Iridium Communications Inc. PP&E Disclosure
| December 31, | |||||||||||||||||
Useful Life | 2025 | 2024 | |||||||||||||||
| (In thousands) | |||||||||||||||||
| Satellite system | 17.5 years | $ | 3,379,167 | $ | 3,242,845 | ||||||||||||
| Ground system | 5-7 years | 83,935 | 76,994 | ||||||||||||||
| Equipment | 3-5 years | 58,144 | 55,041 | ||||||||||||||
| Internally developed software and purchased software | 3-7 years | 401,479 | 369,080 | ||||||||||||||
| Building and leasehold improvements | 5-39 years | 39,049 | 39,157 | ||||||||||||||
Total depreciable property and equipment | 3,961,774 | 3,783,117 | |||||||||||||||
| Less: accumulated depreciation | (2,195,722) | (1,991,387) | |||||||||||||||
| Total depreciable property and equipment, net of accumulated depreciation | 1,766,052 | 1,791,730 | |||||||||||||||
| Land | 8,037 | 8,037 | |||||||||||||||
| Construction-in-process: | |||||||||||||||||
Spare satellites | 45,441 | 181,762 | |||||||||||||||
| Other construction-in-process | 158,623 | 99,015 | |||||||||||||||
Total property and equipment, net of accumulated depreciation | $ | 1,978,153 | $ | 2,080,544 | |||||||||||||
Historical Timeline
| Fiscal Year | Filed | |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Feb 12, 2026 | Showing above |
| 2024 | Feb 13, 2025 | |
| 2023 | Feb 15, 2024 | |
| 2022 | Feb 16, 2023 | |
| 2021 | Feb 17, 2022 | |
| 2020 | Feb 11, 2021 | |
| 2019 | Feb 25, 2020 | |
| 2018 | Feb 28, 2019 | |
| 2017 | Feb 22, 2018 | |
| 2016 | Feb 23, 2017 | |
| 2015 | Feb 25, 2016 | |
About PP&E Disclosures
The PP&E disclosure details a company's physical asset base — land, buildings, machinery, and equipment — along with the depreciation methods and useful life assumptions that determine how these costs flow through the income statement. Capitalization policy thresholds reveal management's judgment on the boundary between expense and asset, directly affecting both reported earnings and asset values.
Key signals: changes in estimated useful lives or depreciation methods can materially shift reported earnings without any operational change. Compare capital expenditures against depreciation expense — when capex consistently trails depreciation, the asset base may be aging and underinvested. Watch for large asset impairments or write-downs that signal overvalued carrying amounts. Asset retirement obligations reveal future environmental or decommissioning costs that are often underappreciated. Compare PP&E intensity (PP&E-to-revenue) against industry peers to assess capital efficiency and competitive positioning.