As the Q1 earnings season comes to a close, it’s time to take stock of this quarter’s best and worst performers in the telecommunication services industry, including Iridium (NASDAQ: IRDM) and its peers.
The sector is a tale of two cities. Satellite telecommunication is generally buoyed by rising global demand for connectivity in costly-to-connect and remote areas. On the other hand, terrestrial telecommunication companies face an uphill battle, as they mostly sell into a deflationary market, where the price of moving a bit tends to decrease over time with better technology. Despite the differences in demand drivers, companies across the entire industry must contend competition from larger telecom conglomerates and hyperscalers expanding their own networks as well as newer entrants such as SpaceX's StarLink.
The 6 telecommunication services stocks we track reported a softer Q1. As a group, revenues missed analysts’ consensus estimates by 1.2%.
Amidst this news, share prices of the companies have had a rough stretch. On average, they are down 18.5% since the latest earnings results.
Iridium (NASDAQ: IRDM)
With a constellation of 66 low-earth orbit satellites providing coverage to every inch of the planet, Iridium Communications (NASDAQ: IRDM) operates a global satellite network that provides voice and data services to customers in remote areas where traditional telecommunications are unavailable.
Iridium reported revenues of $219.1 million, up 1.9% year on year. This print fell short of analysts’ expectations by 0.9%. Overall, it was a disappointing quarter for the company with a significant miss of analysts’ EPS estimates.
"2026 is off to a solid start, as we continue to grow service revenue and introduce new products, like our next-generation IoT platform," said Matt Desch, CEO, Iridium.
Interestingly, the stock is up 2.5% since reporting and currently trades at $41.40.
Is now the time to buy Iridium? Access our full analysis of the earnings results here, it’s free.
Best Q1: Cogent (NASDAQ: CCOI)
Operating a massive network spanning 20,000 miles of fiber optic cable and connecting to over 3,200 buildings worldwide, Cogent Communications (NASDAQ: CCOI) provides high-speed Internet access, private network services, and data center colocation to businesses and bandwidth-intensive organizations across 54 countries.
Cogent reported revenues of $239.2 million, down 3.2% year on year, falling short of analysts’ expectations by 0.9%. However, the business still had a strong quarter with a beat of analysts’ EPS estimates.
Although it had a fine quarter compared to its peers, the market seems unhappy with the results as the stock is down 42.8% since reporting. It currently trades at $13.24.
Is now the time to buy Cogent? Access our full analysis of the earnings results here, it’s free.
Array (NYSE: AD)
Operating as a majority-owned subsidiary of Telephone and Data Systems since its founding in 1983, Array (NYSE: AD) is a regional wireless telecommunications provider serving 4.6 million customers across 21 states with mobile phone, internet, and IoT services.
Array reported revenues of $52.01 million, up 92.8% year on year, falling short of analysts’ expectations by 4.3%. It was a disappointing quarter as it posted a significant miss of analysts’ EPS estimates.
Array delivered the fastest revenue growth but had the weakest performance against analyst estimates in the group. As expected, the stock is down 27.2% since the results and currently trades at $35.89.
Read our full analysis of Array’s results here.
Lumen (NYSE: LUMN)
With approximately 350,000 route miles of fiber optic cable spanning North America and the Asia Pacific, Lumen Technologies (NYSE: LUMN) operates a vast fiber optic network that provides communications, cloud connectivity, security, and IT solutions to businesses and consumers.
Lumen reported revenues of $2.90 billion, down 8.9% year on year. This print beat analysts’ expectations by 2.3%. Taking a step back, it was a slower quarter as it produced a significant miss of analysts’ EPS estimates.
Lumen pulled off the biggest analyst estimate beat but had the slowest revenue growth among its peers. The stock is down 10.1% since reporting and currently trades at $8.30.
Read our full, actionable report on Lumen here, it’s free.
Viasat (NASDAQ: VSAT)
Operating a fleet of 23 satellites that orbit the Earth and beam connectivity from space, Viasat (NASDAQ: VSAT) provides satellite-based communications networks and services for airlines, maritime vessels, governments, businesses, and residential customers worldwide.
Viasat reported revenues of $1.17 billion, up 2.1% year on year. This result lagged analysts’ expectations by 3%. Overall, it was a disappointing quarter as it also recorded a significant miss of analysts’ EPS estimates.
The stock is down 30.7% since reporting and currently trades at $60.05.
Read our full, actionable report on Viasat here, it’s free.
Market Update
Late in 2025 into early 2026, there was hand-wringing around artificial intelligence. For software companies, the fear was that AI would erode pricing power and compress margins as new tools made it easier to replicate what once required expensive enterprise platforms. Crypto investors had their own version of the same anxiety: if AI agents could trade, allocate capital, and manage wallets autonomously, what exactly was the long-term value of today’s crypto infrastructure?
These concerns triggered a noticeable rotation away from these sectors and into safer havens. But markets rarely dwell on one narrative for long. Spring 2026 came, and the focus shifted abruptly from technological disruption to geopolitical risk. The US’ conflict with Iran became the dominant driver of market psychology, and when geopolitics takes center stage, the script changes quickly. Investors stop debating growth rates and start worrying about oil supply, inflation, and global stability.
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