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Iridium NTN Direct Begins Live Testing with Mlink

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Mlink chipsets expand the ecosystem for Iridium’s standards-based NB-IoT and D2D connectivity 

MCLEAN, Va., June 24, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Iridium Communications Inc. (Nasdaq: IRDM), a leading provider of global voice, data, and positioning, navigation, and timing (PNT) satellite services, today announced that Mlink Technology Inc. (Mlink), a leading fabless semiconductor company specializing in IoT and satellite communication chipsets, has begun live, on-air testing of its MS150-IR IoT-NTN chipset using Iridium NTN Direct℠. MS150-IR is a specialized version of the MS150 chipset family, developed specifically for Iridium NTN Direct as part of Mlink’s global IoT-NTN product portfolio.

Mlink joins a growing ecosystem of chipset providers supporting Iridium NTN Direct, Iridium’s 3GPP standards-based non-terrestrial network (NTN) service. By integrating Iridium NTN Direct, Mlink’s chipsets will help device manufacturers, module makers and mobile network operators (MNOs) extend low-power IoT connectivity beyond the reach of terrestrial networks through a single global satellite platform. The companies anticipate certification and product availability before the end of 2026.

“We’re excited by Mlink’s strong progress and the successful transition from lab testing to live on-orbit validation over the Iridium network,” said Tim Last, Executive Vice President, Iridium. “This achievement demonstrates the technical maturity of both teams and the readiness of Iridium NTN Direct. We look forward to certification of the MS150-IR chipset later this year, giving our partners and customers additional high-quality, standards-compliant options for global NB-IoT and D2D connectivity.”

“Having the opportunity to collaborate with Iridium in the emerging NTN field is a tremendous opportunity for Mlink,” said Zhiping An, Co-Founder and Vice President, Mlink. “Our MS150-IR chipset platform has successfully completed Iridium’s laboratory testing and has now progressed into the over-the-air (OTA) testing phase. We also have introduced a comprehensive reference design kit, enabling our customers to accelerate product development and commercialization. We look forward to leveraging Iridium NTN Direct to provide high-quality low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite communication services to customers around the world, enabling reliable and efficient global connectivity.”

Iridium NTN Direct leverages Iridium’s unique network of 66 cross-linked LEO satellites and 3GPP standards to deliver low-latency, reliable connectivity with excellent signal penetration on a truly global basis. The service is designed for IoT applications including asset tracking, logistics, utilities, agriculture, automotive, industrial monitoring and remote infrastructure, extending connectivity where terrestrial coverage is unavailable, limited or unreliable.

For chipset vendors, module manufacturers, OEMs, and MNOs, Iridium NTN Direct reduces the technical and commercial barriers to integrating satellite connectivity into existing products and networks without requiring additional terrestrial infrastructure. The service enables partners to expand coverage, improve resilience and support new connected-device applications using globally recognized standards.

Mlink’s advancement adds to Iridium’s expanding roster of chipset partners and reinforces growing momentum toward commercial availability of Iridium NTN Direct in 2026. Iridium NTN Direct is designed to deliver truly global, standards-based NB-IoT and D2D connectivity, enabling devices, sensors and assets to remain connected anywhere on Earth.

For more information on Iridium NTN Direct and how to join the ecosystem, visit: www.iridium.com/ntn-direct.

For more information about Iridium, visit: www.iridium.com

About Iridium Communications Inc.
Iridium Communications Inc. (Nasdaq: IRDM) operates the world’s only truly global mobile satellite network, delivering reliable voice, data, and positioning, navigation and timing (PNT) services anywhere on Earth. Iridium supports safety- and mission-critical operations for diverse markets such as aviation, maritime, government, emergency services, critical infrastructure, autonomous systems, and remote monitoring applications, where connectivity is essential.

Headquartered in McLean, Virginia, Iridium provides its products and services through an ecosystem of 500-plus partner companies around the world. For more information, visit www.iridium.com.

