You might soon have a major alternative to SpaceX’s Starlink and Amazon Leo (formerly Project Kuiper) for satellite broadband. Launch company Rocket Lab is buying satellite giant Iridium Communications for about $8 billion in a move that could keep you connected when you’re far away from cellular networks.
The acquisition is meant to make Rocket Lab a “formidable challenger” in telecoms that can offer direct-to-device satellite data, Internet of Things (IoT) connections, navigation, and emergency services. The firm says it will expand Iridium’s low Earth orbit network to reach “untapped markets” and provide new services, although it’s not revealing what those might be.
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The purchase is sold as a way to bolster U.S. “national security and emergency response” in situations where conventional networks, GPS, and other services are “unavailable or compromised.” However, the merger partners are also clear about the business model they want. Iridium CEO Matt Desch says the union will create an “end-to-end space company” that both launches and runs satellites, much like SpaceX and Amazon.
Rocket Lab and Iridium hope to complete the purchase in mid-2027 if regulators and shareholders approve the deal.
What does Rocket Lab buying Iridium mean for satellite internet?
Your phone and PC could be online in very remote places
At the moment, Starlink is the only major practical option for modern satellite broadband. Amazon is only poised to test Leo with businesses and government sometime in mid-2026, and there’s no release date set for personal use.
Rocket Lab hasn’t said how or when it might offer personal satellite internet service. However, Iridium was responsible for Qualcomm’s Snapdragon Satellite, a team-up intended to bring emergency satellite texting to Android phones. While that project was put on hold in favor of a more standards-based approach, the acquisition could theoretically make Iridium a real option for satellite access on Android devices, including non-emergency uses like everyday texting and calls.
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Home satellite broadband is potentially available, although Iridium’s existing Certus platform is slow at a peak 704Kbps and is focused on reaching extremely remote areas. Starlink and Amazon Leo both advertise home internet speeds around 400Mbps, and Amazon also hopes to provide 1Gbps to corporate and government customers.
There’s pressure to act quickly. Financial Times sources claim SpaceX is considering a Starlink phone service that would combine satellite and cellular access, pitting it against carriers like AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon. Rocket Lab is too small to realistically build a land-based cellular network, but it could provide the spaceborne data for a conventional provider.
