424B3 1 d424b3.htm 424B3 424B3
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PROSPECTUS

 

Filed under Rule 424(b)(3)

Registration No. 333-99293

LOGO

 

$25,000,000

12 3/4% Senior Subordinated Notes due 2009

 


 

This prospectus relates to the offering for resale from time to time by the selling noteholder named herein of an aggregate principal amount of $25,000,000 of our 12 3/4% Senior Subordinated Notes due 2009. The notes being offered by the selling noteholder were initially issued on February 6, 2002 in a transaction exempt from the registration requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended. The notes being offered by the selling noteholder are sometimes referred to in this prospectus as the “resale notes.”

 

We currently have outstanding an aggregate principal amount of $245,000,000 of 12 3/4% Senior Subordinated Notes due 2009, of which the resale notes are a part. Of this amount, $215,000,000 of the outstanding notes are Series B 12 3/4% Senior Subordinated Notes which have been registered with the SEC and were exchanged for a like amount of unregistered 12 3/4% Senior Subordinated Notes due 2009 on July 30, 2002. The selling noteholder was not permitted to participate in the exchange offer because it is our affiliate. As a result, the resale notes are currently restricted securities and will remain so until transferred pursuant to this prospectus or pursuant to an available exemption from registration in which the restrictions on transfer lapse.

 

Interest is payable on February 1 and August 1 of each year, beginning August 1, 2002. These notes will mature on February 1, 2009. We may redeem all or part of the notes on or after February 1, 2006. Before February 1, 2005, we may redeem up to 35% of the notes from the proceeds of certain equity offerings. Redemption prices are set forth under “Description of the Notes—Optional Redemption.”

 

The notes are guaranteed on a senior subordinated basis by our parent companies and all of our existing and future domestic subsidiaries. The notes and the guarantees are our and the guarantors’ general, unsecured obligations, are subordinated to our and the guarantors’ senior debt, will be subordinated to future senior debt that we and the guarantors are permitted to incur under our senior credit facility and the indenture governing the notes and will be equal in right of payment to our and the guarantors’ future subordinated indebtedness.

 

The selling noteholder will receive all of the proceeds from the sale of the resale notes, although we will bear the expenses related to offering the resale notes. The selling noteholder, directly through underwriters, broker-dealers or agents to be designated from time to time, may sell the resale notes from time to time in the over-the-counter market, on a securities exchange on which the notes are then listed, in negotiated transactions, through the writing of options or otherwise and at prices and on terms to be determined at the time of sale.

 


 

For a discussion of certain factors that you should consider before purchasing the notes, see “ Risk Factors” beginning on page 14 of this prospectus.

 

Neither the SEC nor any state securities commission has approved or disapproved of the notes or determined that this prospectus is truthful or complete. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.

 

December 4, 2003


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We have not authorized anyone to give any information or represent anything to you other than the information contained in this prospectus. You must not rely on any unauthorized information or representations.

 


 

TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

     Page

        Page

Summary

   4   

Certain Relationships and Related
Transactions

   87

Risk Factors

   14      

The Transactions

   27   

Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial
Owners and Management

   94

Use of Proceeds

   30      

Capitalization

   30   

Description of Senior Credit Facility

   96

Selling Noteholder

   31   

Description of the Notes

   99

Unaudited Pro Forma Condensed Consolidated
Statements of Operations

   32   

United States Federal Income Tax
Consequences

   144
        

Selected Historical Financial Data

   37   

Plan of Distribution

   148

Management’s Discussion and Analysis of
Financial Condition and Results of
Operations

   40   

Legal Matters

   149
     

Where You Can Find Other Information

   149
     

Experts

   149

Business

   59   

Index to Consolidated Financial Statements

   F-1

Management

   76   

Glossary

   G-1

 


 

ACCESS S&E®, ACCESS®, ACCESSibility®, FMR Plus®, Follow Me Roaming Plus®, FMR®, Follow Me Roaming®, FraudManager®, FraudX®, INLink®, STREAMLINER® and Visibility® are each a registered trademark or a registered service mark of the company. CCNSSM, Fleet-On-TrackSM, inpackSM, UniRoamSM and WIN4SM are service marks of the company. Other trademarks, service marks and trade names appearing in this prospectus are the property of their respective holders.

 

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MARKET, RANKING AND OTHER DATA

 

The data included in this prospectus regarding markets and ranking, including the size of certain service markets and our position and the position of our competitors within these markets, are based on independent industry publications, reports from government agencies or other published industry sources and our estimates are based on our management’s knowledge and experience in the markets in which we operate. Our estimates have been based on information obtained from our customers, suppliers, trade and business organizations and other contacts in the markets in which we operate. We believe these estimates to be accurate as of the date of this prospectus. However, this information may prove to be inaccurate because of the method by which we obtained some of the data for our estimates or because this information cannot always be verified with complete certainty due to the limits on the availability and reliability of raw data, the voluntary nature of the data gathering process and other limitations and uncertainties inherent in a survey of market size. In addition, consumer preferences can and do change. As a result, you should be aware that market, ranking and other similar data included in this prospectus, and estimates and beliefs based on such data, may not be reliable.

 


 

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

 

This prospectus includes forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, including without limitation the statements under “Summary,” “Risk Factors,” “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” and “Business.” The words “believes,” “anticipates,” “plans,” “expects,” “intends,” “estimates” and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause our actual results, performance and achievements, or industry results, to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements.

 

All forward-looking statements included in this prospectus are based on information available to us on the date of this prospectus. We undertake no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. All subsequent written and oral forward-looking statements attributable to us or persons acting on our behalf are expressly qualified in their entirety by the cautionary statements contained throughout this prospectus.

 

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SUMMARY

 

The following summary highlights certain significant aspects of our business and the resale notes, but you should read this entire prospectus, including the financial data and related notes, before making an investment decision. Under the terms of the agreement and plan of merger described herein, TSI Telecommunication Holdings, Inc. acquired TSI Telecommunication Services Inc. by merging its wholly owned subsidiary, TSI Merger Sub, Inc., into TSI Telecommunication Services Inc., with TSI Telecommunication Services Inc. as the surviving corporation which, as a result, became liable under the notes. In this prospectus, unless the context otherwise requires, references to the “issuer” or the “company” refer to TSI Telecommunication Services Inc. The terms “we,” “us,” “our” and other similar terms refer to the consolidated businesses of TSI Telecommunication Holdings, LLC and all of its subsidiaries, including the company. The term “successor” refers to TSI Telecommunication Holdings, LLC and all of its subsidiaries, including the company, following the acquisition of the company on February 14, 2002. The historical financial results of Brience, Inc., from February 14, 2002, which is the date that GTCR Fund VII, L.P. and its affiliates possessed common control of us and Brience, Inc., through July 23, 2003, which is the date that we acquired Brience, Inc., are included in the financial results of the successor because this acquisition is accounted for as a combination of entities under common control, similar to a pooling of interests. The term “predecessor” refers to TSI Telecommunication Services Inc. prior to being acquired by TSI Telecommunication Holdings, Inc. on February 14, 2002. You should carefully consider the information set forth under the heading “Risk Factors.” Certain capitalized terms used in this prospectus are defined in the glossary appearing at the end of this prospectus.

 

TSI Telecommunication Services Inc.

 

We are a leading provider of mission-critical transaction processing services to wireless telecommunication carriers throughout the world. Our transaction-based technology interoperability, network and call processing services simplify the interconnection and management of complex voice and data networks. We address technology interoperability complexities as the largest clearinghouse in the United States for the billing and settlement of wireless roaming telephone calls, with an estimated market share of approximately 60% in 2002 based on wireless subscribers. We also own one of the largest unaffiliated Signaling System 7 (“SS7”) networks in the United States. SS7 is the telecommunication industry’s standard network signaling protocol used by substantially all carriers to enable the setup and delivery of wireless and wireline telephone calls. Our network services also allow our customers to access intelligent network services and monitor network performance and subscriber activity on a real-time basis. In addition, we are the industry’s leading developer and provider of call processing solutions that enable seamless regional, national and international wireless roaming telephone service.

 

Industry Trends

 

Demand for our services is driven primarily by the number of wireless telephone subscribers, the volume of wireless roaming telephone calls and the increasing technological complexities associated with the proliferation of different communication standards and protocols within telecommunication networks. The number of U.S. wireless subscribers has grown from 14.7 million in 1993 to 141.6 million in 2002, according to the Cellular Telecommunications and Internet Association (the “CTIA”). The U.S. wireless subscriber base is expected to grow to over 215.0 million by 2007 (Kagan World Media). In conjunction with the projected growth in the number of U.S. wireless subscribers, we believe the annual number of billable wireless roaming telephone calls will also continue to increase. Growth in wireless subscribers and wireless roaming telephone calls has been driven by improved wireless service quality, decreased cost of service and increased wireless telephone service coverage both in the U.S. and abroad. Wireless telephone service coverage has increased due to the build out of networks in new and existing markets and increased roaming arrangements among carriers that allow subscribers of one carrier to use another carrier’s network while traveling out of the subscribers’ home market.

 

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These developments have been accompanied by increased technological complexities associated with the proliferation of different network architectures, including various mobile switch types (e.g., Lucent, Nortel, Ericsson and Motorola), diverse signaling standards (e.g., CDMA, TDMA and GSM), distinct billing record formats (e.g., CIBER and TAP) and multiple network protocols (e.g., X.25, Frame Relay, SS7 and IP). Despite these complexities, wireless carriers are required to provide seamless regional, national and international wireless telephone service coverage in order to attract and retain subscribers. We expect these complexities to increase as wireless carriers introduce new network technologies to enable wireless messaging, data and e-commerce solutions.

 

An added complexity to the wireless industry is the federal mandate requiring carriers to offer wireless local number portability (WLNP). The implementation of WLNP impacts nearly every system within a carrier’s operations, including network signaling and routing, switch upgrades, billing, point of sale and customer service. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) mandate, which allows customers to change their telecommunication service provider while keeping their existing telephone number, requires wireless carriers to change or “port” and activate a customer’s service within 2.5 business hours of the initial customer request. By November 24, 2003, wireless operators must offer full portability throughout their networks, including the ability to support roaming. In order to port numbers, carriers need to exchange information with other carriers and transmit information to the regional Number Portability Administration Centers (NPACs). The business and technical impacts of this mandate present significant revenue opportunities for us, as the implementation and management of WLNP technical solutions is not a core competency of carriers.

 

These technological challenges have made revenue assurance, cost management and delivery of quality service increasingly difficult for carriers. As a result, we believe wireless carriers will increasingly utilize trusted third-party service providers that offer outsourced solutions to assist in the management of interoperability, network and call processing complexities. We believe we offer the most comprehensive and advanced suite of services to meet these carriers’ needs. Our proven capabilities position us well to continue developing innovative solutions to enhance the technological advantage of our services and meet the industry’s evolving requirements.

 

Services

 

We provide a diverse set of services to meet the evolving requirements of the telecommunication services industry. These services include:

 

  Network Services. We provide our customers with connectivity to our SS7 network and other widely used communications networks (e.g., X.25, Frame Relay and IP). SS7 is the telecommunication industry’s standard network signaling protocol used by almost every carrier in North America to enable the setup and delivery of wireless and wireline telephone calls. A telephone call has two components: the call content (e.g., voice, video or data) and the signaling information (e.g., caller information, number called and subscriber validation). SS7 is the transport network for this signaling information. We also provide Web-based analysis and reporting services, allowing our customers to access real-time subscriber activity, monitor their networks, troubleshoot customer care issues and handle network management tasks seamlessly. In addition, use of our SS7 network facilitates access to intelligent network services, such as local number portability (LNP), line information database (LIDB), toll-free database and Caller ID. We also offer software and services that enable secure application and mobile data communication across multiple devices, software platforms, and networks. Mobile Processing Server (MPS) is an integrated software design and development environment for building mobile solutions that provide a compelling user experience across multiple device form factors ranging from cell phones to PDAs.

 

  Technology Interoperability Services. We address technology interoperability complexities by acting as the primary point of contact for hundreds of wireless carriers for the processing of roaming billing and short message service (SMS) transactions across substantially all network, signaling, billing and messaging standards.

 

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  Call Processing Services. We offer telecommunication carriers comprehensive call processing services that employ advanced technologies to provide subscriber verification, call delivery and technical fraud detection and prevention regardless of switch type, billing format or signaling standard.

 

  Other Outsourcing Services. We provide other value-added outsourcing services including: (i) a prepaid wireless solution that enables wireless carriers to offer prepaid wireless services with national roaming capabilities; (ii) a telematics solution that enables trucking and distribution companies to track vehicle location and improve fleet utilization and (iii) outsourced services that enhance carriers’ ability to manage and consolidate billing for their enterprise customer accounts.

 

Our revenues are primarily generated from transaction-based processing fees. In addition, we earn fixed monthly fees for network connections, principally to our SS7 network, as well as circuit and port fees. The following chart sets forth a breakdown of our revenues for the year ended December 31, 2002 for our four principal business services:

 

LOGO

 

Customers

 

We serve more than 275 telecommunication service providers worldwide. Our customer base includes all of the top ten wireless carriers in the United States, including AT&T Wireless, Cingular Wireless, Sprint PCS, Verizon Wireless and T-Mobile. We also serve wireless companies in Latin America, Asia Pacific and Europe, including, among others, China Unicom, NTT DoCoMo, T-Mobile International, Telstra, Telefónica, and Telcel. In addition, we provide services to wireline providers such as competitive local exchange carriers, local exchange carriers and interexchange carriers. We have a revenue guaranty agreement with respect to revenues from our largest customer, Verizon Wireless. See “Certain Relationships and Related Transactions.”

 

Competitive Strengths

 

We believe that the following strengths will allow us to continue to enhance our operating profitability and cash flow:

 

  Market leader in wireless technology interoperability and call processing. We believe that we offer the most comprehensive and advanced suite of technology interoperability and call processing services to the telecommunication industry.

 

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  Premier SS7 network provider. We own and operate one of the largest unaffiliated SS7 networks in North America and provide complementary intelligent network and network monitoring services to telecommunication and data network providers.

 

  Strong customer relationships. Historically, we have experienced minimal customer turnover with contract renewal rates averaging approximately 89.0% over the last three years. We serve more than 275 telecommunication service providers worldwide.

 

  History of innovative product development. We have built our business and reputation by continually identifying new opportunities in the telecommunication marketplace and designing comprehensive solutions that meet carriers’ evolving technology interoperability, network and call processing needs.

 

  Proven business model. We offer mission-critical transaction processing services through a service bureau model that provides us with a strong base of recurring revenues and cash flows.

 

  Positioned to capitalize on emerging communication industry technologies. We believe the introduction of 2.5G and 3G wireless services (i.e., EDGE, GPRS, wCDMA, CDMA2000 and 1xRTT) will increase the technological complexity of wireless networks and increase the demand for our suite of services.

 

  Strong management team. Upon completion of the acquisition, G. Edward Evans became our Chief Executive Officer and Raymond L. Lawless became our Chief Financial Officer joining our existing senior executive team. Our management team averages 18 years of experience in the telecommunication industry.

 

Business Strategy

 

We intend to continue to strengthen our market leadership position, maximize profitability and enhance cash flow through the following strategies:

 

  Further penetrate our existing customer base. We intend to continue to aggressively market our current suite of services to our existing customers in order to further diversify our revenue stream and increase per customer revenues.

 

  Enhance existing services suite through continued development. We intend to continue addressing customer needs with industry-leading innovation that enhances the technological advantage of our services.

