Income taxes - Additional Information (Detail) (USD $) In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2014	Mar. 31, 2013
Income Taxes [Line Items]
Income tax provision	$ 173	$ 145
Goodwill generated from amortization of tax goodwill from acquisitions	63	63
Unrecognized tax benefits	775
Unrecognized tax benefits, period change	0
Income tax examinations, year	2008
Interest and penalties related to uncertain tax positions	0
ORBCOMM Japan [Member]
Income Taxes [Line Items]
Income tax provision	173	145
Foreign income tax expense	$ 110	$ 82