Back to GetFilings.com



Table of Contents

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 10549

 


 

FORM 10-Q

 


 

x Quarterly report pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934

 

For the quarterly period ended June 30, 2004

 

or

 

¨ Transition report pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934

 

Commission file number: 0-28432

 


 

Boston Communications Group, Inc.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

 


 

Massachusetts   04-3026859

(State or other jurisdiction of

incorporation or organization)

 

(I.R.S. Employer

Identification No.)

 

100 Sylvan Road, Woburn, Massachusetts 01801

(Address of principal executive offices)

 

Registrant’s telephone number, including area code: (781) 904-5000

 

 

(Former name, former address, former fiscal year, if changed since last report)

 


 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days.    YES  x    NO  ¨

 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is an accelerated filer (as defined in Exchange Act Rule 12b-2)    YES  x    NO  ¨

 

Indicate the number of shares outstanding of each of the issuer’s classes of common stock as of the latest practicable date. As of Aug 6, 2004, the Company had outstanding 17,498,271 shares of common stock, $.01 par value per share.

 



Table of Contents

INDEX

 

PART I. FINANCIAL INFORMATION:

    

    Item 1.

   Financial Statements (Unaudited)     
    

Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets

   3
    

Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations

   4
    

Condensed Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows

   5
    

Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements

   6

    Item 2.

   Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations   Certain Factors That May Affect Future Results    13

    Item 3.

   Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk    24

    Item 4.

   Controls and Procedures    24

PART II. OTHER INFORMATION:

    

    Item 1.

   Legal Proceedings    24

    Item 2.

   Changes in Securities, Use of Proceeds and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities    25

    Item 4.

   Submission of Matters to a Vote of Security Holders    26

    Item 6.

   Exhibits and Reports on Form 8-K    26

 

This Quarterly Report contains forward-looking statements, within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, that involve risks and uncertainties, including without limitation, statements regarding the expectations regarding our new product offerings, expansion into new markets, Verizon Wireless’ timetable to transfer subscribers from our platform to their internal prepaid platform, diversification of our product and customer base, total revenues, earnings per share, billing and transaction processing services revenues and gross margin, engineering, research and development expenses, sales and marketing expenses, costs to defend Freedom Wireless lawsuit, additional capital investments, payment of additional contingent cash consideration to Infotech Solutions Corporation, and the ability to finance our operations for the next 12 months. These statements are based on the current beliefs and assumptions of management.

 

Any statements contained herein that are not statements of historical fact may be deemed to be forward-looking statements. Without limiting the foregoing, the words “believe,” “anticipate,” “plan,” “expect,” “intend,” and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements, although not all forward-looking statements contain these words.

 

A number of important factors could cause actual events or our actual results to differ materially from those indicated by such forward-looking statements. These factors include, without limitation, those set forth under the captions “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations”, “Certain Factors That May Affect Future Results” and “Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk”. The statements discussed herein do not reflect the potential future impact of any mergers, acquisitions or dispositions. We do not assume any obligation to update any forward-looking statements made herein.

 

2


Table of Contents

BOSTON COMMUNICATIONS GROUP, INC.

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS

(In thousands, except share and per share amounts)

 

     June 30,
2004


    December 31,
2003


 
     (unaudited)        

ASSETS

                

Current assets:

                

Cash and cash equivalents

     2,753     $ 2,960  

Short-term investments

     62,375       63,553  

Accounts receivable, net of allowance for billing adjustments and doubtful accounts of $756 in 2004 and $878 in 2003

     23,565       18,386  

Inventory

     603       679  

Deferred income taxes

     1,152       1,260  

Prepaid expenses and other assets

     2,937       2,121  
    


 


Total current assets

     93,385       88,959  

Property and equipment:

                

Building and leasehold improvements

     11,078       10,989  

Telecommunications systems & software

     90,763       86,418  

Furniture and fixtures

     547       540  

Systems in development

     10,220       10,789  
    


 


       112,608       108,736  

Less allowance for depreciation and amortization

     54,769       50,098  
    


 


       57,839       58,638  

Intangible assets, net

     800       920  

Goodwill

     4,163       4,177  

Other assets

     3,447       1,897  
    


 


Total assets

   $ 159,634     $ 154,591  
    


 


LIABILITIES AND SHAREHOLDERS’ EQUITY

                

Current liabilities:

                

Accounts payable

   $ 1,796     $ 1,844  

Accrued expenses

     10,144       12,363  

Deferred revenue

     4,831       3,788  

Income taxes payable

     1,941       760  
    


 


Total current liabilities

     18,712       18,755  

Non-current liabilities:

                

Accrued pension liability

     1,093       632  

Deferred income taxes

     7,003       7,003  
    


 


Total non-current liabilities

     8,096       7,635  

Commitments and contingencies

                

Shareholders’ equity:

                

Preferred stock, $.01 par value, 2,000,000 shares authorized, none issued and outstanding

     —         —    

Common stock, voting, par value $.01 per share, 35,000,000 shares authorized; 18,611,236 and 18,522,448 shares issued at June 30, 2004 and December 31, 2003, respectively

     186       185  

Additional paid-in capital

     113,672       112,962  

Treasury stock; 777,920 and 273,420, at cost, at June 30, 2004 and December 31, 2003, respectively

     (7,066 )     (2,131 )

Retained earnings

     26,305       17,230  

Accumulated other comprehensive loss

     (271 )     (45 )
    


 


Total shareholders’ equity

     132,826       128,201  
    


 


Total liabilities and shareholders’ equity

   $ 159,634     $ 154,591  
    


 


 

See accompanying notes.

 

3


Table of Contents

BOSTON COMMUNICATIONS GROUP, INC.

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS

(Unaudited and in thousands, except per share amounts)

 

     Three months ended
June 30,


    Six months ended
June 30,


 
     2004

   2003

    2004

    2003

 

REVENUES:

                               

Billing and Transaction Processing Services

   $ 26,980    $ 24,097     $ 53,536     $ 45,171  

Prepaid Systems

     670      1,427       1,359       2,483  
    

  


 


 


       27,650      25,524       54,895       47,654  

EXPENSES:

                               

Cost of Billing and Transaction Processing Services revenues*

     5,996      6,014       11,861       11,004  

Cost of Prepaid Systems revenues*

     463      871       976       1,438  

Engineering, research and development

     3,497      3,362       7,293       6,231  

Sales and marketing

     1,667      1,516       3,539       3,083  

General and administrative

     2,125      1,985       4,211       3,870  

General and administrative – legal expenses

     450      725       1,600       1,640  

Depreciation and amortization

     5,490      4,813       10,959       9,205  
    

  


 


 


       19,688      19,286       40,439       36,471  

Operating income

     7,962      6,238       14,456       11,183  

Interest income

     251      302       563       638  
    

  


 


 


Income from continuing operations before income taxes

     8,213      6,540       15,019       11,821  

Provision for income taxes

     3,211      2,489       5,933       4,496  
    

  


 


 


Net income from continuing operations

     5,002      4,051       9,086       7,325  

Discontinued operations (Note 6):

                               

Income (loss) from discontinued operations, before taxes

     —        58       (19 )     81  

Income tax (expense) / benefit from discontinued operations

     —        (22 )     8       (31 )
    

  


 


 


Net income / (loss) from discontinued operations

     —        36       (11 )     50  
    

  


 


 


Net income

   $ 5,002    $ 4,087       9,075     $ 7,375  
    

  


 


 


Basic net income per share:

                               

Continuing operations

   $ 0.27    $ 0.22     $ 0.50     $ 0.41  

Net income

   $ 0.27    $ 0.23     $ 0.50     $ 0.42  

Weighted average common shares outstanding

     18,295      18,009       18,286       17,744  

Diluted net income per share:

                               

Continuing operations

   $ 0.27    $ 0.21     $ 0.49     $ 0.39  

Net income

   $ 0.27    $ 0.22     $ 0.48     $ 0.40  

Weighted average common shares outstanding

     18,735      18,878       18,728       18,609  

* exclusive of depreciation, which is shown separately.

 

See accompanying notes.

 

4


Table of Contents

BOSTON COMMUNICATIONS GROUP, INC.