About Mlink Technology Inc.
Mlink Technology Inc, founded in 2013, is a leading innovator in semiconductor solutions for satellite and cellular communications. Mlink has launched SatCom chipsets covering multiple standards such as IoT-NTN, NR-NTN, and GMR, as well as cellular communication chips for 5G RedCap and NB-IoT. Mlink’s MS150 series IoT-NTN chipsets and MS340 series NR-NTN chipsets have successfully completed extensive LEO and GEO satellite testing across multiple countries and regions worldwide. Today, they are recognized as among the industry’s most widely adopted NTN chipset platforms.

Headquartered in Beijing, the company has established research and development centers in Shanghai, Hefei, and Xiamen. For more information about Mlink, visit: www.mlink-tech.cn.

Forward-Looking Statements Disclosure
Statements in this press release that are not purely historical facts may constitute forward-looking statements as defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. The Company has based these statements on its current expectations and the information currently available to us. Forward-looking statements in this press release include statements regarding the capabilities, benefits and availability of the Iridium NTN Direct service. Forward-looking statements can be identified by the words “anticipates,” “may,” “can,” “believes,” “expects,” “projects,” “intends,” “likely,” “will,” “to be” and other expressions that are predictions or indicate future events, trends or prospects. These forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of Iridium to differ materially from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, uncertainties regarding the timing of commercial availability of the Iridium NTN Direct service, the company’s ability to maintain the health, capacity and content of its satellite constellation, general industry and economic conditions, and competitive, legal, governmental and technological factors. Other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those indicated by the forward-looking statements include those factors listed under the caption “Risk Factors” in the Company’s Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2025, filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) on February 12, 2026, as well as other filings Iridium makes with the SEC from time to time. There is no assurance that Iridium’s expectations will be realized. If one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or if Iridium’s underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those expected, estimated or projected. Iridium’s forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this press release, and Iridium undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements.

Press Contact:     

Investor Contact:

Jordan Hassin     

Kenneth Levy

Iridium Communications Inc.                

Iridium Communications Inc.

Jordan.Hassin@Iridium.com                                

Ken.Levy@Iridium.com

+1 (703) 287-7421     

+1 (703) 287-7570

X: @Iridiumcomm

 

 

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SOURCE Iridium Communications Inc.

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Akemona Launches CapMark™ AI Agent as Part of Its AI Investment Banker Platform

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FULLERTON, Calif., June 25, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Akemona today announced the launch of CapMark™ AI Agent, an AI-powered product that helps investment banks, asset managers, broker-dealers, and businesses create and organize digital asset offerings for raising funds and issuing tokenized products such as fractionalized stocks, tokenized funds, and options. CapMark AI Agent is available as part of Akemona’s AI Investment Banker for Digital Assets platform, which Akemona provides to financial institutions and businesses as a white-label subscription service.

The launch of CapMark AI Agent arrives amid significant regulatory and market momentum. The SEC is currently advancing a landmark shift for tokenization by exploring an Innovation Exemption—including the proposed repeal of core Regulation NMS rules—to permit third parties to tokenize U.S. stocks without issuer approval, paving the way for 24/7 global trading on blockchain rails. This regulatory tailwind aligns with massive existing demand. According to CoinMarketCap data, the market capitalization for tokenized stocks already exceeds $6.4 billion.

CapMark AI Agent automates the offering creation process, including issuer due diligence, offering structure analysis, regulatory document preparation, bookbuilding, and workflow coordination. CapMark is the AI automation engine of the Akemona platform, which includes Akemona’s Tokenization Cloud, Issuer Hub, Investor Portal, Admin Console, Escrow Manager, and OnchainTA digital transfer agent. It enables businesses and financial institutions to create, launch, manage, and service digital asset offerings through one integrated system.

The launch of CapMark AI Agent reflects Akemona’s strategy of integrating artificial intelligence and digital asset infrastructure to modernize capital markets. Traditional investment banking processes remain manual and costly, with fragmented workflows across attorneys, lead managers, underwriters, and compliance teams. CapMark AI Agent is built to reduce these inefficiencies by bringing intelligent reasoning, step-by-step workflow automation, and compliant outreach into one digital asset offering platform.

