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iBasis Reports First Quarter 2008 Results
Company Announces $15 Million Stock Repurchase Program
BURLINGTON, MASS. - April 28, 2008 - iBasis, Inc. (NASDAQ:
IBAS), a KPN affiliate, today announced results for the first quarter ended March 31,
2008.
On October 1, 2007, iBasis acquired KPN Global Carrier Services. As
this transaction has been treated as a reverse acquisition of iBasis by KPN Global Carrier
Services under the purchase method of accounting, the financial results of KPN Global
Carrier Services have become the historical financial results of the combined company and
replace the historical financial results of iBasis as a standalone company. Thus, the GAAP
financial results for Q1 2007 include only the results of KPN Global Carrier Services.
Historical GAAP results for KPN Global Carrier Services as a wholly-owned subsidiary of
Royal KPN are not necessarily indicative of results that would have been achieved on a
standalone basis.
To make comparisons to prior periods more useful, we are providing
supplemental pro forma data which include the consolidated historical results of both
iBasis and KPN Global Carrier Services.
Revenue for the first quarter of 2008 was $324.9 million, and net loss
was $(2.1) million or $(0.03) per share. For the first quarter of 2007 pro forma revenue
was $324.8 million, and pro forma net income was $1.5 million.
Adjusted EBITDA for the first quarter of 2008 was $11.2 million,
compared to pro forma Adjusted EBITDA of $13.0 million in the first quarter of 2007.
Adjusted EBITDA is a non-GAAP measurement presented to provide further information about
the Company's operating trends.
Comments on the First Quarter
"Compared to Q1 2007, traffic increased 5% and gross margin increased
by 100 basis points, resulting in a 10% increase in gross profit in the first quarter of
2008," said Ofer Gneezy, iBasis president and CEO. "Gross profit increased in all three
revenue streams -- Wholesale Trading, Outsourced, and Retail. The gross margin improvement
compared to pre-acquisition margin demonstrates the ongoing success of our efforts to
capture synergies from the expansion of our base of suppliers, which resulted from the
acquisition of KPN Global Carrier Services in October. Operating expenses increased,
partly in support of our integration efforts and to support our planned future growth,
resulting in a decline in Adjusted EBITDA for the quarter. Synergies we expect to achieve
in the future will contribute to reduced operating expenses and expanded EBITDA.
"Coming off of a very strong fourth quarter, these results are weaker
than we expected and roughly in line with the industry. According to industry sources, the
international wholesale telecommunications market in general has experienced a decline in
traffic volume and compression in average revenue per minute (ARPM) over the last six
months. We believe this is a temporary interruption in the decade-long trend of traffic
growth partially offset by a smaller decline in ARPM. We expect to resume growth overall
and in particular from the addition of traffic resulting from our transaction with
TDC.
"On April 1 we completed the transaction with TDC, the leading carrier
in Denmark and a major provider throughout the Nordic region. For $10 million we acquired
TDC's non-Nordic international voice business and secured a long-term outsourcing
agreement, which we expect to generate approximately $80 million in annual revenue.
"In our Retail business, we continued to experience pressure resulting
from the transition of the industry to more transparent pricing and softness in the
economy and other factors affecting the employment of immigrant workers. To address the
former, iBasis is taking a leadership position by creating, with other major providers in
this space, an independent association with the charter to establish, promote and monitor
standards of ethical business practices in the prepaid industry. We believe this trend is
very positive for iBasis, as we have a significant advantage in our network and low cost
of operations."
Sources of Revenue -- Q1 '08
| ($ in millions) |
Wholesale Trading |
Outsourced from KPN |
Retail |
Total |
| Minutes (in billions) |
4.8 |
0.5 |
0.5 |
5.8 |
| Revenue |
$254.1 |
$50.2 |
$20.6 |
$324.9 |
| Gross Profit* |
$21.7 |
$10.2 |
$3.5 |
$35.4 |
| Gross Margin |
8.6% |
20.3% |
16.9% |
10.9% |
Comments on Integration
"Since completing the KPN transaction in October we have been focused
on capturing savings from three areas: Least Cost Routing (LCR), Transmission, and
Operating Expenses. We have made tangible progress as demonstrated by the gross margin
improvement over pre-acquisition pro forma results that we have already achieved. We
expect to capture additional LCR synergies by taking full advantage of our combined scale
and expanded base of termination partners to get the best termination rates. We believe we
will realize transmission synergies as we move KPN Global Carrier Services' international
traffic to our All-IP network. This will enable us to benefit from lower backhaul charges
as well as the increased efficiency of IP transmission. As we merge our accounting,
billing, routing and traffic management systems we believe we will also be able to save on
operating expenses. We expect all of these synergies to exceed $20 million in annual
savings, and we expect to fully complete the integration effort in two to three years from
the date of the transaction.
