MCLEAN, Va. - Iridium Communications Inc. in McLean, Va., has announced commercial availability of its Iridium 9604 module and Development Kit, which combine satellite, LTE-M cellular, and global navigation satellite system (GNSS) connectivity in a single platform for Internet of Things (IoT) applications.

The Iridium 9604 integrates Iridium Short Burst Data (SBD) satellite communications, LTE-M cellular connectivity, and GNSS positioning to support connected devices operating in areas with and without terrestrial network coverage. The accompanying Development Kit is intended to help developers prototype, test, and validate applications using the hybrid communications platform.

Built on the u-blox SARA-R5 platform, the module is designed to reduce board space requirements and simplify RF routing, power architecture, and firmware development by integrating multiple communications technologies into a single device. According to Iridium, the design can reduce board space requirements by 60% or more compared with implementations using separate satellite, cellular, and GNSS components.

The Iridium 9604 provides independent control of its satellite, LTE-M, and GNSS subsystems, enabling developers to implement application-specific communications strategies, including failover between satellite and cellular networks. The platform also includes a unified AT command set and software development kit to simplify application development.

The module measures 16 by 26 by 2.4 millimeters and supports LTE-M (Cat-M1) communications along with GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, and BeiDou satellite navigation services. Satellite connectivity is provided through Iridium's global L-band network.

Iridium says the module is intended for industrial, infrastructure, transportation, mobility, utilities, maritime, remote monitoring, and other IoT applications requiring hybrid satellite and terrestrial communications.

The Iridium 9604 expands the company's IoT hardware portfolio, which also includes dedicated Iridium SBD modules, Iridium NTN Direct standards-based direct-to-device capabilities, and the Iridium Certus 9704 module for higher-bandwidth applications.

For more information, please visit https://www.iridium.com/.