 

  Develop innovative new services. We are dedicated to understanding the requirements of our customer base and developing innovative new services to meet the industry’s evolving technology interoperability, network and call processing needs.

 

  Capitalize on near-term opportunity in the emerging mobile data market. We are well positioned to capitalize on the emerging mobile data market.

 

  Penetrate global markets. We are pursuing additional expansion opportunities in markets outside of North America that we believe will experience high growth.

 

  Expand customer base. We are seeking to expand our customer base by targeting new telecommunication carriers, as well as customers outside of the traditional wireless and wireline telecommunication services industry.

 

  Opportunistically acquire complementary businesses. We will explore the possibility of acquiring companies that possess complementary service offerings, technologies and/or customer relationships both in the U.S. and internationally.

 

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The Transactions

 

On February 14, 2002, TSI Telecommunication Holdings, Inc. acquired the company by merging its wholly owned subsidiary, TSI Merger Sub, Inc., with and into TSI Telecommunication Services Inc. Pursuant to the merger agreement, Verizon Information Services Inc. received merger consideration equal to $770.0 million in cash. TSI Telecommunication Holdings, Inc. is a corporation formed by TSI Telecommunication Holdings, LLC, which is owned by GTCR Fund VII, L.P., certain of its affiliates and co-investors, G. Edward Evans and certain other members of our management, who we collectively refer to as the “equity investors.” For ease of reference, we refer to TSI Telecommunication Holdings, LLC as “TSI LLC,” TSI Telecommunication Holdings, Inc. as “TSI Inc.” and TSI Merger Sub, Inc. as “Merger Sub.” The following events occurred pursuant to the merger agreement and related documents and are collectively referred to as the “Transactions”:

 

  the purchase by the equity investors of Preferred and Common Units of TSI LLC for approximately $255.3 million in cash;

 

  the purchase by TSI LLC of Preferred and Common Stock of TSI Inc. for approximately $253.4 million in cash and the purchase by TSI Inc. of common stock of Merger Sub for approximately $253.4 million in cash;

 

  the purchase by TSI LLC of Class B non-voting common stock of TSI Telecommunication Network Services Inc. for approximately $2.0 million in cash and a loan of $2.0 million from TSI Telecommunication Network Services Inc. to Merger Sub;

 

  borrowings by Merger Sub of approximately $280.4 million in funded term loan and revolving credit facility borrowings ($298.8 million aggregate principal amount) under its senior credit facility;

 

  the offering by Merger Sub of $239.6 million of notes ($245.0 million aggregate principal amount);

 

  the merger of Merger Sub into the company, with the company as the surviving corporation, and the payment of $770.0 million to Verizon as merger consideration, the payment of $1.4 million to Verizon as the working capital adjustment and approximately $37.3 million of related fees and expenses; and

 

  the company entered into a revenue guaranty agreement, a transition services agreement, a distributed processing services agreement, a mainframe computing services agreement and an intellectual property agreement with Verizon or its affiliates.

 

Concurrently with the closing of the Transactions, the company entered into an agreement pursuant to which it contributed on May 14, 2002 certain of the assets and liabilities associated with its network services group to a newly formed corporate subsidiary, TSI Telecommunication Network Services Inc. (“TSI Networks”). The outstanding ownership interests of this subsidiary consist of voting participating preferred stock and non-voting common stock. The company owns all of the voting participating preferred stock, which accrues dividends at a rate of 10% per annum, compounded annually, and has a liquidation preference equal to the fair market value of the transferred assets as of the date of transfer. All of the shares of non-voting common stock are owned by TSI LLC.

 


 

Our business was founded in 1987 as GTE Telecommunication Services Inc., a unit of GTE. In 2000, when GTE and Bell Atlantic merged to form Verizon Communications Inc., we became an indirect, wholly owned subsidiary of Verizon. In addition, in June of 2000, we acquired GTE’s Intelligent Network Services business to further broaden our network services offering and expand our wireline customer base. In February 2002, the company was acquired by TSI Inc., a corporation owned by TSI LLC, whose members include affiliates and co-investors of GTCR Golder Rauner, LLC and members of our senior management. Our principal executive offices are located at One Tampa City Center, Suite 700, Tampa, Florida 33602, and our telephone number is (813) 273-3000. Our website is www.tsiconnections.com. Our website and the information included therein are not part of this prospectus.

 

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Summary of the Offering

 

The form and terms of the resale notes are the same as the form and terms of the outstanding exchange notes, except that the resale notes are currently restricted securities and will remain so until transferred pursuant to this prospectus or pursuant to an available exemption from registration in which the restrictions on transfer lapse. The resale notes represent the same debt as the exchange notes. Both the resale notes and the exchange notes are governed by the same indenture. Unless otherwise required by the context, we use the term “notes” in this prospectus to collectively refer to the resale notes and the exchange notes and the term “guarantees” to collectively refer to the resale guarantees and the exchange guarantees.

 

Issuer: TSI Telecommunication Services Inc.

 

As part of the Transactions, TSI Merger Sub, Inc., the original issuer of the notes, was merged into TSI Telecommunication Services Inc., which was the surviving corporation and became liable under the notes.

 

Notes Offered: $25,000,000 in aggregate principal amount of 12 3/4% Senior Subordinated Notes due 2009. We may issue additional notes in the future, subject to the covenants in the indenture.

 

Use of Proceeds: We will not receive any proceeds from the sale of the resale notes offered by this prospectus.

 

Guarantees: All payments with respect to the resale notes, including principal and interest, are fully and unconditionally guaranteed on an unsecured senior subordinated basis by the issuer’s ultimate parent company, the issuer’s direct parent company and each of the issuer’s existing and future domestic subsidiaries, other than subsidiaries treated as unrestricted subsidiaries. Each of these guarantors also guarantee our senior credit facility. The guarantees of our parent and our ultimate parent will be released under certain circumstances.

 

Maturity Date: February 1, 2009.

 

Interest Payment Dates: February 1 and August 1, commencing August 1, 2002.

 

Rankings: The resale notes and the resale guarantees will be unsecured and:

 

  subordinate in right of payment to all of the issuer’s and the guarantors’ existing and future senior indebtedness (including all borrowings under the senior credit facility);

 

  equal in right of payment to the issuer’s and the guarantors’ future senior subordinated indebtedness; and

 

  senior in right of payment to the issuer’s and the guarantors’ future subordinated indebtedness.

 

The Transactions were completed on February 14, 2002. As of September 30, 2003:

 

  the issuer’s outstanding senior indebtedness was $221.2 million ($212.2 million net of discount); and

 

  the guarantors had guaranteed senior indebtedness of $221.2 million, which consisted exclusively of guarantees of the issuer’s borrowings under the senior credit facility.

 

Optional Redemption: On or after February 1, 2006, the issuer may redeem some or all of the notes at any time at the redemption prices described in the section “Description of the Notes—Optional Redemption.”

 

Before February 1, 2005, the issuer may redeem up to 35% of the aggregate principal amount of notes issued under the indenture with the net cash proceeds of certain equity offerings, provided that at least 65% of the aggregate principal amount of notes issued under the indenture remains outstanding after the redemption.

 

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Mandatory Redemption: If the issuer sells certain assets or experiences specific kinds of changes in control, the issuer must offer to repurchase the notes at the prices, plus accrued and unpaid interest, if any, to the date of redemption, listed in the section “Description of the Notes—Repurchase at the Option of Holders.”

 

Covenants: The issuer issued the notes under an indenture among itself, the guarantors and the trustee. The indenture (among other things) limits the issuer’s ability and that of its restricted subsidiaries to:

 

  incur additional indebtedness and issue preferred stock;

 

  pay dividends or make other distributions;

 

  make other restricted payments and investments;

 

  create liens;

 

  incur restrictions on the ability of their subsidiaries to pay dividends or other payments to them;

 

  sell assets;

 

  merge or consolidate with other entities; and

 

  enter into transactions with affiliates.

 

Each of the covenants is subject to a number of important exceptions and qualifications. See “Description of the Notes—Certain Covenants.”

 

Transfer: The resale notes are currently restricted securities and will remain so until transferred pursuant to this prospectus or pursuant to an available exemption from registration on which the restrictions on transfer lapse.

 

Original Issue Discount: The notes were issued with original issue discount for federal income tax purposes. Thus, in addition to the stated interest on the notes, holders will be required to include the amounts representing the original issue discount in gross income on a constant yield basis for federal income tax purposes in advance of receipt of the cash payments to which such income is attributable.

 

The Initial Offering of Notes: We sold the 12 3/4% senior subordinated notes due 2009 on February 6, 2002 to Lehman Brothers Inc. We refer to Lehman Brothers Inc. in this prospectus as the “initial purchaser.” The initial purchaser subsequently resold the outstanding notes to qualified institutional buyers, including the selling noteholder, pursuant to Rule 144A under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended and to non-U.S. Persons within the meaning of Regulation S under the Securities Act.

 

Registration Rights Agreement: Simultaneously with the initial sale of the outstanding notes, we entered into a registration rights agreement with respect to an exchange offer and this shelf registration statement. In the registration rights agreement, we agreed, among other things, to use our reasonable best efforts to file a registration statement with the SEC and to complete an exchange offer. We also agreed to file a shelf registration statement to register the notes for resale for noteholders who were not permitted to participate in the exchange offer.

 

The Exchange Offer: We completed the exchange offer on July 30, 2002.

 

Shelf Registration: On July 31, 2002, the selling noteholder notified us that it was not permitted to participate in the exchange offer and exercised its right under the registration rights agreement to require us to file this shelf registration statement.

 

For a discussion of certain risks that should be considered in connection with an investment in the notes, see “Risk Factors.”

 

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Summary Historical and Unaudited Pro Forma Condensed Consolidated Financial Data

 

The following table sets forth our summary historical and unaudited pro forma condensed consolidated financial data for the periods ended and at the dates indicated. We have derived the historical consolidated financial data as of December 31, 2001 and 2002 and for each of the two years in the period ended December 31, 2001 and for the period from January 1, 2002 to February 13, 2002 and the period from February 14, 2002 to September 30, 2002 from our audited financial statements included elsewhere in this prospectus. We have derived the historical consolidated financial data as of September 30, 2003, the nine months ended September 30, 2003 and the period from February 14, 2002 to September 30, 2002 from our unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this prospectus. We have derived our unaudited consolidated financial data as of February 13, 2002 and September 30, 2002 from our unaudited consolidated financial statements not included herein. We have derived the historical consolidated financial data as of December 31, 2000 from our audited consolidated financial statements that are not included in this prospectus. We have derived the pro forma information as of and for the period from January 1, 2002 to February 13, 2002 and the year ended December 31, 2002 from our unaudited condensed consolidated pro forma financial statements included elsewhere herein.

 

The term “successor” refers to TSI Telecommunication Holdings, LLC and all of its subsidiaries, including the company, following the acquisition of the company on February 14, 2002. The historical financial results of Brience, Inc., from February 14, 2002, which is the date that GTCR Fund VII, L.P. and its affiliates possessed common control of us and Brience, Inc., through July 23, 2003, which is the date that we acquired Brience, Inc., are included in the financial results of the successor because this acquisition is accounted for as a combination of entities under common control, similar to a pooling of interests. The term “predecessor” refers to TSI Telecommunication Services Inc. prior to being acquired by TSI Telecommunication Holdings, Inc. on February 14, 2002.

 

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(Footnotes on following page)

 

    Predecessor

    Successor

          Successor

    Successor

 
    Year Ended
December 31,


   

Period from
January 1 to
February 13,

2002


   

Period from
February 14 to
December 31,

2002


   

Twelve Months
Ended
December 31,

2002


   

Period from
February 14 to
September 30,

2002


   

Nine Months
Ended
September 30,

2003


 
    2000

    2001

           
    Historical     Historical     Historical     Historical     Pro Forma     Historical     Historical  

Statement of Operations Data:

                                                       

Revenues

  $ 315,936     $ 361,358     $ 39,996     $ 296,044     $ 336,040     $ 219,732     $ 201,236  

Costs and expenses

    235,406       252,028       29,074       231,137       261,911       173,324       153,300  

Operating income

    80,530       109,330       10,922       64,907       74,129       46,408       47,936  

Interest expense

    22       —         —         54,105       61,701       39,238       44,525  

Net income (loss)

    51,051       69,258       6,917       631       1,764       (1,313 )     1,222  

Preferred unit dividends

    —         —         —         22,952       25,994       16,238       21,168  

Net income (loss) attributable to common unitholders/shareholders

    51,051       69,258       6,917       (22,321 )     (24,230 )     (17,551 )     (19,946 )

Other Data:

                                                       

Revenues (excluding Off-Network Database Query Fees)(2)

  $ 257,317     $ 292,241     $ 31,408     $ 234,927     $ 266,335     $ 172,728     $ 176,698  

Adjusted EBITDA(3)

    93,595       124,453       12,367       111,840       125,669       81,641       79,765  

Ratio of earnings to fixed charges(4)

    197.70       245.39       193.12       1.18       1.19       1.14       1.09  

Depreciation and amortization(5)

    13,061       15,203       1,464       33,285       37,911       23,846       27,567  

Capital expenditures

    12,956       10,406       606       12,278       12,884       8,748       12,121  

Balance Sheet Data (at end of period)(6):

                                                       

Cash and cash equivalents

  $ 2,584     $ 284     $ 25,000     $ 42,190     $ 42,190     $ 31,816     $ 6,306  

Working capital

    61,154       106,664       69,631       7,243       7,243       32,911       2,696  

Property and equipment, net

    24,387       23,656       23,306       33,728       33,728       35,240       32,764  

Total assets

    198,380       247,867       159,457       833,068       833,068       833,223       777,357  

Total debt

    —         —         —         505,850       505,850       512,222       453,088  

Unitholders’/shareholders’ equity

    117,307       153,104       133,510       270,791       270,791       268,847       272,956  

Pro Forma Data(7)

                                                       

Adjusted EBITDA

    —         —         —         —         125,669       —         —    

Cash interest expense

    —         —         —         —         37,783       —         —    

Reconciliation to adjusted EBITDA:

                                                       

Net income (loss) as reported

  $ 51,051     $ 69,258     $ 6,917     $ 631     $ 1,764     $ (1,313 )   $ 1,222  

Restructuring

    —         —         —         2,845       2,845       2,845       2,448  

Interest (income) expense, net

    (3,065 )     (3,903 )     (432 )     53,140       60,506       38,397       43,979  

Depreciation and amortization

    13,061       15,203       1,464       33,285       37,911       23,846       27,567  

Provision for income taxes

    32,548       43,895       4,418       9,320       10,024       6,865       2,734  

Loss from discontinued operations

    —         —         —         1,541       1,541       2,188       —    

Pre acquisition Brience EBITDA loss (gain)

    —         —         —         11,078       11,078       8,813       1,815  
   


 


 


 


 


 


 


Adjusted EBITDA

  $ 93,595     $ 124,453     $ 12,367     $ 111,840     $ 125,669     $ 81,641     $ 79,765  
   


 


 


 


 


 


 


 