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS

(Unaudited and in thousands)

 

     Six months ended June 30,

 
     2004

    2003

 

OPERATING ACTIVITIES

                

Net income from continuing operations

   $ 9,086     $ 7,325  

Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash provided by operating activities:

                

Depreciation and amortization

     10,959       9,205  

Deferred income taxes

     108       1,139  

Changes in operating assets and liabilities:

                

Accounts receivable

     (5,373 )     (2,251 )

Inventory

     76       (267 )

Prepaid expenses and other assets

     (848 )     (1,212 )

Accounts payable, accrued expenses and deferred revenue

     (759 )     5,666  

Other non-current liabilities

     461       —    

Income taxes payable

     1,181       984  
    


 


Net cash provided by operating activities of continuing operations

     14,891       20,589  
    


 


Income (loss) from discontinued operations

     (11 )     50  

Net change in operating assets and liabilities of discontinued operations

     (258 )     (22 )
    


 


Net cash provided by (used in) operating activities of discontinued operations

     (269 )     28  
    


 


Net cash provided by operations

     14,622       20,617  

INVESTING ACTIVITIES

                

Purchases of long-term investments

     (1,517 )     (1,517 )

Purchases of short-term investments

     (31,043 )     (20,448 )

Sales of short-term investments

     31,995       4,800  

Purchase of property and equipment

     (10,039 )     (23,482 )
    


 


Net cash used in investing activities

     (10,604 )     (40,647 )

FINANCING ACTIVITIES

                

Proceeds from exercise of stock options and employee stock purchase plan

     710       5,579  

Repurchase of common stock

     (4,935 )     —    
    


 


Net cash provided by (used in) financing activities

     (4,225 )     5,579  
    


 


Decrease in cash and cash equivalents

     (207 )     (14,451 )

Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of period

     2,960       31,146  
    


 


Cash and cash equivalents at end of period

   $ 2,753     $ 16,695  
    


 


SUPPLEMENTAL CASH FLOW INFORMATION                 

Cash paid for income taxes

   $ 4,961     $ 1,574  
    


 


 

See accompanying notes.

 

5


Table of Contents

NOTES TO CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

(Unaudited)

1. Basis of Presentation

 

The accompanying unaudited financial statements have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States for interim financial information and with the instructions to Form 10-Q and Article 10 of Regulation S-X. Accordingly, they do not include all of the information and footnotes required by accounting principles generally accepted in the United States for complete financial statements. In the opinion of management, all adjustments (consisting of normal recurring accruals) considered necessary for a fair presentation have been included. Operating results for the three and six month periods ended June 30, 2004 are not necessarily indicative of the results that may be expected for the year ending December 31, 2004.

 

The balance sheet at December 31, 2003 has been derived from the audited financial statements at that date but does not include all of the information and footnotes required by accounting principles generally accepted in the United States for complete financial statements.

 

For further information, refer to the condensed consolidated financial statements and footnotes thereto included in the Company’s annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2003.

 

2. Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

 

Reclassifications

 

Certain amounts in the accompanying condensed consolidated financial statements have been reclassified to conform to the current year presentation.

 

Revenue Recognition

 

Revenues are recognized in accordance with the Securities and Exchange Commission Staff Accounting Bulletin No. 104, “Revenue Recognition” and application of Emerging Issues Task Force Issue No. 00-21 “Revenue Arrangements with Multiple Deliverables.”

 

The Company earns Billing and Transaction Processing Services revenues in various ways, depending on the type of transaction:

 

1) bcgi Real-Time Subscriber Management solutions - the Company principally earns revenues by processing prepaid wireless minutes and transactions, net of any penalties incurred related to outages on the platform;

 

2) bcgi Payment Services - the Company earns revenues by processing transactions on behalf of wireless carriers’ subscribers; and

 

3) bcgi Voyager Billing and Customer Care - the Company earns revenues by generating a subscriber’s monthly bill.

 

Revenues for each of these solutions are recognized as the services are provided.

 

Billing and Transaction Processing Services revenues also include amounts for licensing fees and related maintenance, development projects and implementations, which are typically recognized ratably over the remaining life of the contract with the respective carrier. For multiple element arrangements, the Company determines the fair value of each element based on specific objective evidence for that element and allocates total revenue from these arrangements to each element based on its fair value.

 

6


Table of Contents

The Company typically recognizes revenue for its Prepaid Systems business from the sale of systems at the time the systems are shipped or delivered to the customer, depending on contract terms. In the event there are acceptance terms that are not perfunctory, the Company defers revenue until acceptance has occurred. The fair value of installation revenue, based on vendor-specific objective evidence, is deferred until the entire installation is complete. Revenues from maintenance and support services are recognized ratably over the term of the contract period, which is generally one year, based on vendor-specific objective evidence of fair value. Vendor-specific objective evidence of fair value is based upon the amount charged when the service is sold separately, which is typically the contract’s renewal rate.

 

All revenues are recorded net of unbillable amounts, and a reserve for billing adjustments and doubtful accounts is recorded based on historical experience or specific identification of an event necessitating a reserve.

 

Legal Costs

 

The Company accrues the costs of settlements, damages and, under certain conditions, costs of defense when such costs are probable and reasonably estimable; otherwise, such costs are expensed as incurred. As discussed in Note 3 to the condensed consolidated financial statements, the Company began to expense legal costs related to the Freedom Wireless lawsuit as incurred due to the lengthy and unpredictable discovery process, which made it difficult to continue to reasonably estimate legal costs for the suit. Other litigation will continue to be accounted for in accordance with the Company’s accounting policy, and generally, the Company develops an estimate of probable costs in consultation with the Company’s outside legal counsel who is handling the case. There can be no assurances that the Company’s expenses will not exceed its estimates.

 

Research and Development, Software Development Costs and Assets Obtained and Deployed for Internal Use

 

Research and development costs are charged to expense as incurred. However, certain costs incurred for the development of computer software or deployment of assets for internal use are capitalized. The direct labor and payroll-related costs of development of computer software, primarily for the coding and testing of the software, are capitalized in accordance with the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants’ Statement of Position 98-1 “Accounting for the Costs of Computer Software Developed or Obtained for Internal Use.” The direct labor, travel and payroll related costs to deploy assets for internal use are capitalized until the asset is placed in service. The capitalized costs are subject to an ongoing assessment of recoverability based on the Company’s anticipated use, changes in hardware and software technologies and anticipated future undiscounted net cash flows.

 

Amortization of capitalized software development costs begins when the product is available and released for general use on the company’s platforms. Amortization of internal use costs begins when the related asset is first placed in service. These costs are amortized on a straight-line basis over a three-year period.

 

Impairment of Long-Lived Assets

 

The Company reviews the carrying value of its long-lived assets, including definite-lived intangible assets, and assesses the recoverability of these assets in accordance with Statement of Financial Accounting Standards Board Statement No. 144, “Accounting for the Impairment or Disposal of Long-Lived Assets.” The Company assesses assets for impairment when events and circumstances indicate that the assets may be impaired because of a change in anticipated use or technology, and the undiscounted operating cash flows estimated to be generated by those assets over their useful life are less than the carrying amounts of those assets. The impairment loss is measured by comparing the fair value of the assets to their carrying values. Fair value is determined by either a quoted market price or use of a discounted cash flow method, whichever is more appropriate under the circumstances involved.

 

In accordance with Statement of Financial Accounting Standards Board Statement No. 142 “Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets” (FAS 142), goodwill is not amortized but is subject to annual impairment tests. Goodwill is evaluated for impairment annually or whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that

 

7


Table of Contents

the carrying amount may not be recoverable. Goodwill is tested for impairment by comparing the carrying amount to the estimated future undiscounted cash flows of the lowest level of related assets. If this review indicates that goodwill is not recoverable, the carrying amount would be reduced to fair value based on a discounted cash flow analysis taking into consideration the time value of money and investment risk factors.

 

For impairment tests of goodwill, the goodwill is attributed to the billing and transaction processing services and prepaid systems businesses as a single unit. As a result, the enterprise-wide approach, which is based on the market value of the Company’s common stock, is utilized to determine if an impairment loss exists.

 

Stock Based Compensation

 

The Company has elected to follow Accounting Principles Board Opinion No. 25, “Accounting for Stock Issued to Employees” (APB 25) and related Interpretations in accounting for its stock-based compensation plans, rather than the alternative fair value method promulgated under Statement of Financial Accounting Standards No. 123, “Accounting for Stock-Based Compensation (FAS 123).” Under APB 25, since the exercise price of options granted under these plans equals the fair market price of the underlying stock on the date of grant, the Company recognizes no compensation expense for stock option grants.

