Iridium Communications Inc. (Nasdaq:IRDM) announced that it has signed the definitive Coface Facility Agreement to finance its next-generation satellite constellation, Iridium NEXT. The syndicate of nine banks is led by Deutsche Bank AG, Banco Santander SA, Société Générale, Natixis and Mediobanca International S.A., and includes BNP Paribas, Crédit Industriel et Commercial, Intesa Sanpaolo S.p.A. and Unicredit Bank Austria AG. They will provide up to $1.8b of financing to Iridium for the design and manufacture of Iridium NEXT satellites. The funding under the Facility is subject to customary closing conditions, which are expected to be met shortly. The credit facility consists of two pro rata tranches. One tranche of up to $1.537b will bear a fixed interest rate of 4.96% per annum.