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(1) The September 30, 2002 balance sheet data is historical since the TSI acquisition was completed on February 14, 2002 and no pro forma balance sheet is necessary. Similarly, the nine months ended September 30, 2003 follows the acquisition and hence no pro forma information statements of operations is necessary for this period. The year ended December 31, 2002 includes a period which preceded the TSI acquisition and hence pro forma information is presented for this period, January 1, 2002 to February 13, 2002.
(2) For several of our network services offerings, we access various carriers’ databases and rebill the identical cost of the related charges to our customers. We refer to these queries into other carriers’ databases as “Off-Network Database Queries.” We include the revenues associated with these Off-Network Database Queries in network services revenues and refer to them as “Off-Network Database Query Fees.” We record the offsetting cost of providing these queries under cost of operations as “Off-Network Database Query Charges.” The amount shown in this table as “Revenues (excluding Off-Network Database Query Fees)” is equal to our revenues less the revenues earned from this rebilling.
(3) Adjusted EBITDA is determined by subtracting net interest income (expense), income taxes, depreciation, amortization, restructuring charges and (income) loss from discontinued operations from our net income (loss), and Brience’s pre-acquisition EBITDA loss (gain) from net income (loss). We present adjusted EBITDA because it is generally accepted as providing useful information regarding a company’s ability to service and/or incur debt. You should not consider adjusted EBITDA in isolation from or as a substitute for net income, cash flows from operating activities and other consolidated income or cash flow statement data prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States or as a measure of profitability or liquidity.
(4) For the purpose of calculating the ratio of earnings to fixed charges, earnings are defined as pre-tax income from continuing operations. Fixed charges are the sum of (i) interest expense, (ii) amortized premiums, discounts and capitalized expenses related to indebtedness and (iii) an estimate of the interest within rental expense.
(5) Depreciation and amortization excludes accretion of debt discount and amortization of deferred finance costs, which are both included in interest expense in the statement of operations data.
(6) Pro forma balance sheet data as of December 31, 2002 is the same as historical. See note (1) above.
(7) The pro forma financial statement data represent that of TSI Telecommunication Holdings, LLC, which became our new ultimate parent after the Transactions. These financial statements of TSI Telecommunication Holdings, LLC are being presented because they include all guarantors of the notes. TSI Telecommunication Holdings, LLC does not have any assets, liabilities or operations other than its investments in TSI Telecommunication Holdings, Inc. (our new immediate parent after the Transactions) and TSI Telecommunication Network Services Inc. See “The Transactions.” The pro forma statement of operations data have been calculated giving effect to the following transactions as if they had been completed on the first day of the period presented: (i) the acquisition of TSI Telecommunication Services Inc. by the investor group; (ii) the consummation of the related financing transactions, including the initial offering of the notes, and the use of the net proceeds as described under the heading “Use of Proceeds;” and (iii) certain changes in operating costs directly attributable to the acquisition. For the pro forma statements of operations and a more detailed discussion of pro forma adjustments, see “Unaudited Pro Forma Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations.”

 

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RISK FACTORS

 

You should carefully consider the following factors, in addition to the other information contained in this prospectus, when deciding whether to purchase the notes.

 

Risks Relating to the Notes

 

Our substantial indebtedness could have a material adverse effect on our financial health and prevent us from fulfilling our obligations under the notes.

 

We have significant debt service obligations. As of September 30, 2003, outstanding indebtedness (including the current portion of $26.8 million) totaled approximately $466.2 million ($453.1 million net of discount) and total unit holders’ equity totaled approximately $273.0 million. We are the borrower of all of this outstanding indebtedness. You should read the discussions under the headings “Capitalization” and “Unaudited Pro Forma Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements” for further information about our substantial indebtedness.

 

Our substantial debt could have important consequences to you. For example, it could:

 

  make it more difficult for us to satisfy our obligations with respect to the notes and our obligations under our senior credit facility;

 

  require us to dedicate a substantial portion of our cash flow from operations to payments on our debt, which will reduce the funds available for working capital, capital and development expenditures, acquisitions and other general corporate purposes;

 

  limit our flexibility in planning for, or reacting to, changes in the manufacture, production, distribution or marketing of our services, customer demand, competitive pressures, and the industries we serve;

 

  place us at a competitive disadvantage compared to our competitors that are less leveraged than we are;

 

  increase our vulnerability to both general and industry-specific adverse economic conditions; and

 

  limit our ability to borrow additional funds.

 

We are able to incur substantial additional debt in the future under the indenture. The addition of further debt to our current debt levels could intensify the leverage-related risks that we now face. The indenture also permits us to incur additional debt which may be senior to the notes and the guarantees and which may be secured.

 

In addition, the indenture and our senior credit facility contain financial and other restrictive covenants that limit our ability to engage in activities that may be in our long-term best interests. Our failure to comply with those covenants could result in an event of default, which, if not cured or waived, could result in the acceleration of all of our debts.

 

Our ability to make payments on the notes depends on our ability to generate sufficient cash in the future.

 

Our ability to make payments on and to refinance our debt, including the notes, and to fund planned capital and development expenditures or opportunities that may arise, such as acquisitions of other businesses, will depend on our ability to generate sufficient cash in the future. This, to some extent, is subject to general economic, financial, competitive and other factors that are beyond our control.

 

Based on our current level of operations and anticipated cost savings and operating improvements, we believe our cash flow from operations, available cash and available borrowings under our senior credit facility will be adequate to meet our future liquidity needs for at least the next 12 months.

 

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We cannot assure you that our business will generate sufficient cash flow from operations or that future borrowings will be available to us under our senior credit facility in an amount sufficient to enable us to repay our debt, including the notes, or to fund our other liquidity needs. If our future cash flow from operations and other capital resources is insufficient to pay our obligations as they mature or to fund our liquidity needs, we may be forced to reduce or delay our business activities and capital expenditures, sell assets, obtain additional debt or equity capital or restructure or refinance all or a portion of our debt, including the notes, on or before maturity. We cannot assure you that we would be able to accomplish any of these alternatives on a timely basis or on satisfactory terms, if at all. In addition, the terms of our existing and future indebtedness, including the notes and our senior credit facility, may limit our ability to pursue any of these alternatives.

 

Your right to receive payments on these notes is junior to our existing senior indebtedness and possibly all of our future borrowings. Further, the guarantees of these notes are junior to all of our guarantors’ existing senior indebtedness and possibly to all of their future borrowings.

 

These notes and the guarantees rank behind all of our and our guarantors’ existing senior indebtedness and all of our and their future borrowings, except any future indebtedness that expressly provides that it ranks equal with, or subordinated in right of payment to, the notes and the guarantees. As a result, upon any distribution to our creditors or the creditors of the guarantors in a bankruptcy, liquidation or reorganization or similar proceeding relating to us or the guarantors or our or their property, the holders of our senior debt and the senior debt of our guarantors will be entitled to be paid in full and in cash before any payment may be made with respect to the notes or the guarantees.

 

In addition, all payments on the notes and the guarantees will be blocked in the event of a payment default on senior debt and may be blocked for up to 179 consecutive days in the event of certain non-payment defaults on senior debt.

 

In the event of a bankruptcy, liquidation or reorganization or similar proceeding relating to us or the guarantors, holders of the notes will participate with trade creditors and all other holders of our and the guarantors’ subordinated indebtedness in the assets remaining after we and the guarantors have paid all of our and their senior debt. However, because the indenture requires that amounts otherwise payable to holders of the notes in a bankruptcy or similar proceeding be paid to holders of senior debt instead, holders of the notes may receive less, ratably, than holders of trade payables in any such proceeding. In any of these cases, we and the guarantors may not have sufficient funds to pay all of our creditors and holders of the notes may receive less, ratably, than the holders of our senior debt.

 

As of September 30, 2003, the notes and the guarantees were subordinated to $221.2 million of senior debt ($212.2 million net of discount) and $35.0 million was available for borrowing as additional senior debt under our senior credit facility. We are permitted to borrow additional indebtedness, including senior debt, in the future under the terms of the indenture.

 

The issuer’s and the guarantors’ assets secure our new senior credit facility.

 

Our senior credit facility is secured by all of the issuer’s assets and the assets of its guarantors. Therefore, your claims will also be effectively subordinated to the extent of the value of the assets that secure our senior credit facility.

 

Parent guarantors’ sole sources of operating income are derived from the issuer and you should therefore not rely on the parent guarantees in evaluating an investment in the notes.

 

The parent guarantors unconditionally guarantee the notes on an unsecured senior subordinated basis. The parent guarantors are holding companies whose sole sources of operating income and cash flow are derived from us and whose only material assets are our capital stock. Accordingly, the parent guarantors are dependent upon

 

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the earnings and cash flow of, and dividends and distributions from, us to perform on the parent guarantees. As a result, the parent guarantees provide little, if any, additional credit support for the notes and you should not rely on the parent guarantees in evaluating whether to invest in the notes.

 

Fraudulent conveyance laws may adversely affect the validity and enforceability of the guarantees of the notes.

 

The issuer and all of its existing and future domestic restricted subsidiaries will guarantee the payment of the notes. The issuer’s future foreign subsidiaries and unrestricted subsidiaries, if any, will not guarantee the notes.

 

Although laws differ among various jurisdictions, in general, under fraudulent conveyance laws, a court could subordinate or avoid any guarantee if it found that:

 

  the guarantee was incurred with actual intent to hinder, delay or defraud creditors; or

 

  the guarantor did not receive fair consideration or reasonably equivalent value for the guarantee and the guarantor was any of the following:

 

    insolvent or was rendered insolvent because of the guarantee;

 

    engaged in a business or transaction for which its remaining assets constituted unreasonably small capital; or

 

    intended to incur, or believed that it would incur, debts beyond its ability to pay at maturity.

 

The measure of insolvency for purposes of fraudulent transfer laws varies depending on the law applied. Generally, however, a guarantor would be considered insolvent if:

 

  the sum of its debts, including contingent liabilities, were greater than the fair saleable value of all of its assets;

 

  the present fair saleable value of its assets was less than the amount that would be required to pay its probable liability on its existing debts, including contingent liabilities, as they become absolute and mature; or

 

  it could not pay its debts as they become due.

 

On the basis of historical financial information, recent operating history and other factors, we believe that at the time each existing guarantor issued its guarantee, it was not insolvent, it did not have unreasonably small capital for the business in which it is engaged and it did not incur debts beyond its ability to pay such debts as they mature. We can give no assurance, however, that a court would agree with our conclusions in this regard.

 

If a court avoided a guarantee as a result of a fraudulent conveyance, or held it unenforceable for any other reason, you would cease to have any claim in respect of the guarantor and would be a creditor solely of the issuer and any guarantor whose guarantee was not voided or held unenforceable.

 

Restrictions in our outstanding debt instruments may limit our ability to make payments on the notes or operate our business.

 

Our senior credit facility and the indenture governing the notes contain covenants that limit the discretion of our management with respect to certain business matters. These covenants significantly restrict our ability to (among other things):

 

  incur additional indebtedness;

 

  create liens or other encumbrances;

 

  pay dividends or make certain other payments, investments, loans and guarantees; and

 

  sell or otherwise dispose of assets and merge or consolidate with another entity.

 

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In addition, our senior credit facility requires us to meet certain financial ratios and financial condition tests. You should read the discussions under the headings “Description of Senior Credit Facility—Certain Covenants” and “Description of the Notes—Certain Covenants” for further information about these covenants. Events beyond our control can affect our ability to meet these financial ratios and financial condition tests. Our failure to comply with these obligations could cause an event of default under our senior credit facility. If an event of default occurs, our lenders could elect to declare all amounts outstanding and accrued and unpaid interest on our senior credit facility to be immediately due, and the lenders thereafter could foreclose upon the assets securing the senior credit facility. In that event, we cannot assure you that we would have sufficient assets to repay all of our obligations, including the notes and the related guarantees. We may incur other indebtedness in the future that may contain financial or other covenants more restrictive than those applicable to our senior credit facility or the indenture governing the notes.

 

We may not be able to purchase the notes upon a change of control.

 

If a change of control, as defined in the indenture, occurs, the issuer will be required to make an offer for cash to repurchase all of the notes at a price equal to 101.0% of their principal amount plus any accrued and unpaid interest and liquidated damages, if any. If a change of control occurs, we cannot assure you that the issuer will have sufficient funds to pay the purchase price for any notes tendered to it. Some events involving a change of control may also cause an event of default under our senior credit facility or other indebtedness that we may incur in the future. If a change of control occurs at a time when the issuer is prohibited from purchasing the notes under other debt agreements, we could seek the consent of our lenders to purchase the notes or could attempt to refinance the borrowings that prohibit the issuer’s repurchase of the notes. If we do not obtain that consent or repay those borrowings, the issuer would remain prohibited from purchasing the notes. In that case, the issuer’s failure to purchase any of the tendered notes would constitute an event of default under the indenture governing the notes, which would likely cause a default under other indebtedness. In that event, we would be required to repay all senior debt, including debt under our senior credit facility, before the issuer could repurchase the notes. You should read the discussions under the headings “Description of Senior Credit Facility,” “Description of the Notes—Subordination” and “Description of the Notes—Change of Control” for further information about these restrictions.

 

Increases in market interest rates will increase our debt service obligations.

 

A portion of our debt, including all of the debt incurred under our senior credit facility, bears interest at variable rates. An increase in the interest rates on our debt will reduce our funds available to repay the notes and our other debt and to finance our operations and future business opportunities and, as a result, will intensify the consequences of our leveraged capital structure. Our senior credit facility requires that a portion of our total outstanding debt effectively be at a fixed rate, whether through hedging or otherwise. In March 2003, we entered into an interest rate protection agreement that effectively caps the LIBOR exposure of $100 million of our senior credit facility at 3.0% for a period of two years. As of September 30, 2003, and as shown on the unaudited condensed consolidated balance sheet included elsewhere herein, $221.2 million of the total outstanding debt ($212.2 million net of discount) bore interest at variable rates.

 

The unitholders of TSI LLC are not obligated to make equity contributions in order to prevent the company from breaching its maintenance covenant.

 

The indenture contains a covenant entitled “Maintenance of Financial Condition,” which requires that the company prevent its Consolidated Leverage Ratio (as defined in the senior credit facility) from exceeding certain target ratios for two consecutive quarterly periods. This maintenance covenant also allows the unitholders of TSI LLC to make equity contributions to prevent or cure a default under this covenant. See “Description of the Notes—Certain Covenants—Maintenance of Financial Condition.” However, the TSI LLC unit holders are not obligated to make any such equity contributions. If the company fails to maintain its Consolidated Leverage Ratio at the specified targets for two consecutive quarterly periods and the unitholders of TSI LLC choose not to make the necessary equity contributions within 120 days of the default, then an event of default will be deemed to have occurred under the indenture.

 

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Risks Relating to Separating our Company from Verizon Communications Inc.

 

We expect that our revenues from Verizon and its affiliates will continue to decline following the Transactions.

 

We generated revenue from services provided to Verizon and its affiliates of $103.8 million, $122.4 million, and $104.7 million for the years 2002, 2001, and 2000, respectively, which represented approximately 31.0%, 33.9%, and 33.1% of our total revenues for each of those years, respectively. Based on conversations with Verizon, we expect that Verizon and its affiliates will continue to reduce the level of services they purchase from us following the Transactions as compared to historical levels.

 

In connection with the Transactions, we entered into an annual revenue guaranty agreement with Verizon Information Services, a subsidiary of Verizon Communications and our parent company prior to the Transactions, wherein Verizon Information Services agreed to pay us 82.5% of the amount, if any, by which our revenues from Verizon Wireless and certain of its affiliates are less than specified annual targets from the date of the closing of the acquisition through December 31, 2005. For more information regarding the terms of this agreement, see “Certain Relationships and Related Transactions—Revenue Guaranty Agreement.”