 

Had compensation expense for the Company’s stock plans been recorded consistent with the provisions of FAS 123, the pro forma net income and net income per share would have been as follows:

 

(in thousands, except per-share amounts)

 

     Three months ended
June 30,


   Six months ended
June 30,


     2004

   2003

   2004

   2003

Net income as reported

   $ 5,002    $ 4,087    $ 9,075    $ 7,375

Add: Stock-based employee compensation expense included in reported net income

     —        —        —        —  

Deduct: Total stock based employee compensation expense determined under fair value based method for all awards, net of tax benefit

     566      655      1,189      1,299
    

  

  

  

Pro forma net income

   $ 4,436    $ 3,432    $ 7,886    $ 6,076
    

  

  

  

Basic net income per share:

                           

As reported

   $ 0.27    $ 0.23    $ 0.50    $ 0.42

Pro forma

   $ 0.24    $ 0.19    $ 0.43    $ 0.34

Diluted net income per share:

                           

As reported

   $ 0.27    $ 0.22    $ 0.48    $ 0.40

Pro forma

   $ 0.24    $ 0.18    $ 0.42    $ 0.33

 

Comprehensive Income

 

Comprehensive income is comprised of net income and unrealized gains and losses on available-for-sale securities.

 

     Three months ended
June 30,


   Six months ended
June 30,


     2004

    2003

   2004

    2003

Net income as reported

   $ 5,002     $ 4,087    $ 9,075     $ 7,375

Unrealized loss on available for sale securities

     (206 )     —        (226 )     —  
    


 

  


 

Comprehensive Income

   $ 4,796     $ 4,087    $ 8,849     $ 7,375
    


 

  


 

 

8


Table of Contents
3. Contingencies

 

Legal

 

In March 2000, Freedom Wireless, Inc. filed a suit against the Company and a number of wireless carriers. The suit is being tried in the United States District Court in Massachusetts and alleges that the defendants infringe two patents held by Freedom Wireless, Inc. and seeks damages in an unspecified amount as well as injunctive relief. If there was a ruling that the Company infringed the Freedom Wireless patents, it could significantly restrict the Company’s ability to conduct business. In addition, the Company has an obligation to indemnify the other defendants for damages they may incur with respect to any infringement by the Company’s technology. The suit is in the pre-trial phase and various summary judgment motions have been filed by both parties in the case. The Court is expected to rule on these motions in the normal course of proceedings. The Company does not believe that it infringes these patents and believes that the patents are invalid in light of prior art and other reasons.

 

On November 10, 2003, a putative class action complaint was filed in U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts against the Company, its Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer on behalf of persons who purchased the Company’s common stock between June 12, 2003 and July 16, 2003. The complaint alleged that the defendants violated Sections 10(b) and 20(a) of the Exchange Act, as well as Rule 10b-5 promulgated thereunder by allegedly failing to disclose material adverse information about the Company’s business, operations and future prospects, specifically with respect to the Company’s contract negotiations with Verizon Wireless. On June 9, 2004, the class action complaint was voluntarily dismissed by the plaintiffs without prejudice to the plaintiffs’ ability to re-file a complaint. Neither the Company nor its insurers made any payment in connection with the dismissal of these lawsuits and have no obligation to make payments in the future.

 

From time to time, as a normal incidence of the nature of the Company’s business, various claims, charges and litigation are asserted or commenced against the Company arising from, or related to, contractual matters, patents, trademarks, personal injury, and personnel and employment disputes. As to such claims and litigation, the Company can give no assurance that it will prevail. However, the Company does not believe that any of these current matters (other than as disclosed) will have a material adverse effect on its consolidated financial position, although an adverse outcome of any of these matters could have a material adverse effect on its consolidated results of operations or cash flows in future quarters or in the quarter or annual period in which one or more of these matters are resolved.

 

Indemnifications

 

In November 2002, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) issued Interpretation No. 45, “Guarantor’s Accounting and Disclosure Requirements for Guarantees, Including Indirect Guarantees of Indebtedness of Others” (FIN 45), which requires certain guarantees to be recorded at fair value as opposed to the previous practice of recording a liability only when a loss is probable and reasonably estimable. FIN 45 also requires a guarantor to make significant new guaranty disclosures, even when the likelihood of making any payments under the guarantee is remote.

 

The Company has agreed to indemnification provisions in certain of its agreements with customers and its leases of real estate in the ordinary course of its business.

 

With respect to customer agreements, these provisions generally obligate the Company to indemnify the customer against losses, expenses, liabilities and damages that may be awarded against the customer in the event the Company’s systems or services infringe upon a patent or other intellectual property right of a third party. The agreements generally limit the scope of and remedies for such indemnification obligations in certain respects, including but not limited to geographical limitations and the right to replace or modify an infringing product or service. The Company believes its internal development processes and other policies and practices limit its exposure related to the indemnification provisions of these agreements.

 

9


Table of Contents

With respect to real estate leases, these indemnification provisions typically apply to claims asserted against the landlord by a third party relating to personal injury and property damage occurring at the leased premises or to certain breaches of the Company’s contractual obligations. The term of these indemnification provisions generally survive the termination of the lease, although the exposure is greatest during the lease term and for a short period of time thereafter. The maximum potential amount of future payments that the Company could be required to make under these indemnification provisions is unlimited. The Company has purchased insurance that reduces the amount of such exposure for landlord indemnifications. The Company has never paid any amounts to defend lawsuits or settle claims related to these landlord indemnification provisions. Accordingly, the Company believes the estimated fair value of these indemnification arrangements is minimal.

 

4. Earnings Per Share

 

The following table sets forth the computation of basic and diluted net income per share:

 

(in thousands, except per share amounts)

 

     Three months ended
June 30,


   Six months ended
June 30,


     2004

   2003

   2004

    2003

Numerator for basic and diluted earnings per share:

                            

Income from continuing operations

   $ 5,002    $ 4,051    $ 9,086     $ 7,325

Income (loss) from discontinued operations

     —        36      (11 )     50
    

  

  


 

Net income

   $ 5,002    $ 4,087    $ 9,075     $ 7,375
    

  

  


 

Denominator:

                            

Denominator for basic net income per share

     18,295      18,009      18,286       17,744

Effect of dilutive employee stock options

     440      869      442       865
    

  

  


 

Denominator for diluted net income per share

     18,735      18,878      18,728       18,609
    

  

  


 

Basic net income per common share:

                            

Income from continuing operations

   $ 0.27    $ 0.23    $ 0.50     $ 0.41

Income (loss) from discontinued operations

     —        —        —         0.01
    

  

  


 

Net income per common share

   $ 0.27    $ 0.23    $ 0.50     $ 0.42
    

  

  


 

Diluted net income per common share:

                            

Income from continuing operations

   $ 0.27    $ 0.21    $ 0.49     $ 0.39

Income (loss) from discontinued operations

     —        0.01      (0.01 )     0.01
    

  

  


 

Net income per common share

   $ 0.27    $ 0.22    $ 0.48     $ 0.40
    

  

  


 

 

5. Segment Reporting

 

The Company’s reportable operating segments consist of Billing and Transaction Processing Services and Prepaid Systems. The Company’s Billing and Transaction Processing Services solutions allow wireless carriers to access the Company’s real-time subscriber management network and transaction processing platform, enabling such carriers to offer prepaid wireless calling, payment services replenishment capabilities and postpaid billing and customer care to their subscribers. The real-time subscriber management network and transaction processing platform also enables bcgi Mobile Guardian, a Web-based solution that allows end-users to actively manage their wireless usage and access. The Prepaid Systems segment assembles and markets prepaid systems principally to international carriers.

 

As described in footnote 6, the Company ceased providing its ROAMERplus solution in March 2004, effectively discontinuing its Roaming Services segment.

 

10


Table of Contents

(in thousands, except percentages)

 

Three months ended June 30,


  

Billing and

Transaction

Processing

Services


   

Prepaid

Systems


    Total

 

2004

                        

Revenues

   $ 26,980     $ 670     $ 27,650  
    


 


 


Gross margin

     20,984       207       21,191  
    


 


 


Gross margin percentage

     78 %     31 %     77 %
    


 


 


2003

                        

Revenues

   $ 24,097     $ 1,427     $ 25,524  
    


 


 


Gross margin

     18,083       556       18,639  
    


 


 


Gross margin percentage

     75 %     39 %     73 %
    


 


 


 

Six months ended June 30,


  

Billing and

Transaction

Processing

Services


   

Prepaid

Systems


    Total

 

2004

                        

Revenues

   $ 53,536     $ 1,359     $ 54,895  
    


 


 


Gross margin

     41,675       383       42,058  
    


 


 


Gross margin percentage

     78 %     28 %     77 %
    


 


 


2003

                        

Revenues

   $ 45,171     $ 2,483     $ 47,654  
    


 


 


Gross margin

     34,167       1,045       35,212  
    


 


 


Gross margin percentage

     76 %     42 %     74 %
    


 


 


 

6. Discontinued Operations

 

Due to industry consolidation and a change in the fundamentals of inter-carrier roaming, resulting in a continued decline in profitability, the Company ceased providing its ROAMERplus solution in March 2004, effectively discontinuing its Roaming Services segment. Pursuant to Statement of Financial Accounting Standards 144, “Accounting for the Impairment or Disposal of Long-Lived Assets” (“FAS 144”), the condensed consolidated financial statements have been reclassified to reflect this discontinued operation. Accordingly, the operating results of the Roaming Services segment have been segregated as a discontinued operation in the Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations and Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows. In addition, 2003 amounts have been restated to reflect Roaming Services as discontinued operations. At June 30, 2004 there were $5,000 in liabilities classified as accrued expenses related to the Roaming Services segment. Revenues for the Roaming Services segment were $0 and $914,000 for the three months ended June 30, 2004 and 2003, respectively, and $563,000 and $1.9 million for the six months ended June 30, 2004 and 2003, respectively.