Alex de Lorraine, Chief Executive Officer of Akemona, said, “CapMark AI Agent represents an important step toward the automation of investment banking functions for the digital asset economy. Financial institutions are looking for tools that reduce manual work, improve consistency, and help them launch compliant digital asset products to market faster. With CapMark, Akemona provides institutions and businesses with an AI-powered system that supports offering creation—from the earliest structuring stage through investor-ready documentation—to raise funds and launch tokenized financial products.”

CapMark AI Agent is powered by leading foundational AI models integrated with Akemona’s Tokenization Cloud, which provides the infrastructure layer for digital asset issuance, investor workflows, compliance controls, escrow services, and digital asset lifecycle management. By combining CapMark AI Agent with Akemona’s existing applications, including Issuer Hub, Investor Portal, Admin Console, Escrow Manager, and OnchainTA, financial institutions and businesses can use one platform to create, launch, manage, and service digital asset offerings.

A key strength of the Akemona platform is its ability to use publicly available AI models and blockchains while ensuring the privacy of relevant and privileged information. It achieves this by removing chat logs after 30 days and ensuring no personal information is maintained on the blockchain. Furthermore, the Akemona platform works with private blockchains, anonymizing and obfuscating privileged information whenever it communicates with public systems. Information in its off-chain databases is maintained for six years to ensure compliance with SEC regulations.

Ravi Srivastava, Chief Product Officer of Akemona, explained, “CapMark AI Agent helps one person create and organize a digital asset offering end-to-end, while keeping the process structured and auditable. Our goal is to make digital asset offering creation more efficient for investment banks, asset managers, and businesses.”

CapMark AI Agent assists financial institutions and businesses with evaluating different structuring options for digital asset offerings, preparing market-ready materials, and coordinating the launch process. It is designed to support regulated capital markets use cases, including fundraising, tokenized securities, tokenized funds, real-world assets, stablecoin-enabled settlement, and other blockchain-native financial products.

Brady Matthews, Chief Technology Officer of Akemona, added, “CapMark AI Agent is built on Akemona’s deep experience in tokenization, smart contracts, regulatory workflows, and digital asset lifecycle management. By connecting AI-driven offering automation with our Tokenization Cloud, we are creating a powerful foundation for institutions that want to build digital asset products with security, configurability, and compliance in mind.”

Akemona believes capital markets infrastructure is entering a new phase. The pipes of capital markets are gradually being rewired with blockchain-based digital rails, while artificial intelligence is creating the opportunity to automate due diligence, underwriting, offering creation, bookbuilding, subscriptions, and post-subscription services. CapMark AI Agent is the first step in Akemona’s larger vision of building an AI Investment Banking Platform for programmable digital assets.

This vision points toward what Akemona calls Autonomous Wall Street—a future in which digital asset offerings can be created, launched, managed, and serviced through AI-driven, regulation-compliant infrastructure. As tokenization expands across securities, funds, structured products, commodities, real-world assets, and stablecoin-based settlement, Akemona is building the technology foundation for autonomous capital markets.

Media Contact
Email: info@akemona.com

About Akemona
Akemona is a fintech company focused on creating secure, regulation-compliant, and scalable digital asset infrastructure with AI-automated workflows for capital markets. Its comprehensive suite—including Tokenization Cloud, CapMark AI Agent, Issuer Hub, Investor Portal, Admin Console, Escrow Manager, and OnchainTA—enables financial institutions and businesses to efficiently create, manage, and service digital assets to raise funds and introduce new products with confidence. Akemona is pioneering the convergence of tokenization and artificial intelligence to power the next generation of regulated financial markets.

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SOURCE Akemona, Inc.

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Marquis Who’s Who Honors Michael J. Lawless for Expertise in Digital Growth

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UNIONDALE, N.Y., June 25, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Marquis Who’s Who honors Michael J. Lawless for his work as a partner and managing director at Alvarez & Marsal. With more than 30 years of experience in consulting, business strategy and digital transformation, Mr. Lawless helps organizations across industries discover new revenue streams through technology.

Data-Driven Business Solutions

Mr. Lawless leads as senior director at A&Mplify, Alvarez & Marsal’s Washington-based digital agency. In his position, he focuses on helping businesses strengthen revenue growth, improve customer engagement and create new value through data-driven solutions.