 

Our financial performance will be materially adversely affected if we are unable to increase our revenues from other new or existing customers to offset this anticipated continued decline.

 

We may not realize the benefits we expect to receive from our separation from Verizon.

 

We believe that certain potential customers have been concerned that using our services would benefit Verizon and that Verizon might obtain access through us to confidential information regarding such customers’ infrastructure, network and strategic financial position. Further, we cannot give you any assurance as to the amount or timing of revenues which may be earned from any new customers, if any.

 

Conflicts of interest may arise between us and Verizon relating to our past and ongoing relationships.

 

Verizon and its affiliates are collectively our largest customer and may continue to be so for a significant period of time. As a result, conflicts of interest may arise between Verizon and us in a number of areas relating to our past and ongoing relationships, including:

 

  the nature, quality and pricing of services we provide to Verizon;

 

  the nature, quality and pricing of transition and data services Verizon’s affiliates have agreed to provide us;

 

  labor, tax, employee benefit and other matters arising from the separation of our company from Verizon; and

 

  potential working capital adjustments and indemnification claims under the merger agreement governing the acquisition.

 

We cannot assure you that we will be able to resolve any potential conflicts or that, if resolved, we would not be able to receive more favorable resolution if we were dealing with a party with which we were never affiliated.

 

Our historical financial information may have limited relevance.

 

The historical financial information we have included in this prospectus may not reflect what our results of operations, financial position and cash flows would have been had we been a separate, stand-alone entity during the periods presented or what our results of operations, financial position and cash flows will be in the future. This is because:

 

  we have made certain adjustments and allocations in our financial statements because Verizon did not account for us as, and we were not operated as, a single stand-alone business for any of the periods presented;

 

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  the information does not reflect many significant changes that have occurred or will occur as a result of our separation from Verizon; and

 

  included in our results are the historical financials of Brience Inc. which was acquired on July 23, 2003. This transaction is accounted for as a combination of entities under common control, similar to a pooling of interests from February 14, 2002, the date of common control. Prior to the acquisition, Brience had significant losses, which have been pooled into our results. These historical results do not reflect the current operations of TSI Brience as the company currently has significantly lower headcount and operating expenses compared to these historical results.

 

As a result, you will have limited information on which to evaluate our business and your investment decision. Although we believe that our estimates of the costs of operating our business as a stand-alone entity are reasonable, it is possible that our actual costs will be higher than our current estimates.

 

Risks Relating to our Business

 

System failures, delays and other problems could harm our reputation and business, cause us to lose customers and expose us to customer liability.

 

Our success depends on our ability to provide reliable services. Our operations could be interrupted by any damage to or failure of:

 

  our computer software or hardware or our customers’ or suppliers’ computer software or hardware;

 

  our networks; and

 

  our connections and outsourced service arrangements with third parties.

 

Our systems and operations are also vulnerable to damage or interruption from:

 

  power loss, transmission cable cuts and other telecommunication failures;

 

  fires, earthquakes, floods and other natural disasters;

 

  computer viruses or software defects;

 

  physical or electronic break-ins, sabotage, intentional acts of vandalism and similar events; and

 

  errors by our employees or third-party service providers.

 

Any such damage or failure or the occurrence of any of these events could disrupt the operation of our network and the provision of our services and result in the loss of current and potential customers.

 

We depend on a small number of customers for a significant portion of our revenues and the loss of any of our major customers would harm us.

 

We depend on a relatively small number of customers for a significant portion of our revenues. Our three largest customers in fiscal 2002 represented approximately 44.9% of our total revenues in the aggregate, while our ten largest customers in fiscal 2002 represented an aggregate of approximately 62.7% of our total revenues. We expect to continue to depend upon a relatively small number of customers for a significant percentage of our revenues. Because our major customers represent such a large part of our business, the loss of any of our major customers could negatively impact our business.

 

Our major customers may decide not to continue to purchase services from us at current levels or at all. In the past, consolidation among our customers has caused us to lose transaction volume. In the future, our transaction volume may decline for similar reasons. We may not be able to expand our customer base to make up any sales shortfalls if we lose a major customer. Our attempts to diversify our customer base and reduce our reliance on particular customers may not be successful.

 

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Our reliance on third-party communications software, hardware and infrastructure providers exposes us to a variety of risks we cannot control.

 

Our success depends on software, equipment, links and infrastructure hosting services provided to us by our vendors. We cannot assure you that we will be able to continue to purchase this software, equipment and services from these vendors on acceptable terms, if at all. If we are unable to maintain current purchasing terms or ensure service availability with these vendors, we may lose customers and experience an increase in costs in seeking alternative supplier services.

 

Our business also depends upon the capacity, reliability and security of the infrastructure owned and managed by third parties that is used by our technology interoperability, network and call processing services. We have no control over the operation, quality or maintenance of a significant portion of that infrastructure and whether or not those third parties will upgrade or improve their software, equipment and services. We depend on these companies to maintain the operational integrity of our services. If one or more of these companies is unable or unwilling to supply or expand its levels of service to us in the future, our operations could be severely interrupted. In addition, rapid changes in the telecommunication industry have led to the merging of many companies. These mergers may cause the availability, pricing and quality of the services we use to vary and could cause the length of time it takes to deliver the services that we use to increase significantly.

 

Our ability to provide wireless local number portability (WLNP) services may be adversely impacted by technical, regulatory or legislative risks which would have a material impact on expected revenues and contribution for these services.

 

Our success in implementing WLNP will depend on our ability to provide reliable services. All of our WLNP services are capable of supporting the technical requirements for wireless local number portability. While we have extensively tested the operations of our systems, our platform may not perform as expected in a production environment. Failure to deliver on service level agreements for these services could result in lower revenues or higher costs.

 

Our WLNP platform incorporates software and systems provided by third parties. While we are working closely with these third parties, we have no control over the operation, quality or maintenance of a significant portion of that infrastructure and whether or not those third parties may upgrade or improve their software, equipment and services. We depend on these companies to maintain the operational integrity of our services. If one or more of these companies is unable or unwilling to supply or expand its level of services to us in the future, our operations could be severely interrupted.

 

WLNP has been delayed in the past. While we expect that WLNP will be implemented by the wireless industry on November 24, 2003, regulatory or legislative proceedings could delay this implementation. A postponement could have a material impact on the expected revenue and contribution expected from these services.

 

The financial and operating difficulties in the telecommunication sector may negatively affect our customers and our company.

 

Recently, the telecommunication sector has been facing significant challenges resulting from excess capacity, poor operating results and financial difficulties. The sector’s access to debt and equity capital has been seriously limited. As a result, some of our customers have uncertain financial circumstances and some have filed for protection under the bankruptcy laws. The impacts to us could include slower collections on accounts receivable, higher bad debt experience, uncertainties due to possible customer bankruptcies, lower pricing on new customer contracts, lower revenues due to lower usage by the end customer and possible consolidation among our customers which puts us at risk of losing customers. In addition, because we are considered to operate in the telecommunication sector, we may also be negatively impacted by limited access to debt and equity capital, and lower trading prices for the notes.

 

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Our business depends on the acceptance and continued use of our technology interoperability, network and call processing services by the telecommunication industry to facilitate wireless and wireline communications.

 

Our future growth depends on our continued ability to be an intermediary between telecommunication carriers that provides connectivity and infrastructure solutions that simplify the management of today’s complex and rapidly converging communication networks. Our technology interoperability, network and call processing services are a vital component of our business and the primary source of our revenue. Our business will suffer if our target customers do not use our services to meet their technology interoperability, network and call processing requirements. Our future financial performance will also depend on the successful development, introduction and customer acceptance of new and enhanced technology interoperability, network and call processing services. We are not certain that our target customers will choose our particular services suite or continue to use our services. In the future, we may not be successful in marketing our current service offering or any new or enhanced services.

 

If we do not adapt to rapid technological change in the telecommunication industry, we could lose customers or market share.

 

Our industry is characterized by rapid technological change and frequent new service announcements. Significant technological changes could make our technology and services obsolete. We must adapt to our rapidly changing market by continually improving the features, functionality, reliability and responsiveness of our technology interoperability, network and call processing services and by developing new features, services and applications to meet changing customer needs. We cannot ensure that we will be able to adapt to these challenges or respond successfully or in a cost-effective way to adequately meet them. Our failure to do so would adversely affect our ability to compete and retain customers or market share. We sell our services primarily to traditional telecommunication companies. Many emerging companies are providing convergent Internet Protocol-based telecommunication services. Our future revenues and profits will depend, in part, on our ability to provide services to these Internet Protocol-based telephony providers.

 

The market for technology interoperability, network and call processing services is intensely competitive and many of our competitors have significant advantages that could adversely affect our business.

 

We compete in markets that are intensely competitive and rapidly changing. Increased competition could result in fewer customer orders, reduced gross margins and loss of market share, any of which could harm our business. We face competition from large, well-funded providers of technology interoperability, network and call processing services, such as Verisign, EDS and regional Bell operating companies. We believe certain customers may choose to deploy certain functionality currently provided by our services internally within their own network. We are aware of major Internet service providers, software developers and smaller entrepreneurial companies that are focusing significant resources on developing and marketing services that will compete with us. We anticipate continued growth of competition in the telecommunication industry and the entrance of new competitors into our business.

 

We expect that competition will increase in the near term and that our primary long-term competitors may not yet have entered the market. Many of our current and potential competitors have significantly more employees and greater financial, technical, marketing and other resources than we do. Our competitors may be able to respond more quickly to new or emerging technologies and changes in customer requirements than we can. Also, many of our current and potential competitors have greater name recognition and more extensive customer bases that they can use to their advantage.

 

Our failure to achieve or sustain market acceptance at desired pricing levels could impact our ability to maintain profitability or positive cash flow.

 

Competition and industry consolidation could result in significant pricing pressure. This pricing pressure could cause large reductions in the selling price of our services. For example, consolidation in the wireless

 

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services industry could give our customers increased transaction volume leverage in pricing negotiations. Our competitors may also provide customers with reduced costs for technology interoperability, network and call processing services, reducing the overall cost of solutions and significantly increasing pricing pressures on us. We may not be able to offset the effects of any price reductions by increasing the number of our customers, generating higher revenues from enhanced services or reducing our costs. In addition, the selling price of our services provided to customers may be reduced as the volume of services purchased by customers increases. In many cases, our services are subject to certain volume-based pricing discounts on an individual customer basis as the amount of services purchased by the customer increases. We believe that the business of providing technology interoperability, network and call processing services will likely see increased consolidation in the future. Consolidation could decrease selling prices and increase competition in these industries, which could erode our market share, revenues and operating margins.

 

The inability of our customers to successfully implement our services with their existing systems could adversely affect our business.

 

Significant technical challenges exist in our business because many of our customers:

 

  purchase and implement technology interoperability, network and call processing services in phases;

 

  deploy network connectivity across a variety of telecommunication switches and routes; and

 

  integrate our services with a number of legacy systems, third-party software applications and engineering tools.

 

Some customers may also require us to develop costly customized features or capabilities, which increase our costs and consume a disproportionate share of our limited customer service and support resources. Our customers’ ability to deploy our technology interoperability, network and call processing services to their own customers and integrate them successfully within their systems depends on our customers’ capabilities and the complexity involved. Difficulty in deploying those services could reduce our operating margins due to increased customer support and could cause potential delays in recognizing revenue until the services are implemented.

 

Capacity limits on our technology interoperability, network and call processing services software and hardware may be difficult to project and we may not be able to expand and upgrade our systems to meet increased use.

 

As customers’ usage of our services increases, we will need to expand and upgrade our technology and network software and hardware. We may not be able to accurately project the rate of increase in usage on our solutions. In addition, we may not be able to expand and upgrade, in a timely manner, our systems and network hardware and software capabilities to accommodate increased usage of our services. If we do not appropriately expand and upgrade our systems and network software and hardware we may lose customers and revenues.

 

We may need additional capital in the future and it may not be available on acceptable terms.

 

We may require more capital in the future to:

 

  fund our operations;

 

  finance investments in equipment and corporate infrastructure needed to maintain and expand our network;

 

  enhance and expand the range of services we offer; and

 

  respond to competitive pressures and potential strategic opportunities, such as investments, acquisitions and international expansion.

 

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We cannot assure you that additional financing will be available on terms favorable to us, or at all. The terms of available financing may place limits on our financial and operating flexibility. If adequate funds are not available on acceptable terms, we may be forced to reduce our operations or abandon expansion opportunities. Moreover, even if we are able to continue our operations, the failure to obtain additional financing could reduce our competitiveness as our competitors may provide better maintained networks or offer an expanded range of services.

 

Regulations affecting our customers and future regulations to which we may be subject may adversely affect our business.

 

Although we are not subject to telecommunication industry regulations, the business of our customers is subject to regulation that indirectly affects our business. The U.S. telecommunication industry has been subject to continuing deregulation since 1984, when AT&T was required to divest ownership of the Bell telephone system. We cannot predict when, or upon what terms and conditions, further regulation or deregulation might occur or the effect of regulation or deregulation on our business. Several services that we offer may be indirectly affected by regulations imposed upon potential users of those services, which may increase our costs of operations. In addition, future services we may provide could be subject to direct regulation.

 

We may not be able to receive or retain licenses or authorizations that may be required for us to sell our services overseas.

 

The sales and marketing of our services overseas are subject to the U.S. Export Control regime. Services of a commercial nature are subject to regulatory control by the Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Export Administration and to the detailed Export Administration Regulations. In the future, Congress may require us to obtain export licenses or other export authorizations to export our services abroad, depending upon the nature of services being exported, as well as the country to which the export is to be made. There is no guarantee that an application for export licenses or other authorizations will be granted or approved. Further, the export license/export authorization process is often time-consuming. Violation of export control regulations could subject us to fines and other penalties, such as losing the ability to export for a period of years, which would have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

 

We could be adversely affected by environmental and safety requirements.

 

We are subject to the requirements of foreign, federal, state and local environmental and occupational health and safety laws and regulations. These requirements are complex, constantly changing and have tended to become more stringent over time. It is possible that these requirements may change or liabilities may arise in the future in a manner that could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. We cannot assure you that we have been or will be at all times in complete compliance with all such requirements or that we will not incur material costs or liabilities in connection with those requirements in the future.

 

The loss of key personnel could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

 

Our continued success will largely depend on the efforts and abilities of our executive officers and other key employees. Our ability to effectively sell existing services, develop and introduce new services, and integrate certain acquired businesses will also depend on the efforts and abilities of our officers and key employees. Our operations could be adversely affected if, for any reason, a number of these officers or key employees did not remain with us.

 

The costs and difficulties of acquiring and integrating complementary businesses and technologies could impede our future growth and adversely affect our competitiveness.

 

As part of our growth strategy, we intend to consider acquiring complementary businesses. Currently, we do not have any commitments or agreements relating to any material acquisitions. Future acquisitions could result in

 

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potentially dilutive issuances of equity securities, the incurrence of debt and contingent liabilities and an increase in amortization expense related to identifiable intangible assets acquired, which could have a material adverse effect upon our business, financial condition and results of operations. Risks we could face with respect to acquisitions include:

 

  greater than expected costs and management time and effort involved in identifying, completing and integrating acquisitions;

 

  potential disruption of our ongoing business and difficulty in maintaining our standards, controls, information systems and procedures;

 

  entering into markets and acquiring technologies in areas in which we have little experience;

 

  acquiring intellectual property which may be subject to various challenges from others in the telecommunication industry;

 

  the inability to successfully integrate the services, products and personnel of any acquisition into our operations;

 

  a need to incur debt, which may reduce our cash available for operations and other uses, or issue equity securities, which may dilute the ownership interests of existing stockholders; and

 

  realizing little, if any, return on our investment.