 

7. Retirement Plans

 

Defined Benefit Plan

 

In 2002, the Company adopted a defined benefit retirement plan (the Plan) for certain executives. Contributions are based on periodic actuarial valuations and are charged to the Consolidated Statement of Operations on a systematic basis over the expected average remaining service lives of the executives as prescribed by Statement of Financial Accounting Standards No. 87, “Employers’ Accounting for Pensions”

 

11


Table of Contents

(FAS 87). The Company’s funding policy is to make annual contributions to the extent such contributions are tax deductible as actuarially determined. The benefits under the defined benefit plan are based on years of service and compensation.

 

The components of net periodic benefit costs for the three and six months ended June 30, 2004 and 2003 are as follows (unaudited and in thousands):

 

    

Three months

Ended June 30,


  

Six Months

Ended June 30,


     2004

   2003

   2004

   2003

Components of net periodic benefit costs

                           

Service cost

   $ 144    $ 82    $ 253    $ 165

Interest cost

     76      38      132      77

Amortization of unrecognized net prior service cost

     41      24      76      47
    

  

  

  

Net periodic benefit costs

   $ 261    $ 144    $ 461    $ 289
    

  

  

  

 

12


Table of Contents

MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS

OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

 

Overview

 

We are a leader in transaction processing solutions for real-time wireless subscriber management, payment services and billing and customer care. Through these solutions, we deliver prepaid and postpaid billing, wireless account recharge and mobile commerce services. We provide solutions to wireless operators worldwide through a combination of our industry-leading, proprietary software applications, world-class infrastructure and data centers, expertise in telecommunications platform integration and flexible implementation models. Our solutions provide carriers with a distinct competitive advantage by empowering them to attract, retain and maximize the value of subscribers, while lowering the cost associated with customer care, payment processing and churn.

 

We operate our billing and transaction processing services as a business process outsourcer, primarily in the United States. Our customers include Nextel Communications, Inc., branded as BOOST Mobile, ALLTEL, Verizon Wireless, Cingular Wireless and other regional carriers. Our prepaid systems business sells turnkey systems primarily to wireless carriers outside the United States. We sell our products and services to our wireless carrier customers through our direct sales force. The specifics of each segment’s revenues and gross margins are discussed in greater detail below.

 

In the second quarter of 2004, we generated revenues of $27.7 million and diluted earnings per share of $0.27. These results were driven by the growth in our billing and transaction processing services revenues, which increased 12% to $27.0 million for the three months ended June 30, 2004 compared to $24.1 million for the three months ended June 30, 2003 and increased 19% to $53.5 million for the six months ended June 30, 2004 compared to $45.2 million for the six months ended June 30, 2003. The increase in billing and transaction processing services revenues principally resulted from an increase in our prepaid subscriber base from 3.58 million subscribers at June 30, 2003 to 4.07 million subscribers at June 30, 2004, as well as an increase in our average billed minutes of use (which includes minutes of use processed by our platform from which we earn revenues). The increase in our subscriber base resulted from additional subscriber growth from certain of our carrier customers.

 

Verizon Wireless accounted for 51% of our total revenues in 2003 and 47% of our total revenues for the three months ended June 30, 2004. On July 11, 2003, Verizon Wireless notified us that they intended to test their own internal prepaid platform in 2004. Our existing prepaid wireless services agreement with Verizon Wireless is in its auto-renewal term and may be terminated by either party upon 90 days written notice. On June 9, 2004, Verizon Wireless informed us that they intend to move forward with a national launch of their internal prepaid platform, and they began activating new retail subscribers on this platform on June 10, 2004. Additionally, Verizon Wireless stated that they intend to manually convert existing subscribers from bcgi’s prepaid platform onto their own internal platform over a period of time. They have not yet informed us of the specific rate at which these conversions will take place or when they expect this process to commence. However, Verizon Wireless informed us that they anticipate the conversion process will be completed no later than the third quarter of 2005.

 

We currently support Cingular Wireless’s TDMA prepaid program, which represented 23% of our total revenues for the three months ended June 30, 2004, under a contract that expires in the first half of 2005. Cingular Wireless has begun offering GSM service to certain of its prepaid subscribers. Since we only support its TDMA business, we expect that Cingular Wireless’s subscribers will churn off of our network over time.

 

We are mitigating the impact of the potential loss of prepaid wireless revenues from our two largest customers by diversifying our customer base, generating revenue from new products and achieving growth in regional markets. Over the past six months, our revenue growth has been principally generated from customers other than Verizon and Cingular. We recently introduced our newest solution, bcgi Mobile Guardian, a first-of-its-kind offering that provides unique, Web-based tools for use by parents and enterprises seeking to better manage postpaid wireless usage of their children or employees. This solution has generated significant interest from both existing and prospective national and regional carrier customers. In addition, Nextel expanded its youth-oriented, pay-as-you-go service, branded as BOOST Mobile, into seven major new markets during the past quarter using the bcgi Prepaid Wireless solution. Nextel, which represented 11% of our total revenues for the three months ended June 30, 2004, is expected

 

13


Table of Contents

to add more than 500,000 BOOST subscribers in 2004, of which approximately 200,000 were added through June 30, 2004. Finally, we continue to expand our presence across the regional wireless marketplace with all of our new and existing solutions.

 

Although we do not have specific guidance from Verizon Wireless regarding the timing and rate of subscriber migrations and we do not have any information on how Cingular Wireless’ nationwide GSM network will impact total churn, we anticipate that, for the third quarter ending September 30, 2004, our total revenues will range between $26 million to $28 million. Additionally, we anticipate that our earnings per share will approximate $0.20 to $0.24, including approximately $0.02-0.03 per share of legal costs, primarily associated with the Freedom Wireless lawsuit.

 

Segment Data

(in thousands, except percentages)

 

Three months ended June 30,


  

Billing and

Transaction

Processing

Services


   

Prepaid

Systems


    Total

 

2004

                        

Revenues

   $ 26,980     $ 670     $ 27,650  
    


 


 


Gross margin

     20,984       207       21,191  
    


 


 


Gross margin percentage

     78 %     31 %     77 %
    


 


 


2003 (1)

                        

Revenues

   $ 24,097     $ 1,427     $ 25,524  
    


 


 


Gross margin

     18,083       556       18,639  
    


 


 


Gross margin percentage

     75 %     39 %     73 %
    


 


 


 

Six months ended June 30,


  

Billing and

Transaction

Processing

Services


   

Prepaid

Systems


    Total

 

2004

                        

Revenues

   $ 53,536     $ 1,359     $ 54,895  
    


 


 


Gross margin

     41,675       383       42,058  
    


 


 


Gross margin percentage

     78 %     28 %     77 %
    


 


 


2003 (1)

                        

Revenues

   $ 45,171     $ 2,483     $ 47,654  
    


 


 


Gross margin

     34,167       1,045       35,212  
    


 


 


Gross margin percentage

     76 %     42 %     74 %
    


 


 


 


(1) Our Roaming Service business was discontinued in the quarter ended March 31, 2004. 2003 amounts have been restated to reflect Roaming Services as a discontinued operation.