Artificial intelligence (AI) has become a primary driver in consulting and business strategy. As a result, AI is the power behind A&Mplify. “I’m focused on growth and revenue, so I view AI and agentic approaches as more than tools for immediate cost savings, like replacing people with bots that cut expenses. I see them as a whole new set of capabilities,” Mr. Lawless says. The technology enables companies to expand options and pursue growth opportunities during economic uncertainty.

Moreover, Mr. Lawless views AI as a productivity multiplier that helps teams test and execute ideas more efficiently. “AI significantly shortens processes and allows your existing team to be more productive,” he says. “That’s how you extract value from AI.”

A Career Spanning Across Industries

Before joining Alvarez & Marsal in 2021, Mr. Lawless spent more than a decade working for Accenture. There, he served as managing director and design lead at Accenture Interactive and later as managing director of the digital studio at Accenture Federal Services. He began his career at Coca-Cola North America in 1989 and later worked in leadership positions at AOL and SunEdison.

Across these roles, Mr. Lawless guided teams in launching new products and services, managing profit and loss responsibilities and designing customer-focused strategies. His career includes significant work with consumer analytics, large-scale solution design and marketing strategy.

Strategic Partnership Development

Mr. Lawless is currently advancing a collaboration with an SI (Systems Integrator). The aim is to build growth strategies and revenue opportunities for client organizations. The partnership pairs his team’s expertise in business case development with the integrator’s technical capabilities in custom software development and technology implementation.

Rising interest rates, higher capital costs and shifting policies create challenges and opportunities during market volatility. Financially stable companies can benefit by making smart investments. Mr. Lawless explores how commercial, nonprofit and government organizations manage disruption and adapt to these changing circumstances. “All of this ties into my focus on generating new revenue streams and navigating growth amid these challenges,” he says.

Advanced Business Expertise

Mr. Lawless earned a bachelor’s degree in government from the University of Virginia and a Master of Business Administration in marketing and international business from Emory University’s Goizueta Business School. He is also a member of Beta Gamma Sigma and Phi Pi Theta honor societies.

Among his professional highlights, Mr. Lawless cites his work with the U.S. Marshals Service. In that capacity, he helped develop large-scale frameworks to support the agency’s operations. He also created systems to improve consumer analytics. This development enabled organizations to better understand customer behavior and strengthen their decision-making.

Mentorship, Volunteer Work and Client Outcomes

Outside of his professional commitments, Mr. Lawless served as a board member and mentor for the Cappies of the National Capital Area for more than 10 years. It’s an initiative that supports young people in the arts. He also volunteered for Odyssey of the Mind for nearly a decade by encouraging creative problem-solving among students. In his personal life, he’s the father of two children.

In the next five years, Mr. Lawless intends to expand the potential of A&Mplify. His vision is to combine corporate restructuring and growth strategies to help clients position themselves for success during economic instability. By identifying stable organizations ready to invest, he seeks to drive measurable outcomes that create lasting business value.

About Marquis Who’s Who®:
Since 1899, when A. N. Marquis printed the First Edition of Who’s Who in America®, Marquis Who’s Who® has chronicled the lives of the most accomplished individuals and innovators from every significant field, including politics, business, medicine, law, education, art, religion and entertainment. Who’s Who in America® remains an essential biographical source for thousands of researchers, journalists, librarians and executive search firms worldwide. The suite of Marquis® publications can be viewed at the official Marquis Who’s Who® website, www.marquiswhoswho.com.

Marquis Who’s Who
Uniondale, NY
(844) 394 – 6946
info@marquiswhoswho.com
www.marquiswhoswho.com

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Crown Capital Announces Agreement to Sell Galaxy Broadband Communications to Calian

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CALGARY, AB, June 25, 2026 /CNW/ – Crown Capital Partners Inc. (“Crown” or the “Corporation”) (TSX: CRWN) today announced that it has entered into a share purchase agreement (the “Galaxy Transaction”) to sell all of the issued and outstanding shares of its subsidiary, Galaxy Broadband Communications Inc. (“Galaxy”), to Calian Group Ltd. (TSX: CGY) (“Calian”). Galaxy is a Canadian leader in satellite communications and remote connectivity solutions. Completion of the Galaxy Transaction is subject to the satisfaction of certain conditions, including the approval of the holders of Crown’s outstanding 12% Senior Secured Debentures (TSX: CRWN.NT) (the “Debentureholders”), as described below.