 

Our potential expansion into international markets may be subject to uncertainties that could affect our operating results.

 

Our growth strategy contemplates expanding our operations into foreign jurisdictions. International operations and business expansion plans are subject to numerous additional risks, including:

 

  the difficulty of enforcing agreements and collecting receivables through some foreign legal systems;

 

  fluctuations in currency exchange rates;

 

  foreign customers may have longer payment cycles than customers in the U.S.;

 

  compliance with U.S. Department of Commerce export controls;

 

  tax rates in some foreign countries may exceed those of the U.S. and foreign earnings may be subject to withholdings requirements or the imposition of tariffs, exchange controls or other restrictions;

 

  general economic and political conditions in the countries where we operate may have an adverse effect on our operations in those countries or not be favorable to our growth strategy;

 

  unexpected changes in regulatory requirements;

 

  the difficulties associated with managing a large organization spread throughout various countries;

 

  the risk that foreign governments may adopt regulations or take other actions that would have a direct or indirect adverse impact on our business and market opportunities; and

 

  the potential difficulty in enforcing intellectual property rights in some foreign countries.

 

If we continue to expand our business globally, our success will depend, in large part, on our ability to anticipate and effectively manage these and other risks associated with our international operations. However, any of these factors could adversely affect our international operations and, consequently, our operating results.

 

We may have difficulty attracting and retaining employees with the requisite skills to execute our growth plans.

 

Our success depends, in part, on the continued service of our existing management and technical personnel. If a significant number of those individuals are unable or unwilling to continue in their present positions, we will

 

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have difficulty in maintaining and enhancing our technology interoperability, network and call processing services. This may adversely affect our operating results and growth prospects.

 

In addition, we have experienced, and we expect to continue to experience, difficulty in hiring and retaining highly skilled employees. Specifically, we centralize a large portion of our technical operations in geographic areas in which competition for technical talent is intense, due to the existence of competing employers seeking employees with similar sets of skills. Our continued success depends on our ability to attract, retain and motivate highly skilled employees, particularly engineering and technical personnel. Failure to do so may adversely affect our ability to expand our network and enhance our services.

 

Our intellectual property may be misappropriated or subject to claims of infringement.

 

We attempt to protect our intellectual property rights through a combination of patent, trademark, copyright and trade secret laws, as well as licensing agreements. Our failure to obtain or maintain adequate protection of our intellectual property rights for any reason could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition. The patents we own could be challenged, invalidated or circumvented by others and may not be of sufficient scope or strength to provide us with any meaningful protection or commercial advantage. Further, we cannot assure you that we will have adequate resources to enforce our patents.

 

Our competitors in both the U.S. and foreign countries, many of which have substantially greater resources and have made substantial investments in competing technologies, may have applied for or obtained, or may in the future apply for and obtain, patents that will prevent, limit or otherwise interfere with our ability to make and sell our products. We have not conducted an independent review of patents issued to third parties. We cannot assure you that competitors will not infringe on any of our patents.

 

It is possible that third parties will make claims of infringement against us or against our licenses in connection with their use of our technology. Any claims, even those without merit, could:

 

  be expensive and time-consuming to defend;

 

  cause us to cease making, licensing or selling equipment, services or products that incorporate the challenged intellectual property;

 

  require us to redesign our equipment, services or products, if feasible;

 

  divert management’s attention and resources; and

 

  require us to enter into royalty or licensing agreements in order to obtain the right to use necessary intellectual property.

 

Any royalty or licensing agreements, if required, may not be available to us on acceptable terms or at all. A successful claim of infringement against us or one of our licensees in connection with a third party’s use of our technology could adversely affect our business.

 

We also rely on unpatented proprietary technology. It is possible that others will independently develop the same or similar technology or otherwise obtain access to our unpatented technology. Although we make efforts to protect our trade secrets and other proprietary information, we cannot assure you that these efforts will provide meaningful protection for our trade secrets, know-how or other proprietary information in the event of any unauthorized use, misappropriation or disclosure of such trade secrets, know-how or other proprietary information. If we are unable to maintain the proprietary nature of our technologies, we could be materially adversely affected.

 

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The controlling equityholder of our company may have interests in conflict with the interests of our noteholders.

 

GTCR Fund VII, L.P. and its affiliates, including the selling noteholder, own in excess of 75.0% of the common equity of TSI LLC. TSI LLC is the sole stockholder of TSI Inc., which in turn is the sole stockholder of the company. Under the terms of a security holders agreement, all of the members of TSI LLC have agreed to vote in favor of those individuals designated by GTCR Fund VII, L.P. and its affiliates to serve on the board of directors of the issuer and GTCR Fund VII, L.P. and its affiliates have the right to appoint a majority of the directors. As a result, GTCR Fund VII, L.P. and its affiliates have the ability to control the policies and operations of our company. Circumstances may occur in which the interests of GTCR Fund VII, L.P. and its affiliates, as the principal equityholders of our company, could be in conflict with your interests as a holder of our notes. In addition, our equity investors may have an interest in pursuing acquisitions, divestitures and other transactions that, in their judgment, could enhance their equity investment, even though such transactions might involve risks to you as a holder of our notes.

 

The forward-looking statements contained in this prospectus are based on our predictions of future performance. As a result, you should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements.

 

This prospectus includes “forward looking statements” within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act and Section 21E of the Exchange Act including, in particular, the statements about our plans, strategies, and prospects under the headings “Summary,” “Risk Factors,” “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations,” and “Business.” Although we believe that our plans, intentions and expectations reflected in or suggested by these forward-looking statement are reasonable, we cannot assure you that our plans, intentions or expectations will be achieved. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from the forward-looking statements we make in this prospectus are set forth above in this “Risk Factors” section and elsewhere in this prospectus. All forward-looking statements attributable to us or persons acting on our behalf are expressly qualified in their entirety by these cautionary statements.

 

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THE TRANSACTIONS

 

Overview

 

On February 14, 2002, TSI Telecommunication Holdings, Inc. acquired TSI Telecommunication Services Inc. by merging its wholly owned subsidiary, TSI Merger Sub, Inc., with and into TSI Telecommunication Services Inc. (the “acquisition”). Pursuant to the merger agreement, Verizon Information Services Inc. received merger consideration equal to $770.0 million in cash. TSI Telecommunication Holdings, Inc. is a corporation formed by TSI Telecommunication Holdings, LLC, which is owned by GTCR Fund VII, L.P., certain of its affiliates and co-investors, G. Edward Evans and certain other members of our management, which we collectively refer to as the “equity investors.” For ease of reference, we refer to TSI Telecommunication Holdings, LLC as “TSI LLC,” TSI Telecommunication Holdings, Inc. as “TSI Inc.” and TSI Merger Sub, Inc. as “Merger Sub.”

 

The acquisition and the payment of related fees and expenses were financed through:

 

  the purchase by the equity investors of Preferred and Common Units of TSI LLC for approximately $255.3 million in cash;

 

  the purchase by TSI LLC of Preferred and Common Stock of TSI Inc. for approximately $253.4 million in cash and the purchase by TSI Inc. of common stock of Merger Sub for approximately $253.4 million in cash;

 

  the purchase by TSI LLC of Class B non-voting common stock of TSI Telecommunication Network Services Inc. for approximately $2.0 million in cash and a loan of $2.0 million from TSI Telecommunication Network Services Inc. to Merger Sub;

 

  borrowings by Merger Sub of approximately $298.8 million in term loan and revolving credit facility borrowings ($280.4 million net of discount) under its senior credit facility;

 

  $25.0 million of cash and cash equivalents that the company had available on the acquisition closing date;

 

  the offering by Merger Sub of $245.0 million in aggregate principal amount of notes ($239.6 million net of discount); and

 

  $8.3 million of cash generated by the company after the acquisition.

 

The merger of Merger Sub into the company, with the company as the surviving corporation, was also completed on February 14, 2002.

 

We refer to the acquisition and the foregoing financing transactions collectively as the “Transactions.”

 

Ancillary Agreements

 

Pursuant to the merger agreement, the company entered into the following ancillary agreements with Verizon and/or its affiliates:

 

  a revenue guaranty agreement wherein Verizon Information Services agreed to pay the company 82.5% of the amount, if any, by which our annual revenues from Verizon Wireless, and certain of its affiliates are less than specified annual revenue targets from the date of the closing of the acquisition through December 31, 2005;

 

  a transition services agreement wherein Verizon Information Services agreed to provide, or cause a third party to provide, to us certain transitional services including treasury, accounting (including accounts payable and receivable), payroll, check processing services and related systems and continuation of certain employee benefit plans, generally for a period of up to six months;

 

  a distributed processing services agreement wherein Verizon Information Technologies Inc. agreed to provide the company with certain distributed processing and help desk services for a period of up to 18 months;

 

  a mainframe computing services agreement wherein Verizon Information Technologies agreed, for a period of at least six months, to provide the mainframe computing and help desk services currently provided to the company by Verizon Data Services, Inc. at the same rates, quality and service levels and under the same terms and conditions that existed on the date of consummation of the acquisition; and

 

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  an intellectual property agreement among Verizon Information Services, Verizon Communications and the company providing for joint-ownership, cross-licenses and/or transfers of certain of their respective intellectual property in order to provide the company and the Verizon companies the right to continue their respective use of the other’s intellectual property in existence as of the closing of the acquisition to the extent that they relied upon such intellectual property to operate their respective businesses prior to the closing of the acquisition.

 

See “Certain Relationships and Related Transactions.”

 

Network Services Structure and Acquisition of Brience

 

On May 14, 2002, we transferred certain assets and liabilities that comprise our network services group to a newly formed corporate subsidiary, TSI Telecommunication Network Services Inc. (“TSI Networks”). Specific assets and liabilities that were transferred include receivables, payables, fixed assets, customer contracts, vendor contracts, intellectual property and goodwill. The primary products and services offered by this new subsidiary include Inlink, Visibility and SS7 Database Access Services. The outstanding ownership interests of this subsidiary consist of voting participating preferred stock and non-voting common stock. The issuer owns all of the voting participating preferred stock, which accrues dividends at a rate of 10% per annum, compounded annually, and has a liquidation preference equal to the fair market value of the transferred assets as of the date of transfer (the “liquidation preference”). All of the shares of non-voting common stock are owned by TSI LLC.

 

Any assets distributed from TSI Networks must be distributed as follows:

 

  first, holders of voting participating preferred stock will receive an amount equal to all accrued but unpaid dividends;

 

  second, holders of voting participating preferred stock will receive proceeds equal to the liquidation preference; and

 

  third, the remaining assets will be distributed pro rata, 5% to the holders of voting participating preferred stock and 95% to the holders of non-voting common stock.

 

On July 23, 2003, we acquired Brience, Inc. (“Brience”) by merging Brience with and into TSI Brience, LLC (“TSI Brience”), a newly formed wholly owned subsidiary of TSI Networks with TSI Brience continuing as the surviving entity and a wholly owned subsidiary of TSI Networks. Historically, Brience developed and sold information access and integration software products to large enterprises. At the time of the merger, however, Brience’s business was limited to selling and servicing its Mobile Processing Server product.

 

As a result of the merger, each share of Series C Preferred Stock of Brience outstanding as of the effective time of the merger was converted into a right to receive a pro rata share of 1.67 shares of Class B Common Stock, par value $.01 per share (the “merger consideration”), of TSI Networks, under the terms and subject to the conditions set forth in the merger agreement. All other outstanding classes of stock of Brience were canceled and retired with no right to payment under the terms of the merger agreement. Concurrent with the merger, the holders of Series C Preferred Stock other than GTCR Fund VII, L.P. and GTCR Co-Invest, L.P. entered into an exchange agreement with TSI LLC pursuant to which such parties (the “exchange parties”) exchanged all of the merger consideration received by the exchanging parties in the merger in exchange for a pro rata portion of 19,775.01 Common Units of TSI LLC. Also concurrent with the merger, GTCR Fund VII, L.P. and GTCR Co-Invest, L.P. (the “investors”) entered into a contribution agreement pursuant to which the investors agreed to contribute to TSI LLC all of the merger consideration received by the investors in the merger in exchange for a pro rata portion of 80,224.99 Common Units of TSI LLC.

 

For purposes of the indenture relating to the notes, TSI Networks and TSI Brience are restricted subsidiaries and guarantors of the issuer’s obligations under the notes. TSI Networks will not be able to make any distributions on account of the non-voting common stock held by TSI LLC and TSI Brience will not be able to make any distributions on account of the limited liability company interests held by TSI Networks without complying with the “Restricted Payments” provision of the indenture. In addition, TSI LLC and TSI Inc. are both guarantors under the indenture and are otherwise restricted in such capacity in their ability to engage in any business activity (other than serving as holding companies), make investments or restricted payments, incur indebtedness, engage in affiliate transactions or sell any interests in TSI Networks or TSI Brience unless the sale otherwise complies with the “Asset Sale” provision of the indenture. Under the indenture and pursuant to the

 

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terms of an equity contribution agreement entered into among the issuer, TSI Inc. and TSI LLC in connection with the Transactions, TSI LLC is obligated to contribute all of the net proceeds from the sale of TSI Networks or TSI Brience or from any other distribution from TSI Networks or TSI Brience, to TSI Inc. and then to the issuer in the form of common equity capital or as a capital contribution. TSI LLC and TSI Inc. will be released from their respective guarantees under the indenture following a sale of all of the capital stock of TSI Networks or TSI Brience in a transaction that complies with the “Asset Sale” provision of the indenture and the net proceeds from such sale are contributed to the issuer in accordance with the equity contribution agreement. See “Description of the Notes.”

 

For accounting purposes, TSI Networks is consolidated in the financial statements of TSI LLC since it is 100% owned, on a collective basis, by TSI LLC and TSI Inc. If the company were to present its financial statements, then the non-voting common stock owned by TSI LLC would constitute minority interest and would be accounted for as such in the company’s consolidated financial statements.

 

Corporate Structure

 

The following chart illustrates our corporate structure after the Transactions.

LOGO

 


* Shaded boxes represent guarantors under the senior credit facility and the indenture governing the notes.

 

For more information on the various agreements that we entered into in connection with the Transactions, see “Certain Relationships and Related Transactions.”

 

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USE OF PROCEEDS

 

The notes being offered in this prospectus are being sold by the selling noteholder. This shelf registration is intended to satisfy certain of our obligations under the registration rights agreement. We will not receive any cash proceeds from the sale of the resale notes.

 

CAPITALIZATION

 

The following table sets forth our unaudited cash and cash equivalents and unaudited capitalization as of September 30, 2003, on a historical basis. The table below should be read in conjunction with our unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements and related notes included elsewhere in this prospectus.