 

Billing and Transaction Processing Services

 

Billing and transaction processing services revenues consist primarily of revenues from our three primary solution sets: bcgi Real-Time Subscriber Management solutions (which includes bcgi Prepaid Wireless, bcgi Mobile GuardianTM and bcgi Network GovernorTM), bcgi Voyager Billing and Customer Care and bcgi Payment Services. Billing and transaction processing services revenues increased 12% to $27.0 million for the three months ended June 30, 2004 compared to $24.1 million for the three months ended June 30, 2003 and increased 19% to $53.5 million

 

14


Table of Contents

for the six months ended June 30, 2004 compared to $45.2 million for the six months ended June 30, 2003. The revenue increase for the three and six month periods ended June 30, 2004 compared to the corresponding periods in the previous year was primarily a result of the 13% increase in the subscriber base to 4.07 million as of June 30, 2004 from 3.58 million as of June 30, 2003. The increase in our subscriber base resulted from additional subscriber growth from certain of our carrier customers. The revenue increase also resulted from an increase in average billed minutes of use per subscriber to 116 per month for the three and six-month period ended June 30, 2004 from 113 and 110 for the three and six-month periods ended June 30, 2003, respectively. The higher average billed minutes of use resulted primarily from more attractive features and more competitive pricing offered by our carrier customers to their subscribers. These revenue increases were partially offset by a decrease of approximately 10% and 11% in our average billed rate per minute compared to the three and six-month periods in the prior year, respectively, principally due to carriers availing themselves of our volume pricing discounts. We expect billing and transaction processing revenues to decrease in the third quarter of 2004 compared to the three months ended June 30, 2004 due primarily to the anticipated loss of Verizon subscribers.

 

Gross margins for billing and transaction processing services increased to 78% of billing and transaction processing services revenues for the three months ended June 30, 2004 compared to 75% of such revenues for the three months ended June 30, 2003 and increased to 78% of billing and transaction processing services revenues for the six months ended June 30, 2004 compared to 76% of such revenues for the six months ended June 30, 2003. While our cost of services in absolute dollars increased to support our technology enhancement initiatives, Nextel’s market expansion and bcgi Mobile Guardian launch, our gross margins increased due mainly to increased revenue and our predominantly fixed cost infrastructure.

 

Prepaid Systems

 

Prepaid systems revenues decreased to $670,000 for the three months ended June 30, 2004 from $1.4 million for the three months ended June 30, 2003 and decreased to $1.4 million for the six months ended June 30, 2004 compared to $2.5 million for the six months ended June 30, 2003. The decrease in prepaid systems revenues resulted primarily from fewer system sales during the quarter. Our prepaid system sales levels are not easily predictable and often fluctuate on an annual and quarter-to-quarter basis.

 

Gross margins for prepaid systems decreased to 31% of prepaid systems revenues for the three months ended June 30, 2004 from 39% for the three months ended June 30, 2003 and decreased to 28% of prepaid systems revenues for the six months ended June 30, 2004 compared to 42% of such revenues for the six months ended June 30, 2003. The decrease for the three and six months ended June 30, 2004 was due mainly to fixed costs not absorbed at lower levels of system sales.

 

Operating Data

(in thousands)

 

     Three months ended June 30,

 
     2004

    2003

 
     Total

   % of Total
Revenues


    Total

   % of Total
Revenues


 

Total revenues

   $ 27,650    100 %   $ 25,524    100 %

Engineering, research and development

     3,497    13 %     3,362    13 %

Sales and marketing

     1,667    6 %     1,516    6 %

General and administrative

     2,125    8 %     1,985    8 %

General and administrative – legal

     450    2 %     725    3 %

Depreciation and amortization

     5,490    20 %     4,813    19 %

 

15


Table of Contents

 

     Six months ended June 30,

 
     2004

    2003

 
     Total

   % of Total
Revenues


    Total

   % of Total
Revenues


 

Total revenues

   $ 54,895    100 %   $ 47,654    100 %

Engineering, research and development

     7,293    13 %     6,231    13 %

Sales and marketing

     3,539    6 %     3,083    6 %

General and administrative

     4,211    8 %     3,870    8 %

General and administrative – legal

     1,600    3 %     1,640    3 %

Depreciation and amortization

     10,959    20 %     9,205    19 %

 

Engineering, research and development expenses

 

Engineering, research and development expenses primarily include the salaries and benefits for software development and engineering personnel associated with the development, implementation and maintenance of new and existing solutions. The increase in engineering, research and development expenses for both the three and six month periods ended June 30, 2004 in absolute dollar terms principally resulted from additional resources devoted to expanding and enhancing the features and functionality of our billing and transaction processing services business, as well as additional resources added to support our growth and new solutions, including our newest product, bcgi Mobile Guardian, as well as other technology enhancement initiatives. Spending for engineering, research and development remained consistent as a percentage of revenues over both of these periods as we generated greater revenues in each of the three and six month periods ended June 30, 2004 from the year-earlier periods. For the three months ending September 30, 2004, we expect spending for engineering, research and development to increase principally to support our continued investment in new solutions and other technology enhancements, which we believe are key to our diversification strategy.

 

Sales and marketing expenses

 

Sales and marketing expenses include direct sales and product management salaries, commissions, travel and entertainment expenses, in addition to the cost of trade shows, direct mail and other promotional expenses. In absolute dollars, sales and marketing expenses increased for both the three and six-month periods ended June 30, 2004 primarily to support our marketing efforts for our newest solution, bcgi Mobile Guardian. As we generated greater revenues in each of the three and six month periods ended June 30, 2004 from the year-earlier periods, spending for sales and marketing remained consistent as a percentage of revenues over both of these periods. For the three months ending September 30, 2004, we expect spending for sales and marketing to increase principally to support the promotion and sales strategy for our new solutions.

 

General and administrative expenses

 

General and administrative expenses include salaries and benefits of employees and other expenses that provide administrative support. For both the three and six month periods ended June 30, 2004 , general and administrative expenses increased in absolute dollars principally due to additional resources and costs associated with additional regulatory requirements and an increase in legal costs incurred to enhance our intellectual property portfolio. However, as we generated greater revenues in each of the three and six month periods ended June 30, 2004 from the year-earlier periods, spending for general and administrative expenses remained consistent as a percentage of revenues over both of these periods.

 

16


Table of Contents

General and administrative expenses – legal expenses

 

General and administrative - legal expenses are incurred primarily for legal expenses to defend the patent infringement lawsuit initiated by Freedom Wireless. General and administrative - legal expenses decreased for both the three and six month periods ended June 30, 2004 compared to the respective year-earlier periods principally due to lower costs to defend the Freedom Wireless lawsuit. We expect to incur, on average, approximately $1 million per quarter (before taxes) for legal costs until the Freedom Wireless matter is resolved. However, this cost will likely continue to vary from quarter to quarter, depending on the timing of proceedings.

 

Depreciation and amortization expense

 

Depreciation and amortization expense includes depreciation of telecommunications systems and software, building, furniture, equipment and leasehold improvements and amortization of certain intangible assets. We provide for depreciation and amortization using the straight-line method over the estimated useful lives of the assets, which range from three to twenty years. The increase in depreciation and amortization expense for both the three and six month periods ended June 30, 2004 was primarily due to more capital deployed to support growth and continued enhancements in billing and transaction processing services, including bcgi Mobile Guardian and other technology enhancement initiatives.

 

Interest income

 

Interest income decreased 17% to $251,000 for the three months ended June 30, 2004 from $302,000 for the three months ended June 30, 2003 and decreased 12% to $563,000 for the six months ended June 30, 2004 from $638,000 for the six months ending June 30, 2003. Compared to the year-earlier periods, the decrease in interest income for the three and six-month periods ended June 30, 2004 was principally due to lower yields on certain investments during the three months ended June 30, 2004.

 

Provision for income taxes

 

The income tax rate for the six months ended June 30, 2004 was 39.5% compared to an income tax rate of 38% for the six months ended June 30, 2003. The increase in the income tax rate is primarily due to the use of net operating loss carry forwards in the prior year that were completely utilized during the year ended December 31, 2003.

 

Discontinued Operations

 

In March 2004, we ceased providing our ROAMERplus solution, effectively discontinuing our Roaming Services segment. This business generated a net loss of $0 and $11,000 for the three and six months ended June 30, 2004 and net income of $36,000 and $50,000 for the three and six months ended June 30, 2003, respectively. At June 30, 2004, the discontinued Roaming Services segment had net liabilities of $5,000. We expect to liquidate all liabilities as of December 31, 2004.

 

Liquidity and Capital Resources

 

Cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments decreased to $65.1 million at June 30, 2004 compared to $66.5 million at December 31, 2003. Net cash provided by continuing operations of $14.9 million for the six months ended June 30, 2004 resulted from net income of $9.1 million, adjustments for depreciation and amortization of $11.0 million and an increase in income taxes payable of $1.2 million. These amounts were partially offset by an increase in accounts receivable of $5.4 million, which was largely due to the timing of cash receipts during the quarter along with an increase in revenues.