"We are also making progress in combining our products into a single
comprehensive portfolio, have reorganized our global sales team to ensure efficient
account management and business development, and have completed training on products and
capabilities, which will enable effective cross-selling.
"I am pleased with our progress in integrating the legacy iBasis and
KPN Global Carrier Services, which we now call iBasis Netherlands. That transaction got us
a step closer to our objective to be the #1 carrier of international voice traffic. Our
successful transactions with KPN and TDC are the first steps to achieving our objective.
During the first quarter, we discontinued pursuing a transaction that did not work out,
and the costs were expensed in Q1. We continue to be excited about the opportunities
created by the consolidation trend and look forward to additional successful transactions
in the future, provided reasonably-priced debt is available or our equity strengthens
significantly."
Stock Repurchase Program
iBasis also announced today that its board of directors has approved a
stock repurchase program, authorizing the repurchase of up to $15 million of common stock
over the next six months. Commenting on the announcement, Mr. Ofer Gneezy, CEO of iBasis,
said, "Management and our Board are confident in the business strategy and outlook. We
have initiated our stock repurchase program in view of the current market price for the
Company's shares which we believe is far below the Company's true value and its future
growth prospects. The continued execution of our strategy will create significant value
for our shareholders, making it prudent for us to invest in our shares which we believe
are undervalued."
The repurchases will be made from time to time in the open market and
potentially in privately negotiated purchases. The timing and amount of any shares
repurchased will be determined by the Company's management based on its evaluation of
market conditions and other factors. The repurchase program may be suspended or
discontinued at any time.
No shares will be purchased from KPN as part of the program.
Operational Milestones
Minutes of use on The iBasis Network™ in the first quarter 2008
were 5.8 billion, compared to pro forma traffic of 5.5 billion minutes in Q1 2007 and 6.0
billion minutes in Q4 2007. Average revenue per minute was 5.59 cents, compared to pro
forma 5.85 cents in Q1 2007 and 5.83 cents in Q4 2007. Average cost per minute was 4.98
cents, compared to pro forma 5.27 cents in Q1 2007 and 5.18 cents in Q4 2007. Average
margin per minute was 0.61 cents, compared to pro forma 0.58 cents in Q1 2007 and 0.65
cents in Q4 2007.
Guidance
The Company believes that in 2008 Adjusted EBITDA will be $60 to $65
million and capital asset expenditures will be $25 to $30 million.
Q1 Results Conference Call
iBasis will host a conference call to discuss the Company's selected Q1
results, led by Ofer Gneezy, iBasis president & CEO on April 28, 2008 at 5:00 p.m.
EDT. The public is invited to listen to the simultaneous webcast by logging in through the
iBasis investor relations website at http://investor.ibasis.com.
About iBasis
Founded in 1996, iBasis (NASDAQ: IBAS) is a leading wholesale carrier
of international long distance telephone calls and a provider of retail prepaid calling
services and enhanced services for mobile operators. iBasis customers include KPN, KPN
Mobile, E-Plus, BASE, and many other large telecommunications carriers such as Verizon,
Vodafone, China Mobile, China Unicom, IDT, Qwest, Skype, Telecom Italia, Telefonica, and
Yahoo. In October 2007, iBasis acquired KPN Global Carrier Services to create one of the
three largest carriers of international voice traffic in the world, and KPN became a
majority stockholder of iBasis. On a pro forma basis, the combined company carried
approximately 24 billion minutes of international voice traffic in 2007. The Company can
be reached at its worldwide headquarters in Burlington, Mass., USA at +1 781-505-7500 or
on the Internet at www.ibasis.com.
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