 

     At September 30,
2003
(unaudited)


 

Cash and cash equivalents

   $ 6,306  
    


Long-term debt (including current maturities):

        

Senior credit facility:

        

Revolving credit facility(1)

   $ —    

Term loan, net of discount of $8,921

     212,246  
    


Total senior debt

     212,246  

The notes, net of discount of $4,158

     240,842  
    


Total debt

     453,088  

Total unitholders’ equity—

        

Unitholders’ contributed capital

        

Class A Preferred Units—an unlimited number authorized, none issued or outstanding

     —    

Class B Preferred Units—an unlimited number authorized, 252,367.50 units issued and outstanding

     252,367  

Common Units—an unlimited number authorized, 89,604,505 units issued and outstanding at September 30, 2003

     120,321  

Accumulated deficit(2)

     (100,220 )

Accumulated other comprehensive income-unrealized gains on investments

     488  
    


Total unitholders’ equity

     272,956  
    


Total capitalization

   $ 726,044  
    



(1) At September 30, 2003 we had $35.0 million of unused borrowing capacity under the revolving credit facility.
(2) Includes $117.7 million accumulated deficit incurred by Brience through the date we acquired this entity, July 23, 2003.

 

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SELLING NOTEHOLDER

 

The selling noteholder is GTCR Capital Partners, L.P., an investment fund affiliated with our controlling equity holder. In connection with the Transactions, the selling noteholder purchased $30,000,000 face value amount of the notes ($5,000,000 of which were sold prior to the date of this prospectus), out of a total of $245,000,000 of notes, from the initial purchaser.

 

In connection with the initial sale of notes to the initial purchaser, we entered into a registration rights agreement in which we granted certain registration rights relating to the notes. In accordance with the registration rights agreement, we completed an exchange offer in which we exchanged $215,000,000 of registered Series B 12 3/4% Senior Subordinated Notes due 2009 for a like amount of unregistered 12 3/4% Senior Subordinated Notes due 2009. The selling note holder was not permitted to participate in the exchange offer because it is our affiliate. As a result, the selling noteholder notified us on July 31, 2002, that it was exercising its right under the registration rights agreement to require us to register the notes held by the selling noteholder for resale.

 

The selling noteholder may sell the notes from time to time directly to purchasers or through agents in ordinary brokerage transactions, in negotiated transactions or otherwise, at prices that represent or relate to then-prevailing market prices or are negotiated. The selling noteholder reserves the right to withdraw, cancel or modify the offer or solicitations of offers made hereby without notice. The selling noteholder may reject any offer in whole or in part. See “Plan of Distribution.”

 

The selling noteholder provided us the information contained in the following table with respect to the principal amount of resale notes beneficially owned by it and which may be sold by it under this prospectus. We have not independently verified this information.

 

The following table sets forth as of September 30, 2003:

 

  the name of the selling noteholder who has provided us with notice of its intent to sell or otherwise dispose of notes pursuant to the registration statement;

 

  the principal amount at maturity of notes which it may sell from time to time pursuant to the registration statement; and

 

  the percentage of outstanding notes beneficially owned by the selling noteholder prior to any sales under this prospectus.

 

Name of selling noteholder


 

Principal amount at maturity
of
notes that may be sold


 

Notes outstanding (%)


GTCR Capital Partners, L.P.

  $25,000,000   10.2%(1)

(1) All of the remaining notes out of the $245,000,000 are registered Series B 12 3/4% Senior Subordinated Notes.

 

Because the selling noteholder may, pursuant to this prospectus, offer all or some portion of the resale notes it presently holds, no estimate can be given as to the number or percentage of notes that will be held by the selling noteholder upon termination of any such sales. In addition, the selling noteholder may have sold, transferred or otherwise disposed of all or a portion of its resale notes in transactions exempt from the registration requirements of the Securities Act since the date on which it provided the information regarding its resale notes. This information may change from time to time and, if required, such changes will be set forth in a supplement or supplements to this prospectus.

 

Only the selling noteholder may sell such notes pursuant to the registration statement.

 

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UNAUDITED PRO FORMA CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED

STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS

 

The following unaudited pro forma condensed consolidated statements of operations represent the pro forma consolidated statements of operations of TSI Telecommunication Holdings, LLC, our new ultimate parent after the acquisition on February 14, 2002. These statements are being presented because they include all guarantors of the notes. TSI Telecommunication Holdings, LLC does not have any assets, liabilities or operations other than its investments in TSI Telecommunication Holdings, Inc. (our new immediate parent after the acquisition) and TSI Telecommunication Network Services Inc. See “The Transactions.”

 

These unaudited pro forma condensed consolidated statements of operations have been derived by the application of pro forma adjustments to our historical consolidated statements of operations included elsewhere in this prospectus. The unaudited pro forma consolidated statement of income data for the periods presented give effect to the Transactions, including the offering of the notes and the application of the proceeds, as if they had been consummated at the beginning of each of the periods presented. Assumptions underlying the pro forma adjustments are described in the accompanying notes which should be read in conjunction with these unaudited pro forma condensed consolidated statements of operations allocation.

 

The pro forma adjustments related to the purchase price allocation and financing of the acquisition are preliminary and based on information obtained to date and are subject to revision as additional information becomes available. Revisions to the preliminary purchase price allocation and financing of the acquisition may have a significant impact on the pro forma amounts of total assets, total liabilities, interest expense, depreciation and amortization.

 

The unaudited pro forma condensed consolidated statements of operations should not be considered indicative of actual results that would have been achieved had the Transactions been consummated on the date indicated and do not purport to indicate condensed consolidated results of operations as of any future period.

 

The unaudited pro forma condensed consolidated statements of operations should be read in conjunction with the information contained in “Selected Historical Financial Data,” “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” and the consolidated financial statements and accompanying notes appearing elsewhere herein.

 

On July 23, 2003, TSI Telecommunication Network Services Inc. acquired Brience, Inc. by merging Brience, Inc. with and into TSI Brience, LLC, a newly formed wholly owned subsidiary of TSI Telecommunication Network Services Inc., with TSI Brience, LLC continuing as the surviving entity and a wholly owned subsidiary of TSI Telecommunication Network Services Inc.

 

At the time of the merger, funds associated with GTCR Golder Rauner, LLC had a controlling interest in both Brience, Inc. and TSI Telecommunication Holdings, LLC. As a result, the transaction is accounted for as a combination of entities under common control, similar to a pooling of interests, whereby the assets and liabilities of Brience, Inc. were combined at their historical amounts as of the date that GTCR Golder Rauner, LLC had control of both entities (February 14, 2002). For historical accounting purposes, the historical financial results of Brience, Inc. have only been combined for the periods during which TSI Telecommunication Holdings, LLC and Brience, Inc. were under common control of funds associated with GTCR Golder Rauner, LLC. Accordingly, our historical consolidated financial statements have been restated to include the financial results of Brience, Inc. beginning on the date when funds associated with GTCR Golder Rauner, LLC had common control of both entities (February 14, 2002). For the minority interest of Brience, Inc. not owned by GTCR Golder Rauner, LLC affiliates at the time of the combination, purchase accounting has been applied. However, the effects of the fair value adjustments relating to this purchase accounting were deemed to be insignificant, and therefore, recorded at zero for purposes of our financial statements.

 

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TSI TELECOMMUNICATION HOLDINGS, LLC

 

UNAUDITED PRO FORMA CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF OPERATIONS

 

Year Ended December 31, 2002

 

    Predecessor

    Successor

       
    Period from January 1, 2002 to February 13, 2002

    Period from
February 14 to
December 31, 2002


    Twelve Months
Ended
December 31, 2002


 
    TSI
Telecommunication
Services, Inc.


    Adjustments

    TSI
Telecommunication
Holdings, LLC


    TSI
Telecommunication
Holdings, LLC


    TSI
Telecommunication
Holdings, LLC


 
    Historical     Pro Forma     Pro Forma     Historical     Pro Forma  

Statement of Operations Data:

                                       

Revenues

  $ 39,996     $ —       $ 39,996     $ 296,044     $ 336,040  

Cost of operations

    20,655       (1,522 )(a)     19,133       130,364       149,497  

Sales and marketing

    2,614       —         2,614       22,706       25,320  

General and administrative

    3,001       60 (b)     3,061       42,630       45,691  

Provision for (recovery of) uncollectible accounts

    1,340       —         1,340       (693 )     647  

Depreciation and amortization

    1,464       3,162 (c)     4,626       33,285       37,911  

Restructuring

    —         —         —         2,845       2,845  
   


 


 


 


 


      29,074       1,700       30,774       231,137       261,911  
   


 


 


 


 


Operating income

    10,922       (1,700 )     9,222       64,907       74,129  

Interest income

    432       (202 )(d)     230       965       1,195  

Interest expense

    —         (7,596 )(e)     (7,596 )     (54,105 )     (61,701 )

Other, net

    (19 )     —         (19 )     (275 )     (294 )
   


 


 


 


 


      413       (7,798 )     (7,385 )     (53,415 )     (60,800 )
   


 


 


 


 


Income from continuing operations before provision for income taxes

    11,335       (9,498 )(f)     1,837       11,492       13,329  

Provision for income taxes

    4,418       (3,714 )(g)     704       9,320       10,024  
   


 


 


 


 


Income from continuing operations

    6,917       (5,784 )     1,133       2,172       3,305  

Discontinued operations:

                                       

Loss from discontinued operations

    —         —         —         (1,541 )     (1,541 )
   


 


 


 


 


Net income (loss)

    6,917       (5,784 )     1,133       631       1,764  

Preferred unit dividends

    —         (3,042 )     (3,042 )     (22,952 )     (25,994 )
   


 


 


 


 


Net income (loss) attributable to common unitholders/shareholders

  $ 6,917     $ (8,826 )   $ (1,909 )   $ (22,321 )   $ (24,230 )
   


 


 


 


 


Other Data:

                                       

Revenues (excluding Off-Network Database Query Fees) (h)

  $ 31,408     $ —       $ 31,408     $ 234,927     $ 266,335  

Adjusted EBITDA (i)

    12,367       1,462       13,829       111,840       125,669  

Reconciliation to adjusted EBITDA:

                                       

Net income (loss) as reported

  $ 6,917     $ (5,784 )   $ 1,133     $ 631     $ 1,764  

Restructuring

    —         —         —         2,845       2,845  

Interest (income) expense, net

    (432 )     7,798       7,366       53,140       60,506  

Depreciation and amortization

    1,464       3,162       4,626       33,285       37,911  

Provision for income taxes

    4,418       (3,714 )     704       9,320       10,024  

Loss from discontinued operations

    —         —         —         1,541       1,541  

Pre-acquisition Brience EBITDA loss (gain)

    —         —         —         11,078       11,078  
   


 


 


 


 


Adjusted EBITDA

  $ 12,367     $ 1,462     $ 13,829     $ 111,840     $ 125,669  
   


 


 


 


 


 

33


Table of Contents

TSI TELECOMMUNICATION HOLDINGS, LLC

 

NOTES TO UNAUDITED PRO FORMA CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED

STATEMENT OF OPERATIONS

(dollars in thousands)

 

The acquisition has been accounted for as a purchase in accordance with Statement of Financial Accounting Standards No. 141, Business Combinations, and EITF 88-16, Basis in Leveraged Buyout Transactions. As a part of the Transactions, the company will elect for income tax purposes to treat its acquisition as an asset purchase resulting in a step-up in tax basis equal to the new book basis. As a result, all deferred taxes were eliminated in purchase accounting. The following reflects the acquisition financing and purchase accounting allocation, as follows:

 

Funds used for acquisition:

             

Purchase of units of TSI LLC by equity investors

          $ 255,335

Proceeds from revolving line of credit, net of discount

   $ 5,430       

Proceeds from term loan B, net of discount(1)

     275,000       

Proceeds from 12.75% senior subordinated notes due 2009, net of discount

     239,570       
    

      

Total debt

            520,000

Cash available at closing(2)

            25,000

Working capital adjustment paid in May 2002

            1,400

Acquisition fees and expenses paid after closing using cash generated from operations

            6,948
           

Total funds used for acquisition

          $ 808,683
           


(1) The term loan B provides for principal payments of $15,000 in 2002, $20,000 in 2003, $35,000 in 2004, $45,000 in 2005, and $178,333 in 2006.
(2) The merger agreement provided that the company would have available at least $25,000 of cash or cash equivalents at closing.

 

Purchase accounting allocation:(1)

        

Cash

   $ 26,859  

Accounts receivable and other assets

     65,057  

Deferred financing costs related to new debt

     19,269  

Tangible assets acquired

     35,049  

Identifiable intangibles acquired, other than software

     285,700  

Capitalized software

     78,532  

Accounts payable and accrued liabilities

     (66,273 )

Debt

     (520,000 )

Goodwill

     331,142  
    


Total net assets acquired, at fair value

   $ 255,335  
    



(1) The acquired assets and liabilities are recorded at fair value for the interests acquired by the investors. The allocation of purchase price to tangible and intangible assets, including goodwill, is preliminary. The intangible assets acquired relate to items such as trade name, trademarks, customer contracts and relationships, and software, in addition to goodwill.

 

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Table of Contents

TSI TELECOMMUNICATION HOLDINGS, LLC

 

NOTES TO UNAUDITED PRO FORMA CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED

STATEMENT OF OPERATIONS—(Continued)

(dollars in thousands)

 

Explanations of Pro Forma Adjustments:

 

(a) To reflect the following adjustments to cost of operations:

 

    

Period from

January 1, 2002 to

February 13, 2002


Lease and maintenance payments made to Verizon affiliates(1)

   $ 2,902

Renegotiated contractual costs for same services(2)

     1,380
    

Total savings

   $ 1,522
    


(1) Costs historically incurred by TSI Telecommunication Services Inc. to obtain mainframe computing services and distributed processing computing services from Verizon.
(2) To reflect the costs set forth in a new multi-year contract for distributed processing computing services which we entered into with an affiliate of Verizon concurrently with the acquisition and a new multi-year contract for mainframe computing services which we have entered into with Lockheed Martin Global Telecommunications.

 

(b) To reflect the management fee to be paid annually to GTCR Golder Rauner, LLC under its professional services agreement with us. See “Certain Relationships and Related Transactions—Professional Services Agreement.”

 

(c) To reflect the additional amortization and depreciation resulting from the purchase accounting described above. For purposes of the unaudited pro forma consolidated financial statements, the property and equipment is being depreciated over its estimated remaining economic lives of seven years. The identifiable intangible assets with definite lives are being amortized over their estimated economic lives, which range from four to 19 years.

 

    

Period from

January 1, 2002 to

February 13, 2002


Depreciation and amortization (historical)

   $ 1,464

Depreciation and amortization, after purchase accounting

     4,626
    

Additional expense

   $ 3,162
    

 

(d) To exclude interest income earned on note receivable from affiliate since this note was repaid by Verizon prior to closing and the proceeds distributed to Verizon at the closing.

 

35


Table of Contents

TSI TELECOMMUNICATION HOLDINGS, LLC

 

NOTES TO UNAUDITED PRO FORMA CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED

STATEMENT OF OPERATIONS—(Continued)

(dollars in thousands)

 

(e) To reflect the adjustments to interest expense as a result of (i) the Transactions, assuming a LIBOR rate of 2.09%, (ii) the amortization of deferred financing costs associated with obtaining the transaction debt financing, using the interest method, (iii) the amortization of debt discount, using the interest method and (iv) commitment fees on the revolving credit facility assuming no amounts outstanding:

 

    

Period from

January 1, 2002 to

February 13, 2002


Interest on term loan B (LIBOR plus 4.50%)

   $ 2,416

Interest on 12.75% senior subordinated notes due 2009

     3,904

Interest on revolving line of credit (LIBOR plus 4.50%)

     43

Amortization of debt discount

     715

Amortization of deferred finance costs

     500

Commitment fee on revolving credit facility (0.50% of unused facility)

     18
    

Interest expense

   $ 7,596
    

 

The actual interest rates on indebtedness incurred to consummate the Transactions could vary from those used to compute the above adjustment of interest expense due to the variable rate debt. The effect on pre-tax income of a  1/8 percent variance in these rates would be approximately $369 over the terms of the debt.