 

Our investing activities utilized $10.6 million of net cash for the six months ended June 30, 2004. We utilized approximately $10 million for capital expenditures, including approximately $1.9 million for internally capitalized labor, and purchased long-term investments of $1.5 million during the period. We anticipate that, during the third

 

17


Table of Contents

quarter ending September 30, 2004, we will make additional capital investments of approximately $5 million for additional equipment and software to support new solutions and enhanced feature capabilities and for our billing and transaction processing services. Also, we may pay additional contingent cash consideration of up to $3.1 million to Infotech Solutions Corporation in 2005 and 2006, if we achieve certain defined annual revenue targets for calendar years 2004 and 2005. We expect to make a payment to Infotech Solutions Corporation in 2005 based on qualified revenues earned in 2004. We intend to finance such capital investments or contingent consideration payments from cash or short-term investments on-hand or cash flow generated from operations.

 

Our financing activities used cash of $4.2 million during the six months ended June 30, 2004 due mainly to the repurchase of common stock pursuant to our 2004 Share Repurchase Plan, approved by our Board of Directors on June 11, 2004, allowing for the repurchase of up to two million shares of our outstanding common stock. As of June 30, 2004, we repurchased 504,500 shares for a total of $4.9 million and through August 9, 2004, we had repurchased an additional 334,000 shares for an additional $3.7 million, for a total of 838,500 shares at a total cost of $8.2 million. This use of cash was slightly offset by proceeds from the exercise of stock options and the issuance of common stock under our employee stock purchase plan.

 

We have non-cancelable operating lease commitments for office space, many of which are renewable at our option, equipment lease commitments and various other commitments under which we are contractually obligated beyond the current period. Future minimum payments due under non-cancelable agreements are as follows (in thousands):

 

          Payment due by period

    

Total


  

Within 1

year


  

2-3 years


  

4-5 years


  

More than

5 years


Contractual obligations:

                                  

Operating leases

   $ 2,785    $ 1,595    $ 1,138    $ 52    $ —  

Purchase commitments

     8,069      4,577      2,281      211      —  
    

  

  

  

  

Total

   $ 9,854    $ 6,172    $ 3,419    $ 263    $ —  
    

  

  

  

  

 

We believe that our cash and short-term investments and the funds we anticipate to generate from operations will be sufficient to finance our operations for at least the next 12 months.

 

Off Balance Sheet Arrangements

 

During the three months ended June 30, 2004, we did not engage in:

 

  Material off-balance sheet activities, including the use of structured finance or special purpose entities;

 

  Material trading activities in non-exchange traded commodity contracts; or

 

  Material transactions with persons or entities that benefit from their non-independent relationship with us.

 

Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates

 

Our discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations is based upon our condensed consolidated financial statements, which have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States. The preparation of those financial statements requires us to make estimates and judgments that affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities, revenues and expenses and related disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities. On an on-going basis, we evaluate our estimates and judgments, including those related to bad debts, inventories, capitalized software and labor, long-lived assets, goodwill and intangible asset impairment, legal expenses, contingencies and litigation. We base our estimates on historical experience, known trends and events and various other assumptions that are believed to be reasonable under the circumstances, the

 

18


Table of Contents

results of which form the basis for making judgments about the carrying values of assets and liabilities that are not readily apparent from other sources. Actual results may differ from such estimates under different assumptions or conditions.

 

We believe the following policies to be our most critical policies in the preparation of our condensed consolidated financial statements:

 

  Revenue recognition and allowance for bad debts

 

  Legal costs

 

  Research and development, software development costs and costs capitalized for internal use

 

  Impairment of long-lives and intangible assets and goodwill

 

These policies were identified in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2003. During the three months ended June 30, 2004, there has been no change in the above critical accounting policies. In addition, there has been no significant change in the underlying accounting assumptions and estimates used in the above critical accounting policies.

 

Certain Factors That May Affect Future Results

 

Verizon Wireless and Cingular Wireless, our two largest customers, are currently utilizing new prepaid solutions, which will result in fewer subscriber additions to our platforms.

 

On July 11, 2003, Verizon Wireless notified us that they intend to test their own internal prepaid platform in 2004. On June 9, 2004, Verizon Wireless informed us that they were moving forward with a national launch of their internal prepaid platform and began to activate new prepaid retail subscribers on this platform on June 10, 2004. Additionally, Verizon Wireless stated that they intend to manually convert existing subscribers off of bcgi’s prepaid platform and onto their own over a period of time. While Verizon Wireless has not yet provided us with the specific timing and rate of conversion, they anticipate that the conversion process will be completed no later than the third quarter of 2005. Verizon Wireless’s internal prepay platform launch and the expected conversion process will have a material, adverse effect on our revenues and net income for the three months ended September 30, 2004 and thereafter.

 

We currently provide prepaid wireless solutions to Cingular Wireless’s TDMA markets under a contract that expires in the first half of 2005. Cingular Wireless uses other vendors to provide prepaid wireless service in its GSM markets. As we do not provide prepaid solutions on Cingular Wireless’ GSM network, and because Cingular Wireless has begun offering prepaid service on its newest GSM network, we expect that our revenue from this TDMA business to decrease over time. Additionally, there is no guarantee that Cingular Wireless will not migrate its existing TDMA prepaid business onto its GSM network, thereby causing a reduction in our revenues and net income.

 

The loss or significant reduction of business from one of our major customers, including Verizon Wireless or Cingular Wireless, would have a material adverse effect on our business.

 

Historically, a significant portion of our revenues in any particular period has been attributable to a limited number of customers in the wireless telecommunications business. Verizon Wireless represented 47%, Cingular Wireless represented 23% and Nextel Communications represented 11% of our total revenues for the three months ended June 30, 2004.

 

Most of our customer contracts are not exclusive. Therefore, our carrier customers have used and/or tested and continue to use and/or test their own services or services of our competitors in certain markets. In addition, certain of our contracts are up for renewal in 2004 and beyond. If and when each of the contracts is renewed, some contractual rates may be lower than in previous years and at lower rates than we have estimated.

 

19


Table of Contents

In addition, we depend on our wireless carrier customers to market and sell our solutions to consumers. We can provide no assurance that they will do so successfully, and therefore, that there will be a significant market for wireless programs, including our wireless wireless solutions.

 

An unfavorable judgment in the Freedom Wireless lawsuit would have a material adverse impact on our business.

 

In March 2000, Freedom Wireless filed a suit against us and a number of wireless carriers claiming that we and the other defendants infringe a patent of Freedom Wireless. In March 2001, Freedom Wireless amended the complaint to include a continuation patent. Freedom Wireless seeks injunctive relief and damages in an unspecified amount. In addition, we are contractually obligated to indemnify the other defendants for any damages that they incur as a result of any infringement by our technology.

 

The suit is in the pre-trial phase and various summary judgment motions have been filed by both parties in the case. The court is expected to rule on these motions in the normal course of proceedings. We cannot yet assess our potential liability, if any. Any adverse outcome, including the following, would have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations:

 

  Injunctive relief against us, which could significantly restrict our ability to conduct our business;

 

  An adverse judgment against us for significant monetary damages;

 

  A settlement on unfavorable terms;

 

  Obligations to the other defendants to indemnify them for damages;

 

  Obligations to customers for breach of a contractual warranty of non-infringement; and/or

 

  A requirement to reengineer our prepaid processing solution to avoid patent infringement, which would likely result in additional expense and delay.

 

Regardless of the outcome, we will continue to incur significant expenses to defend this lawsuit. We have incurred approximately $15.3 million in legal costs as of June 30, 2004 to defend this lawsuit, and we expect to incur approximately $1 million per quarter in legal costs until the Freedom Wireless matter is resolved. However, this cost will likely continue to vary from quarter to quarter, depending on the timing of proceedings. Moreover, this lawsuit may divert the efforts and attention of our management team from normal business operations. Finally, we may become subject to additional patent infringement lawsuits in the future.

 

Our future operating results are difficult to predict and may materially fluctuate, which may result in significant fluctuations in our stock price.

 

We have experienced fluctuations in our quarterly operating results and such fluctuations may continue and could intensify. Our quarterly operating results may vary significantly depending on a number of factors, including:

 

  Extent of our carrier customers’ emphasis on promoting prepaid solutions and the timing of related marketing initiatives, including our carriers’ allocation of marketing resources for initiatives other than prepaid wireless services, such as wireless number portability, data services, new technologies, etc.

