This business model is still subsidized by the government to this day. Iridium would have folded over 15 years ago if not for the DOD contract. You can’t have it both ways. Is it commercial or is it tax payer funded?
Iridium Receives DoD Gateway Support and Maintenance Contract
DOD buys billions of dollars of COTS services every year. The price on this contract is a drop in the bucket compared to a very many, like MS support, SAP licenses, ...