 

(f) To reflect the tax effect of the pro forma adjustments, using a 39.1% effective rate.

 

(g) To reflect 10% preferred dividends to holders of Class B Preferred Units.

 

(h) For several of our network services offerings, we access various carriers’ databases and rebill the identical cost of the related charges to our customers. We refer to these queries into other carriers’ databases as “Off-Network Database Queries.” We include the revenues associated with these Off-Network Database Queries in network services revenues and refer to them as “Off-Network Database Query Fees.” We record the offsetting cost of providing these queries under cost of operations as “Off-Network Database Query Charges.” The amount shown as “Revenues (excluding Off-Network Database Query Fees)” is equal to our revenues less the revenues earned from this rebilling.

 

(i) Adjusted EBITDA is determined by subtracting net interest income (expense), income taxes, depreciation, amortization, restructuring charges and (income) loss from discontinued operations from our net income (loss), and Brience’s pre-acquisition EBITDA loss (gain) from net income (loss) represents net income plus net interest income (expense), income taxes, depreciation, amortization, restructuring charges and (income) loss from discontinued operations from the company’s net income (loss), and Brience’s pre-acquisition EBITDA loss (gain) from net income (loss). We present adjusted EBITDA because it is generally accepted as providing useful information regarding a company’s ability to service and/or incur debt. You should not consider adjusted EBITDA in isolation from or as a substitute for net income, cash flows from operating activities and other consolidated income or cash flow statement data prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States or as a measure of profitability or liquidity.

 

36


Table of Contents

SELECTED HISTORICAL FINANCIAL DATA

 

The following table sets forth certain of our historical financial data. We have derived the selected historical consolidated financial data as of December 31, 2001 and 2002 and for each of the two years in the period ended December 31, 2001, the period from January 1, 2002 to February 13, 2002 and the period February 14, 2002 to December 31, 2002 from our audited financial statements and the related notes included elsewhere in this prospectus. The selected historical consolidated financial data as of December 31, 1998, 1999 and 2000 and for the years ended December 31, 1998 and 1999 have been derived from our audited consolidated financial statements, which are not included in this prospectus. We have derived the selected historical consolidated financial data for the period the period from February 14, 2002 to September 30, 2002 and the nine months ended September 30, 2003 from our unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements and the related notes included elsewhere in this prospectus. We have derived the historical consolidated financial data as of September 30, 2002 and as of February 13, 2002 from our unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements that are not included in this prospectus. In the opinion of our management, our unaudited consolidated financial statements contain all adjustments, consisting only of normal recurring adjustments, necessary for a fair presentation of our financial position, the results of our operations and cash flows. The results of operations for the period for the nine months ended September 30, 2003 are not necessarily indicative of the operating results to be expected for the full fiscal year ending December 31, 2003. The 2002 fiscal year is comprised of two periods January 1, 2002 to February 13, 2002 (predecessor) and February 14, 2002 to December 31, 2002 (successor). The selected historical financial data set forth below are not necessarily indicative of the results of future operations and should be read in conjunction with the discussion under the heading “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations,” and the historical consolidated financial statements and accompanying notes included elsewhere in this prospectus.

 

The term “successor” refers to TSI Telecommunication Holdings, LLC and all of its subsidiaries, including the company, following the acquisition of the company on February 14, 2002. The historical financial results of Brience, Inc., from February 14, 2002, which is the date that GTCR Fund VII, L.P. and its affiliates possessed common control of us and Brience, Inc., through July 23, 2003, which is the date that we acquired Brience, Inc., are included in the financial results of the successor because this acquisition is accounted for as a combination of entities under common control, similar to a pooling of interests. The term “predecessor” refers to TSI Telecommunication Services Inc. prior to being acquired by TSI Telecommunication Holdings, Inc. on February 14, 2002.

 

37


Table of Contents
    Predecessor

    Successor

 
    Year Ended December 31,

   

Period from

January 1 to

February 13,

2002


   

Period from

February 14 to

December 31,

2002


   

Period from

February 14 to

September 30,

2002


   

Nine Months

Ended

September 30,

2003


 
    1998

    1999

    2000

    2001

         
    (dollars in thousands)  

Statement of Operations Data:

                                                               

Revenues

  $ 234,653     $ 277,680     $ 315,936     $ 361,358     $ 39,996     $ 296,044     $ 219,732     $ 201,236  
   


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


Costs and expenses:

                                                               

Cost of operations

    120,343       141,979       150,156       169,025       20,655       130,364       98,808       80,388  

Sales and marketing

    18,711       21,513       24,265       24,348       2,614       22,706       17,089       13,659  

General and administrative

    27,907       30,848       45,721       41,245       3,001       42,630       30,833       28,237  

Provision for (recovery of) uncollectible accounts

    500       200       2,203       2,207       1,340       (693 )     (97 )     1,001  

Depreciation and amortization

    10,871       8,866       13,061       15,203       1,464       33,285       23,846       27,567  

Restructuring

    —         —         —         —         —         2,845       2,845       2,448  
   


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


      178,332       203,406       235,406       252,028       29,074       231,137       173,324       153,300  
   


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


Operating income

    56,321       74,274       80,530       109,330       10,922       64,907       46,408       47,936  

Other income (expense), net:

                                                               

Interest income

    2,669       2,802       3,087       3,903       432       965       841       546  

Interest expense

    (842 )     (2,822 )     (22 )     —         —         (54,105 )     (39,238 )     (44,525 )

Other, net

    (30 )     6       4       (80 )     (19 )     (275 )     (271 )     (1 )
   


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


      1,797       (14 )     3,069       3,823       413       (53,415 )     (38,668 )     (43,980 )
   


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


Income from continuing operations before provision for income taxes

    58,118       74,260       83,599       113,153       11,335       11,492       7,740       3,956  

Provision for income taxes

    22,213       28,156       32,548       43,895       4,418       9,320       6,865       2,734  
   


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


Income from continuing operations

    35,905       46,104       51,051       69,258       6,917       2,172       875       1,222  

Discontinued operations:

                                                               

Loss from discontinued operations

    —         —         —         —         —         (1,541 )     (2,188 )     —    
   


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


Net income (loss) attributable

    35,905       46,104       51,051       69,258       6,917       631       (1,313 )     1,222  

Preferred unit dividends

    —         —         —         —         —         (22,952 )     (16,238 )     (21,168 )
   


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


Net income (loss) attributable to common shareholders’/unitholders

  $ 35,905     $ 46,104     $ 51,051     $ 69,258     $ 6,917     $ (22,321 )   $ (17,551 )   $ (19,946 )
   


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


Other Financial Data:

                                                               

Revenues (excluding Off-Network Database Query Fees)

  $ 193,783     $ 224,664     $ 257,317     $ 292,241     $ 31,408     $ 234,927     $ 172,728     $ 176,698  

Adjusted EBITDA(a)

    67,162       83,146       93,595       124,453       12,367       111,840       81,641       79,765  

Net cash provided by (used in):

                                                               

Operating activities

    26,889       52,985       55,218       131,281       1,185       59,765       38,696       35,061  

Investing activities

    22,997       (18,426 )     (10,634 )     (99,831 )     34,781       (12,278 )     (8,748 )     (12,121 )

Financing activities

    (49,886 )     (34,559 )     (42,000 )     (33,750 )     (11,250 )     (44,196 )     (37,031 )     (58,824 )

Capital expenditures

    9,597       19,778       12,956       10,406       606       12,278       8,748       12,121  

Ratio of earnings to fixed charges(b)

    54.08       24.46       197.70       245.39       193.12       1.18       1.14       1.09  

Balance Sheet Data (at end of period):

                                                               

Cash and cash equivalents

  $ —       $ —       $ 2,584     $ 284     $ 25,000     $ 42,190     $ 31,816     $ 6,306  

Property and equipment, net

    21,225       24,881       24,387       23,656       23,306       33,728       35,240       32,764  

Total assets

    112,885       126,386       198,380       247,867       159,457       833,068       833,223       777,357  

Total debt, net of discount

    —         —         —         —         —         505,850       512,222       453,088  

Shareholders’/unitholders’ equity

    62,260       74,550       117,307       153,104       133,510       270,791       268,856       272,956  

Reconciliation to adjusted EBITDA:

                                                               

Net income (loss) as reported

  $ 35,905     $ 46,104     $ 51,051     $ 69,258     $ 6,917     $ 631     $ (1,313 )   $ 1,222  

Restructuring

    —         —         —         —         —         2,845       2,845       2,448  

Interest (income) expense, net

    (1,827 )     20       (3,065 )     (3,903 )     (432 )     53,140       38,397       43,979  

Depreciation and amortization

    10,871       8,866       13,061       15,203       1,464       33,285       23,846       27,567  

Provision for income taxes

    22,213       28,156       32,548       43,895       4,418       9,320       6,865       2,734  

Loss from discontinued operations

    —         —         —         —         —         1,541       2,188       —    

Pre acquisition Brience EBITDA loss (gain)

    —         —         —         —         —         11,078       8,813       1,815  
   


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


Adjusted EBITDA

  $ 67,162     $ 83,146     $ 93,595     $ 124,453     $ 12,367     $ 111,840     $ 81,641     $ 79,765  
   


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 

38


Table of Contents

(a) Adjusted EBITDA is determined by subtracting net interest income (expense), income taxes, depreciation, amortization, restructuring charges and (income) loss from discontinued operations from our net income (loss), and Brience’s pre-acquisition EBITDA loss (gain) from net income (loss) represents net income plus net interest income (expense), income taxes, depreciation, amortization, restructuring charges and (income) loss from discontinued operations from the company’s net income (loss), and Brience’s pre-acquisition EBITDA loss (gain) from net income (loss). We present adjusted EBITDA because it is generally accepted as providing useful information regarding a company’s ability to service and/or incur debt. You should not consider adjusted EBITDA in isolation from or as a substitute for net income, cash flows from operating activities and other consolidated income or cash flow statement data prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States or as a measure of profitability or liquidity.
(b) For the purpose of calculating the ratio of earnings to fixed charges, earnings are defined as pre-tax income from continuing operations. Fixed charges are the sum of (i) interest expense, (ii) amortized premiums, discounts and capitalized expenses related to indebtedness and (iii) an estimate of the interest within rental expense.

 

39


Table of Contents

MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION

AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

 

Overview

 

On February 14, 2002, TSI Telecommunication Holdings, Inc. acquired TSI Telecommunication Services Inc. by merging its wholly owned subsidiary, TSI Merger Sub, Inc., with and into TSI Telecommunication Services Inc. TSI Telecommunication Holdings, Inc. is wholly owned by TSI Telecommunication Holdings, LLC. TSI Telecommunication Holdings, LLC and TSI Telecommunication Holdings, Inc. have no operations other than their ownership of their direct and indirect subsidiaries.

 

As a result of applying the required purchase accounting rules, our financial statements were significantly affected. The application of purchase accounting rules result in different accounting bases and hence the financial information for the periods beginning on February 14, 2002 are not comparable to the information prior to this date. The term “successor” refers to TSI Telecommunications Holdings, LLC and all of its subsidiaries, including TSI Telecommunication Services Inc. following the acquisition on February 14, 2002. The term “predecessor” refers to TSI Telecommunication Services Inc. prior to being acquired by TSI Telecommunication Holdings, Inc.

 

Prior to February 14, 2002, we operated as a subsidiary of Verizon, and did not operate as a separate, stand-alone entity. As a result, the historical financial information included in this report does not necessarily reflect what our financial position and results of operations would have been had we operated as a separate, stand-alone entity during the periods presented.

 

The acquisition was accounted for using the purchase method of accounting. As a result, the acquisition has affected our results of operations in certain significant respects. The aggregate acquisition costs, including the transaction costs, of approximately $808.6 million have been allocated to the tangible and intangible assets acquired and liabilities assumed by us based upon their respective fair values as of the acquisition date and have resulted in a significant increase in our annual depreciation and amortization expense. Due to the effects of the increased borrowings to finance the acquisition, our interest expense has increased significantly in the periods following the acquisition. In addition, due to the effects of the 10% dividend requirements of the Class B Preferred Units now outstanding, our net income attributable to common unitholders’ will be reduced.

 

On July 23, 2003, TSI Telecommunication Network Services Inc. acquired Brience, Inc. by merging Brience, Inc. with and into TSI Brience, LLC, a newly formed wholly owned subsidiary of TSI Telecommunication Network Services Inc., with TSI Brience, LLC continuing as the surviving entity and a wholly owned subsidiary of TSI Telecommunication Network Services Inc.

 

At the time of the merger, funds associated with GTCR Golder Rauner, LLC had a controlling interest in both Brience, Inc. and TSI Telecommunication Holdings, LLC. As a result, the transaction is accounted for as a combination of entities under common control, similar to a pooling of interests, whereby the assets and liabilities of Brience, Inc. were combined at their historical amounts as of the date that GTCR Golder Rauner, LLC had control of both entities (February 14, 2002). For historical accounting purposes, the historical financial results of Brience, Inc. have only been combined for the periods during which TSI Telecommunication Holdings, LLC and Brience, Inc. were under common control of funds associated with GTCR Golder Rauner, LLC. Accordingly, our historical consolidated financial statements have been restated to include the financial results of Brience, Inc. beginning on the date when funds associated with GTCR Golder Rauner, LLC had common control of both entities (February 14, 2002). For the minority interest of Brience, Inc. not owned by GTCR Golder Rauner, LLC affiliates at the time of the combination, purchase accounting has been applied. However, the effects of the fair value adjustments relating to this purchase accounting were deemed to be insignificant, and therefore, recorded at zero for purposes of our financial statements.

 

The financial statements include the accounts of TSI Telecommunication Holdings, LLC (TSI LLC), TSI Telecommunication Holdings Inc. (TSI Inc.), TSI Telecommunication Services Inc. (TSI), TSI Finance Inc. (TSI

 

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Finance), TSI Telecommunication Network Services Inc. (TSI Networks), TSI Brience LLC, and TSI Telecommunication Services BV (TSI BV). All significant intercompany balances and transactions have been eliminated.

 

Introduction

 

We are a leading provider of mission-critical transaction processing services to wireless telecommunication carriers throughout the world. Our services are categorized into the following four groups:

 

  Network Services—We provide our customers with connectivity to our SS7 network and other widely used communications networks (e.g., X.25, Frame Relay and IP). SS7 is the telecommunication industry’s standard network signaling protocol used by almost every carrier in North America to enable the setup and delivery of wireless and wireline telephone calls. A telephone call has two components: the call content (e.g., voice, video or data) and the signaling information (e.g., caller information, number called and subscriber validation). SS7 is the transport network for this signaling information. We also provide Web-based analysis and reporting services, allowing our customers to access real-time subscriber activity, monitor their networks, troubleshoot customer care issues and handle network management tasks seamlessly. In addition, use of our SS7 network facilitates access to intelligent network services, such as local number portability (LNP), line information database (LIDB), toll-free database and Caller ID. Our primary services in this group are INLink, Visibility, the SS7 Database Access services, Inpack, and CCNS. We also offer software and services that enable secure application and mobile data communication across multiple devices, software platforms, and networks. Mobile Processing Server (MPS) is an integrated software design and development environment for building mobile solutions that provide a compelling user experience across multiple device form factors ranging from cell phones to PDAs. Secure Collaboration Gateway (SCG) enables enterprise customers to grant selective, controlled access to sensitive data and applications to partners, customers and employees. Business Process Server (BPS) is a high performance workflow-based platform for implementing enterprise information and service integration solutions. Integrated Experience Studio (IES) is a graphical development and service creation environment used in conjunction with the other TSI Brience applications.