 

  Our and our carrier customer’s ability to minimize “churn” (the percentage of total prepaid subscribers that terminate service on our network);

 

  Variations in volumes of minutes of use generated by our carrier customers’ subscribers;

 

  Rates paid by our customers;

 

  Impact and acceptance of existing solutions or the introduction of competing solutions by wireless carriers, including those who are currently our prepaid wireless services customers;

 

  Our carriers customers’ ability to generate additional prepaid subscribers using our solutions;

 

20


Table of Contents
  Number and significance of network outages in a particular quarter and the severity and timing of penalties that result from such outages.

 

  Decreased demand for our prepaid systems, caused by reductions in capital budgets of our customers, changing technologies, and other reasons beyond our control;

 

  Changes in the mix of solutions we provide;

 

  Seasonal trends, particularly in the second and third quarters when carriers are not usually marketing and selling prepaid services as aggressively as in the first and fourth quarters of the year; and

 

  Consolidation within the wireless industry, which could lead to the loss of a major customer or the reduction in rates per minute paid by our customers.

 

Due to all of the foregoing factors, it is possible that in some future quarter our results of operations will be below prior results or the expectations of public market analysts and investors. In such event, the price of our common stock would likely be materially and adversely affected. In addition, a significant portion of our expenses is fixed in the short term. Accordingly, our results of operations are particularly sensitive to fluctuations in revenues. If our revenues fall below our expectations, we would most likely not be able to reduce our fixed or other expenses in sufficient time to respond to such a shortfall.

 

If we do not continue to develop and offer more desirable functionality and features in our solutions at competitive prices, including the new solutions currently in our pipeline, we will not be able to compete effectively and our business will be materially and adversely affected.

 

Our business will not be successful if we do not develop and offer more functionality and features in our solutions than those available in competitive offerings or if we are unable to develop new solutions to offer our carrier customers. Also, there can be no assurance that we will successfully support and enhance our real-time subscriber management network and billing and transaction processing platform effectively or that our network will successfully support current and future growth. In addition, we may be unable to leverage our existing infrastructure to provide enhancements to our current solutions or new solutions cost-effectively. If we cannot develop and provide more desirable functionality and features than our competitors, if we cannot sell our new solutions to our customers, or if we are unable to keep our costs down to provide new and enhanced solutions at competitive prices, we would likely lose market share or be required to reduce our margins, which would have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. In addition, if we do not successfully continue to upgrade our software and hosting environment as new wireless technologies evolve, including but not limited to SIM, 2.5G and 3G technologies, we may lose existing and prospective customers.

 

If we experience outages in our network, we will be subject to financial penalties that could adversely affect our business and operating results.

 

Each quarter, we have experienced network outages, some of which have resulted in significant reductions in revenue due to penalty clauses contained in certain of our carrier customer contracts. Any failure to successfully support current and future growth, or an increase in the frequency or duration of outages would reduce our revenue and damage our reputation.

 

Our operations depend on our ability to maintain our computer and other telecommunications equipment and systems in effective working order and to protect our systems against damage from fire, natural disaster, power loss, telecommunications failure, computer viruses or similar events. Although we have built redundancy into our network, providing for backup systems, equipment and telecommunications connections, there are still parts of the network that are not redundant at this time. Our Bedford, Massachusetts building is operational and currently performs nearly all significant processing functions of our network, but not all portions of the network have been made fully redundant at our Bedford facility. Although the Woburn facility is designed for redundancy, until our Bedford facility becomes fully operational (expected to be in the third quarter of 2004), we will not have complete geographical redundancy. When the Bedford site does become fully operational, we still may not be protected from a natural disaster within the greater Boston, Massachusetts area.

 

21


Table of Contents

Our business would be materially adversely impacted if we cannot protect our intellectual property.

 

Our success and ability to compete depends in part upon our proprietary technology and our ability to protect such technology. We have a number of patent applications pending to protect our proprietary technology in the United States and internationally. If these patent applications are not approved, we may not be able to prevent others from using similar technologies and we may be subject to additional patent infringement lawsuits or royalty payments to use the technology. We rely on a combination of contractual provisions, confidentiality procedures, and patent, trademark, trade secret and copyright laws to protect the proprietary aspects of our technology. These legal protections afford only limited protection and competitors may gain access to our intellectual property which may result in the loss of customers. In addition, despite our efforts to protect our proprietary rights, unauthorized parties may attempt to copy aspects of our technology or to obtain and use our proprietary information. Litigation may be necessary to enforce our intellectual property rights, to protect our trade secrets and to determine the validity and scope of the proprietary rights of others. Any litigation could result in substantial costs and diversion of resources with no assurance of success and could seriously harm our business and operating results.

 

We may never realize the anticipated benefits of any acquisitions.

 

A key part of our growth and diversification strategy is to engage in acquisitions. We regularly review future acquisition opportunities. There can be no assurance that we will be able to identify any appropriate acquisition candidates or that any identified acquisition opportunities will be available on terms and conditions acceptable to us. Acquisitions involve numerous risks, including, among other things:

 

  Possible decreases in capital resources or dilution to existing stockholders;

 

  Difficulties and expenses incurred in connection with the acquisitions and the subsequent assimilation of the operations and the services or products of the acquired company;

 

  Difficulties of operating a new business;

 

  Potential inherited liability for the past actions of the acquired company;

 

  Risk that any acquired company’s internal controls may not be adequate;

 

  Diversion of management’s attention from other business concerns;

 

  Limited ability to predict future operating results of the acquired company; and

 

  Potential loss of key employees and customers of the acquired company.

 

In the event that the operations of an acquired business do not meet expectations, we may be required to restructure the acquired business or write-off the value of some or all of the assets of the acquired business. There can be no assurance that any acquisition will be successfully integrated into our operations or will have the intended financial or strategic results.

 

We may not be able to effectively manage the expansion of our business, which would adversely impact our ability to offer competitive solutions and grow.

 

We have expanded our operations rapidly, creating significant demands on our management, administrative, operational, development and financial personnel and other resources. Any additional expansion by us may further strain our management, financial and other resources. There can be no assurance that our systems, procedures, controls and existing space will be adequate to support expansion of our operations. Inability of our management to manage operational changes effectively, would materially and adversely affect the quality of our solutions, our ability to retain key personnel and our business, financial condition and results of operations.

 

22


Table of Contents

Our business may suffer if we are unable to attract and retain key employees.

 

Competition for employees with the skills we require is intense. Our success will depend on our ability to attract and retain key employees, including members of the executive management team as well as those employees in crucial technical, marketing and staff positions. The loss of one or more key employees, our inability to attract additional qualified employees, or the delay in hiring key personnel could have a material adverse impact on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

 

The market for our solutions is very competitive and depends on the growth and health of the wireless industry and wireless carriers.

 

We have historically provided our solutions almost exclusively to wireless carriers. The market for solutions to wireless carriers is highly competitive and subject to rapid change as new technologies are continually introduced in the wireless marketplace. We anticipate continued growth and competition in the wireless services industry and, consequently, the entrance of new competitors in the future. Our competitors include independent providers of prepaid and other solutions to wireless carriers and the wireless carriers themselves who provide, or can provide, in-house services similar to ours. These wireless carriers, and many of the independent service providers, have significantly greater financial and other resources than we do. In addition, the wireless industry is subject to consolidation, which could potentially result in the loss of carrier customers and/or subscribers. Competitive pressures may make it difficult for us to acquire and retain customers and may require us to reduce the price of our service solutions. We cannot be certain that we will be able to compete successfully with existing or new competitors. Our failure to maintain and enhance our competitive position would limit our ability to retain and increase our market share, resulting in serious harm to our business and operating results.

 

To provide our solutions, we depend on a number of third-party software, hardware and service vendors and our business, financial condition and results of operations would be materially adversely affected if we are unable or delayed in our ability to obtain these components and applications.

 

Our operations are supported by many hardware components and software applications from third-party vendors, sometimes licensed from single vendors. There can be no assurance that these vendors will continue to license these components and applications to us or that they will do so at reasonable prices. In addition, there can be no assurance that these hardware components and software applications will function in accordance with specifications agreed upon by us and our vendors. If we cannot obtain these components and applications from our existing vendors, we may not be able to timely procure or develop replacement software and hardware at commercially reasonable costs, or at all. If we are unable to do so, we may be required to delay the development or sale of our current or future solutions, which would materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

 

We rely on complex information technology systems and networks to operate our business. Any significant system or network disruption could have a material, adverse effect on our business and operating results.

 

We rely on the efficient and uninterrupted operation of complex information technology systems and networks. All information technology systems and networks are potentially vulnerable to damage or interruption from a variety of sources, including, but not limited to computer viruses, security breach, natural disasters, terrorism, war and telecommunication failure. There may also be system or network disruptions if new or upgraded business management systems are defective or are not installed properly. We have implemented various measures to guard against these risks. However, there can be no assurance that a system or network failure or significant disruption will not have a material adverse impact on our business and our operating results. In addition, in the event of such a disruption or failure, we may incur significant costs to remedy the damages caused by such a situation.