Transaction Terms

Under the terms of the share purchase agreement, total consideration payable to Crown and its subsidiaries is up to $51.5 million, comprised of:

$24.0 million payable in cash at closing, subject to a 1 year, 10% holdback to deal with post closing adjustments if any; andup to an additional $27.5 million in consideration payable over the three years following closing subject to the financial performance of Galaxy.

The Galaxy Transaction is expected to close in August 2026, subject to the satisfaction or waiver of customary closing conditions and the approval of Crown’s Debentureholders. There can be no assurance that the Galaxy Transaction will be completed on the terms described herein, or at all.

About Galaxy Broadband

Founded by Rick Hodgkinson, one of Canada’s satellite pioneers, Galaxy Broadband delivers secure and resilient communications and connectivity solutions to government, defense, critical infrastructure and remote community customers across Canada. Galaxy is a recognized provider of low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite, private wireless and multi-orbit connectivity solutions, supporting organizations operating in some of Canada’s most remote and challenging environments, including Northern Canada.

Management Commentary

“The sale of Galaxy Broadband to Calian represents an important step in our previously announced strategy to realize value from Crown’s assets and strengthen the Corporation’s financial position,” said Chris Johnson, President and Chief Executive Officer of Crown. “Calian is a strong, well-capitalized acquirer whose space and defense focus is an excellent fit for Galaxy’s team, customers and capabilities. We believe this transaction delivers a compelling outcome for our stakeholders, and we look forward to seeking the support of our Debentureholders as we move toward completion.”

Debentureholder Approval and Meeting

Completion of the Galaxy Transaction is conditional upon, among other things, the approval of Crown’s Debentureholders. Crown intends to seek that approval at a meeting of Debentureholders (the “Meeting”) to be called for that purpose.

In connection with the Meeting, Crown intends to prepare and file a management information circular (the “Circular”) containing details of the Galaxy Transaction and the matters to be considered at the Meeting. Crown expects to file and mail the Circular in the coming days, with the Meeting expected to be held by the end of August 2026. Further details regarding the Meeting, including the record date and voting procedures, will be set out in the Circular and accompanying materials when they are made available. This news release does not constitute a solicitation of any vote or approval.

Use of Proceeds

Crown intends to apply the net proceeds of the Galaxy Transaction to the repayment of its senior credit facility and senior subordinated debentures, to pay the interest which was due on December 31, 2025 on its Debentures, and to fund other obligations of the Corporation. The additional consideration payable in future years, together with activities to maximize the value of remaining assets, is expected to provide liquidity to satisfy other obligations of the Corporation and to realize value for shareholders.

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This news release contains certain “forward looking statements” and certain “forward looking information” as defined under applicable Canadian and U.S. securities laws. Forward-looking statements can generally be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as “may”, “will”, “expect”, “intend”, “estimate”, “anticipate”, “believe”, “continue”, “plans” or similar terminology. Forward-looking statements in this news release include, but are not limited to, statements, management’s beliefs, expectations or intentions regarding the expected timing and completion of the Galaxy Transaction, the receipt of Debentureholder approval, regulatory and other approvals, the timing for filing and mailing of the Circular and holding of the Meeting, the amount and timing of consideration to be received, the use of proceeds, and the Corporation’s strategy, liquidity and restructuring objectives. Forward-looking statements are based on forecasts of future results, estimates of amounts not yet determinable and assumptions that while believed by management to be reasonable, are inherently subject to significant business, economic and competitive uncertainties and contingencies. Forward-looking statements are subject to various risks and uncertainties concerning the specific factors identified in the Crown’s periodic filings with Canadian securities regulators. See Crown’s most recent annual information form for a detailed discussion of the risk factors affecting Crown. Crown undertakes no obligation to update forward-looking information except as required by applicable law. Such forward-looking information represents management’s best judgment based on information currently available. No forward-looking statement can be guaranteed and actual future results may vary materially. Accordingly, readers are advised not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements or information.

SOURCE Crown Capital Partners Inc.

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