Iridium Communications has introduced the Iridium 9604 3-in-1 IoT module, featuring support for Iridium Short Burst Data (SBD) satellite service, LTE-M cellular connectivity, and GNSS positioning. Traditionally, solutions utilizing satellite, cellular, and GNSS were built with multiple chips or modules. The older Iridium Certus 9704 Satellite IoT Developer Kit used an Iridium 9704 module alongside a u-blox GNSS module. In contrast, the Iridium 9604 combines everything in a single 26 x 16 mm package, offering a potential board space saving of over 60% and reducing product costs.
Iridium 9604 Key Features:
– Iridium Short Burst Data
– 340 bytes mobile-originated
– 270 bytes mobile-terminated
– Global LEO coverage
– Cellular
– LTE-M (CAT-M1)
– Global band support
– Carrier certifications
– FirstNet certification in the US
– GNSS: GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, BeiDou
– Antennas:
– Iridium/GNSS
– LTE-M
– Host interface: Single interface (likely UART or SPI)
– Dimensions: 26 x 16 x 2.4 mm (u-blox SARA-R5 form factor)
– Temperature Range: −40°C to +85°C
Iridium provides a unified AT command set, SDK, reference designs, and an Iridium 9604 Development Kit. Developers retain control over how satellite or cellular is used, optimizing cost, performance, coverage, and power without automatic switching.
Iridium offers three satellite IoT implementations:
1. Iridium SBD in the Iridium 9604 or Iridium SBD/Burst modules
2. Iridium NTN Direct for standards-based direct-to-device and narrowband IoT with third-party chips
3. Iridium Messaging Transport (IMT) for large message delivery with the Iridium Certus 9704
Applications include vessel tracking at sea with port cellular use, global asset tracking, energy management, smart agriculture with integrated positioning, and government & emergency response.
The Iridium 9604 beta program began earlier this year, with commercial availability set for June 2026, along with the Iridium 9604 Development Kit. For further information, visit the product page and press release.