Telecom Q1 Revenue Misses 1.2% as Viasat (VSAT), Cogent (CCOI) Tumble; Iridium (IRDM) Surges 30%

Six telecom services stocks tracked for Q1 2026 saw aggregate revenue miss consensus by 1.2%, marking a softer quarter. While the group's average share price was little changed, individual stocks diverged sharply. Viasat (NASDAQ:VSAT) and Cogent Communications (NASDAQ:CCOI) fell on significant revenue and EPS misses, while Iridium Communications (NASDAQ:IRDM) surged 29.7% despite also missing estimates. Viasat's $1.17B in revenue rose 2.1% YoY but missed by 3%, sending shares down 16% to $72.78. Cogent's revenue fell 3.2% YoY to $239.2M, a 0.9% miss, and its stock tumbled 25.5% to $17.26. In contrast, Iridium's revenue inched up 1.9% to $219.1M, missing by 0.9%, but shares jumped 29.7% to $52.38. The divergence underscores investor selectivity amid sector deflation and Starlink competition.