portion of the remaining space for its customers’ payloads. This agreement resulted in an additional $74.1 million in hosting and data service fees to us, all of which has been paid.

Regulatory Matters

Our Spectrum

We hold licenses to use 8.725 MHz of contiguous spectrum in the L-band, which operates at 1.6 GHz, and allows for two-way communication between our devices and our satellites. In addition, we are authorized to use 200 MHz of K-Band (23 GHz) spectrum for satellite-to-satellite communications, known as inter-satellite links, and 400 MHz of Ka-Band spectrum (19.4 GHz to 19.6 GHz and 29.1 GHz to 29.3 GHz) for two-way communication between our satellites and our ground stations, known as feeder links. We are also authorized to use the 156.0125-162.0375 MHz spectrum for reception of Automatic Identification System transmissions from maritime vessels and the 1087.7-1092.3 MHz spectrum for reception of Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast transmissions from aircraft. Access to this spectrum enables us to design satellites, network and terrestrial infrastructure enhancements cost effectively because each product and service can be deployed and sold globally. Our products and services are offered in over 100 countries, and we and our distributors continue to seek authorizations in additional countries.

Our use of spectrum is globally coordinated and recorded by, and