 

Changes in international economic conditions could harm our prepaid systems business.

 

We currently price and sell all of our prepaid systems to international customers in U.S. dollars. In addition, many prepaid systems customers are multi-national corporations. We currently receive payments in U.S. dollars in order to protect us from foreign currency fluctuations. However, in the future, prepaid systems sales to foreign countries may result in losses due to devaluation of foreign currencies or other international business conditions beyond our control.

 

23


Table of Contents

Changes in government regulations could adversely impact our business.

 

Proposals to intensify or reduce government regulations of the wireless telephone industry continue to be discussed at both the federal and state levels. Such changes may decrease the growth of the wireless telephone industry, result in new competitors or industry consolidation, limit the number of potential customers for our solutions or impede our ability to offer competitive solutions to the wireless market or otherwise have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

 

Item 3. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk

 

We maintain an investment portfolio in accordance with our investment policy. The primary objectives of our investment policy are to preserve principal, maintain proper liquidity to meet operating needs and maximize yields. Although our investments are subject to credit risk, our policy specifies credit quality standards for our investments and limits the amount of credit exposure from any single issue, issuer or type of investment. While our investments are also subject to interest rate risk and will decrease in value if market interest rates increase, we typically hold all of our investments until maturity. However, since the investments are typically held to maturity and are generally conservative in nature and of relatively short duration, interest rate risk is mitigated. We do not currently use derivative financial instruments.

 

Item 4. Controls and Procedures

 

Management, with the participation of our chief executive officer and chief financial officer, evaluated the effectiveness of our disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e) under the Exchange Act) as of June 30, 2004. Based on this evaluation, our chief executive officer and chief financial officer concluded that, as of June 30, 2004, our disclosure controls and procedures were (1) designed to ensure that material information relating to us, including our consolidated subsidiaries, is made known to our chief executive officer and chief financial officer by others within those entities, particularly during the period in which this report was being prepared and (2) effective, in that they provide reasonable assurance that information we are required to disclose in the reports that we file or submit under the Exchange Act is recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods specified in the SEC’s rules and forms.

 

No change in our internal control over financial reporting (as defined in Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f) under the Exchange Act) occurred during the fiscal quarter ended June 30, 2004 that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting.

 

PART II. OTHER INFORMATION:

 

Item 1. Legal Proceedings

 

In March 2000, Freedom Wireless, Inc. filed a suit against us and a number of wireless carriers. The suit is being tried in the United States District Court in Massachusetts and alleges that the defendants infringe two patents held by Freedom Wireless, Inc. and seeks damages in an unspecified amount as well as injunctive relief. If there were a ruling that we infringed the Freedom Wireless patents, it could significantly restrict our ability to conduct business. In addition, we have an obligation to indemnify the other defendants for damages they may incur with respect to any infringement by our technology. The suit is in the pre-trial phase and various summary judgment motions have been filed by both parties in the case. The Court is expected to rule on these motions in the normal course of its proceedings. We do not believe that we infringe these patents and believe that the patents are invalid in light of prior art and other reasons.

 

We expect to incur, on average, approximately $1 million per quarter for legal costs until the Freedom Wireless matter is resolved. However, this cost will likely continue to vary from quarter to quarter, depending on the timing of proceedings. There can be no assurances that costs to defend the Freedom Wireless suit will not exceed our estimates. If Freedom Wireless prevails in this case, the amount of damages could be substantial and our business, financial condition and results of operations would be materially adversely affected.

 

24


Table of Contents

On November 10, 2003, a putative class action complaint was filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts, against us, our Chief Executive Officer and our Chief Financial Officer on behalf of persons who purchased our common stock between June 12, 2003 and July 16, 2003. The complaint alleged that the defendants violated Sections 10(b) and 20(a) of the Exchange Act as well as Rule 10b-5 promulgated thereunder by allegedly failing to disclose material adverse information about our business, operations and future prospects, specifically with respect to our contract negotiations with Verizon Wireless. On June 9, 2004, the class action complaint was voluntarily dismissed by the plaintiffs without prejudice to the plaintiffs’ ability to re-file a complaint. bcgi and its insurers made no payment in connection with the dismissal of these lawsuits and have no obligation to make payments in the future.

 

From time to time, as a normal incidence of the nature of our business, various claims, charges and litigation are asserted or commenced against us arising from, or related to, contractual matters, patents, trademarks, personal injury, and personnel and employment disputes. As to such claims and litigation, we can give no assurance that we will prevail. However, we do not believe that any of these current matters (other than as disclosed) will have a material adverse effect on our consolidated financial position, although an adverse outcome of any of these matters could have a material adverse effect on our consolidated results of operations or cash flows in future quarters or in the quarter or annual period in which one or more of these matters are resolved.

 

Item 2. Changes in Securities, Use of Proceeds and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities

 

The following table provides information about purchases of equity securities by us during the quarter ended June 30, 2004:

 

ISSUER PURCHASES OF EQUITY SECURITIES

 

Period


   Total Number of
Shares Purchased (1)


   Average Price Paid
per Share


   Total Number of
Shares Purchased as
Part of Publicly
Announced Plans or
Programs


   Maximum Number
(or Appropriate
Dollar Value) of
Shares that May Yet
Be Purchased Under
the Plans or
Programs (2)


06/01/2004 – 06/30/2004

   504,500    9.78    504,500    1,495,500

(1) We repurchased an aggregate of 504,500 shares of our common stock pursuant to the repurchase program that we publicly announced on June 14, 2004.
(2) Our board of directors approved the repurchase by us of up to an aggregate of 2,000,000 shares of our common stock pursuant to the repurchase program. The program will expire at the earliest occurrence of any of the following events:

 

  a. The repurchase of all shares that are authorized to be repurchased under the program,
  b. Termination of the repurchase program by our board of directors; and
  c. June 10, 2005.

 

25


Table of Contents

Item 4. Submission of Matters to a Vote of Security Holders

 

We held our 2004 Annual Meeting of Shareholders on May 26, 2004. At our Annual meeting, the following actions were taken:

 

1. The shareholders elected three Class II Directors to serve three-year terms. The table below outlines the voting results:

 

     Number of Shares/Votes

     For

   Withheld

James A. Dwyer, Jr.

   16,150,654    1,082,768

Paul R. Gudonis

   14,246,947    2,986,475

Frederick E. von Mering

   16,107,143    1,126,279

 

In addition, Gerald McGowan, Gerald Segel, Daniel E. Somers, E.Y. Snowden, Brian E. Boyle and Paul Tobin are continuing directors. Jerrold D. Adams did not seek reelection to the Board of Directors.

 

2. The shareholders ratified the adoption of our 2004 Stock Incentive Plan, by a vote of 6,980,155 shares of Common Stock for, 3,642,991 shares of Common Stock against, and 17,457 shares of Common Stock abstaining.

 

3. The shareholders ratified the adoption of our 2004 Employee Stock Purchase Plan, by a vote of 10,074,577 shares of Common Stock for, 550,606 shares of Common Stock against, and 15,420 shares of Common Stock abstaining.

 

4. The shareholders ratified the appointment of Ernst & Young LLP as our independent auditors by a vote of 17,112,159 shares of Common Stock for, 112,888 shares of Common Stock against and 8,375 shares of Common Stock abstaining.

 

Item 6. Exhibits and Reports on Form 8-K

 

a) Exhibits

 

10.1   + 2004 Employees Stock Incentive Plan
10.2   + 2004 Employee Stock Purchase Plan
31.1   Certification of Chief Executive Officer pursuant to Rule 13a-14(a)
31.2   Certification of Chief Financial Officer pursuant to Rule 13a-14(a)
32   Certification of Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer pursuant to Rule 13a-14(b)

+ Management contract or compensatory plan or arrangement filed as an exhibit pursuant to Item 15(c) of this Report.

 

b) Reports on Form 8-K

 

On April 20, 2004, we filed a current report on Form 8-K to report, under Items 9 and 12, our financial results for the quarter ended March 31, 2004.

 

26


Table of Contents

SIGNATURES

 

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.

 

Date: August 9, 2004

     

Boston Communications Group, Inc.

       

(Registrant)

   

By:

 

/s/ Karen A. Walker


       

Karen A. Walker

        Vice President, Finance and Administration and Chief Financial Officer (Principal Financial and Accounting Officer and Duly Authorized Officer)

 

27