 

  Technology Interoperability Services—We address technology interoperability complexities by acting as the primary point of contact for hundreds of wireless carriers for the processing of roaming billing and short message service (SMS) transactions across substantially all network, signaling, billing and messaging standards. Our clearinghouse services have established us as the trusted third party for the collection, translation and exchange of proprietary subscriber billing data and messages between carriers on a secure, confidential and timely basis. Our primary services in this group are ACCESS, ACCESS S&E, UniRoam, Wholesale Rating Engine, Access Revenue Management and Message Management.

 

  Call Processing Services—We offer telecommunication carriers comprehensive call processing services that employ advanced technologies to provide subscriber verification, call delivery and technical fraud detection and prevention regardless of switch type, billing format or signaling standard. These services support seamless regional, national and international telephone roaming service for wireless subscribers. Our primary services in this group are FraudManager, Follow Me Roaming Plus, Key Management Center and FraudX.

 

  Other Outsourcing Services—We provide other value-added outsourcing services including a prepaid wireless solution that enables wireless carriers to offer prepaid wireless services with national roaming capabilities, a telematics solution that enables trucking and distribution companies to track vehicle location and improve fleet utilization and outsourced services that enhance carriers’ ability to manage and consolidate billing for their enterprise customer accounts. Our primary services in this group are STREAMLINER, Fleet-On-Track and Prepaid Wireless.

 

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Revenues

 

Our revenues are primarily derived from the sale of our Network Services, Technology Interoperability Services and Call Processing Services to telecommunication providers throughout the world. To a lesser extent, we also generate revenues from Other Outsourcing Services. In order to encourage greater usage, we negotiate tiered pricing schedules with our customers based on certain established transaction volume levels. As a result, we expect the average price per transaction for many of our products to decline as customers increasingly use our services.

 

We believe there is minimal seasonality in our business. However, there is generally a slight increase in wireless roaming telephone usage traffic and corresponding revenues in the high-travel months of the second and third fiscal quarters.

 

  Network Services primarily generate revenue by charging per-transaction processing fees, circuit fees and port fees. The monthly SS7 connection fee is based on the number of links as well as the number of switches to which a customer signals. The per-transaction fees are based on the number of subscriber events and database queries made through our network and are recognized as revenues at the time the transactions are performed. TSI Brience’s software revenues are generated through license fees, maintenance agreements and professional services. License fee revenues consist principally of revenue from the licensing of our software and are generally recognized when a contract is executed, all delivery obligations have been met, the fee is fixed or determinable, and collectibility is probable. Maintenance agreements call for us to provide technical support and software enhancements to customers. Revenue on technical support and software enhancement rights is recognized ratably over the term of the support agreement. Professional Services include consulting, training and installation services to our customers. Revenue from such services is generally recognized on a straight-line basis over the same period as the software license fee.

 

  Technology Interoperability Services primarily generate revenues by charging per-transaction processing fees. For our wireless roaming, wireline and SMS clearinghouse services, revenues vary based on the number of data/messaging records provided to us by telecommunications carriers for aggregation, translation and distribution among carriers. These records are based on the number of wireless roaming subscriber telephone calls and messages that take place on our customers’ networks. We recognize revenues at the time the transactions are performed.

 

  Call Processing Services primarily generate revenue by charging per-transaction processing fees and software licensing fees. The per-transaction fee is based on the number of validation, authorization, and other call processing messages generated by wireless subscribers. TSI also provides turnkey software solutions for which it charges customers a software licensing fee. For turnkey software, we recognize revenue when accepted by the customer.

 

  Other Outsourcing Services primarily generate revenue by charging per-minute-of-use (MOU) fees, hardware maintenance fees and per-subscriber fees. We recognize revenues from the MOU-based services at the time the service is performed. Hardware maintenance fees are recognized over the life of the contract.

 

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The table below indicates the portion of our revenues attributable to Network Services, Technology Interoperability Services, Call Processing Services and Other Outsourcing Services in the periods indicated. Dollars are shown in thousands.

 

     Predecessor

   Successor

    

Year Ended

December 31,

2000


  

Year Ended

December 31,

2001


  

Period from

January 1 to

February 13,

2002


  

Period from

February 14 to

December 31,

2002


  

Period from

February 14 to

September 30,

2002


  

Nine Months

Ended

September 30,

2003


Revenues:

                                         

Off-Network Database Query Fees

   $ 58,619    $ 69,117    $ 8,588    $ 61,117    $ 47,004    $ 24,538

Other Network Services

     79,760      105,369      14,103      100,507      73,158      82,440
    

  

  

  

  

  

Total Network Services

     138,379      174,486      22,691      161,624      120,162      106,978

Technology Interoperability Services

     68,923      82,312      8,464      70,215      52,805      50,246

Call Processing Services

     73,262      65,241      6,429      46,336      33,933      32,636

Other Outsourcing Services

     35,372      39,319      2,412      17,869      12,832      11,376
    

  

  

  

  

  

Total Revenues

   $ 315,936    $ 361,358    $ 39,996    $ 296,044    $ 219,732    $ 201,236
    

  

  

  

  

  

 

Costs and Expenses

 

Our costs and expenses consist of cost of operations, sales and marketing, general and administrative, and depreciation and amortization.

 

  Cost of operations includes processing costs, network costs, royalty costs, personnel costs associated with service implementation, training and customer care, and off-network database query charges.

 

  Sales and marketing includes personnel costs, advertising costs, trade show costs and relationship marketing costs.

 

  General and administrative consists primarily of research and development expenses, a portion of the expenses associated with our facilities, internal management expenses, business development expenses, and expenses for finance, legal, human resources and other administrative departments. In addition, we incur significant service development costs. These costs, which are primarily personnel, relate to technology creation, enhancement and maintenance of new and existing services. Historically, most of these costs are expensed and recorded as general and administrative expenses. The capitalized portion, which is recorded as capitalized software costs, relates to costs incurred during the application development stage for the new service offerings and significant service enhancements.

 

  Depreciation and amortization relates primarily to our property and equipment including SS7 network and our intangible assets including capitalized software and infrastructure facilities related to information management, research and development and customer care.

 

Critical Accounting Policies

 

The following discussion and analysis of financial condition and results of operations should be read in conjunction with the consolidated financial statements and related notes herein, which have been prepared in

 

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accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States. The preparation of these 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. We evaluate our estimates on a continual basis, including those related to revenue recognition, allowance for doubtful accounts, property and equipment, and intangible assets. We base our estimates on historical experience and on various other assumptions that are believed to be reasonable under the circumstances, the 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 these estimates under different assumptions or conditions.

 

Revenue Recognition

 

We derive revenues from four primary categories: Network Services, Technology Interoperability Services, Call Processing Services and Other Outsourcing Services. The revenue recognition policy for each of these areas is as follows:

 

  Network Services primarily generate revenue by charging per-transaction processing fees, circuit fees and port fees. The monthly SS7 connection fee is based on the number of links as well as the number of switches to which a customer signals and is recognized in the period when the service is rendered. The per-transaction fees are based on the number of subscriber events and database queries made through our network and are recognized as revenues at the time the transactions are performed. Software revenues are generated through license fees, maintenance agreements and professional services. License fee revenues consist principally of revenue from the licensing of our software and are generally recognized when a contract is executed, all delivery obligations have been met, the fee is fixed or determinable, and collectibility is probable. Generally, these policies have resulted in our recognition of revenue from the software license fee on a straight-line basis over the period beginning with the completion of implementation and customer acceptance and ending with conclusion of the first maintenance period. Maintenance agreements call for us to provide technical support and software enhancements to customers. Revenue on technical support and software enhancement rights is recognized ratably over the term of the support agreement. Professional Services include consulting, training and installation services to our customers. Revenue from such services is generally recognized as the services are performed.

 

  Technology Interoperability Services primarily generate revenues by charging per-transaction processing fees. For our wireless roaming, wireline and SMS clearinghouse services, revenues vary based on the number of data/messaging records provided to us by telecommunications carriers for aggregation, translation and distribution among carriers. These revenues are based on the number of wireless roaming subscriber telephone calls and messages that take place on our customers’ networks. We recognize revenues at the time the transactions are performed.

 

  Call Processing Services primarily generate revenue by charging per-transaction processing fees and software licensing fees. The per-transaction fee is based on the number of validation, authorization, and other call processing messages generated by wireless subscribers. These revenues are recognized at the time the transactions are performed. We provide turn-key software solutions for which we charge customers a software licensing fee. For turnkey software, we recognize revenue when accepted by the customer.

 

  Other Outsourcing Services primarily generate revenue by charging per-minute-of use (MOU) fees, hardware maintenance fees and per-subscriber fees. We recognize revenues from the MOU-based services at the time the service is performed. Hardware maintenance fees are recognized over the life of the contract.

 

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Allowance for Doubtful Accounts

 

We maintain allowances for doubtful accounts for estimated losses resulting from the inability of our customers to pay their invoices to us in full. We regularly review the adequacy of our accounts receivable allowance after considering the size of the accounts receivable balance, each customer’s expected ability to pay and our collection history with each customer. We review significant invoices that are past due to determine if an allowance is necessary based on the risk category using the factors described above. In addition, we maintain a general allowance for doubtful accounts by applying a percentage based on the aging category. If our customers’ financial conditions or the economy in general deteriorates, we may need to increase these allowances for doubtful accounts.

 

Impairment

 

We review our long-lived assets including intangibles with definite lives for impairment when events or changes in circumstances indicate the carrying value of such assets may not be recoverable. We review goodwill at least annually for impairment. We also evaluate the useful life of assets periodically. The review consists of a comparison of the carrying value of the assets with the assets’ expected future undiscounted cash flows without interest costs. Estimates of expected future cash flows represent management’s best estimate based on reasonable and supportable assumptions and projections. If actual market conditions are less favorable than those projected by management, asset write-downs may be required. Management will continue to evaluate overall industry and company specific circumstances and conditions as necessary.

 

Allowance for Credit Memos

 

We maintain a general reserve based on our historical credit memo activity. In addition, we establish credit memo reserves resulting from specific customer matters. This allowance is recorded as a direct reduction of accounts receivable. If our billing errors or discrepancies are not resolved satisfactorily, or our customers’ disputes over billing are not resolved satisfactorily, increases to the allowance would be required.

 

Restructuring

 

We have made estimates of the costs to be incurred as a part of our initial restructuring plan in February 2002 arising from our acquisition. These amounts were accrued as a part of our purchase accounting adjustments. We will review these estimates until fully paid. We have also made estimates of the costs to be incurred as a part of our August 2002, February 2003 and July 2003 restructurings. If our original estimates of the costs of restructuring change, we will need to adjust our reserve amounts.

 

Income Taxes

 

We review our deferred tax assets on a regular basis to evaluate their recoverability based on projections of the turnaround timing of our deferred tax liabilities, projections of future taxable income, and tax planning strategies that we might employ to utilize such assets, including net operating loss carryforwards. Unless it is  “more likely than not” that we will recover such assets through the above means, we establish a valuation allowance. The effective tax rate differs from the statutory tax rate due primarily to the pooling of Brience’s results and to a lesser extent to state and local taxes. Brience had incurred net operating losses since inception and hence was unable to recognize the benefit of these losses in its financial statements’ tax provision. The associated Brience deferred tax assets are fully offset by a valuation allowance.

 

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Results of Operations

 

The following table shows information derived from our consolidated statements of income expressed as a percentage of revenues for the periods presented.

 

    Predecessor

    Successor

 
    Year Ended
December 31,
2000


   

Year Ended

December 31,

2001


   

Period from

January 1 to

February 13,

2002


   

Period from
February 14 to
December 31,

2002


   

Period from

February 14 to

September 30,

2002


    Nine Months
Ended
September 30,
2003


 

Revenues

  100.0 %   100.0 %   100.0 %   100.0 %   100.0 %   100.0 %

Costs and expenses:

                                   

Cost of operations

  47.5     46.8     51.6     44.0     45.0     39.9  

Sales and marketing

  7.7     6.7     6.5     7.7     7.8     6.8  

General and administrative

  14.5     11.4     7.6     14.4     14.0     14.1  

Provision for (recovery of) uncollectible accounts

  0.7     0.6     3.3     (0.2 )   —       0.5  

Depreciation and amortization

  4.1     4.2     3.7     11.2     10.9     13.7  

Restructuring

  —       —       —       1.0     1.3     1.2  
   

 

 

 

 

 

    74.5     69.7     72.7     78.1     79.0     76.2  

Operating income

  25.5     30.3     27.3     21.9     21.0     23.8  

Other income (expense), net:

                                   

Interest income

  1.0     1.1     1.1     0.4     0.5     0.3  

Interest expense

  —       —       —       (18.3 )   (17.9 )   (22.1 )

Other, net

  —       —       (0.1 )   (0.1 )   (0.1 )   —    
   

 

 

 

 

 

    1.0     1.1     1.0     (18.0 )   (17.5 )   (21.8 )
   

 

 

 

 

 

Income from continuing operations before provision for income taxes

  26.5     31.4     28.3     3.9     3.5     2.0  

Provision for income taxes

  10.3     12.2     11.0     3.2     3.1     1.4  
   

 

 

 

 

 

Income from continuing operations

  16.2     19.2     17.3     0.7     0.4     0.6  

Discontinued operations:

                                   

Income (loss) from discontinued operations, net of taxes

  —       —       —       (0.5 )   (1.0 )   —    
   

 

 

 

 

 

Net income (loss)

  16.2 %   19.2 %   17.3 %   0.2 %   (0.6 )%   0.6 %
   

 

 

 

 

 

 

Comparison of nine months ended September 30, 2003, the period from February 14, 2002 to September 30, 2002 and the period from January 1, 2002 to February 13, 2002

 

As described above, our results before and after February 14, 2002 are not generally comparable due to the effects of purchase accounting. However, to aid in the comparison to the nine months ended September 30, 2003, we have combined the period from January 1, 2002 to February 13, 2002 and the period from February 14, 2002 to September 30, 2002 and included explanations about the effects of purchase accounting. The full nine months ended September 30, 2002 are referred to as “combined” herein.

 

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The historical financial results of Brience, Inc., from February 14, 2002, which is the date that GTCR Fund VII, L.P. and its affiliates possessed common control of us and Brience, Inc., through July 23, 2003, which is the date that we acquired Brience, Inc., are included in our financial results for the applicable periods because this acquisition is accounted for as a combination of entities under common control, similar to a pooling of interests.

 

Total revenues decreased $58.5 million, or 22.5%, to $201.2 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2003 from total combined revenues of $259.7 million for same period in 2002. Revenues decreased in each revenue category for the nine months ended September 30, 2003 compared to the same period in 2002.

 

Network Services revenues were $107.0 million (including $24.5 million of Off-Network Database Query Fees) for the nine months ended September 30, 2003, a $35.9 million, or 25.1%, decrease over the combined revenues of $142.9 million (including $55.6 million of Off-Network Database Query Fees) for the same period in 2002. The decrease in revenues was primarily due to lower Off-Network Database Query Fees and lower Visibility Services volumes.

 

Technology Interoperability Services revenues were $50.2 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2003, an $11.1 million, or 18.1%, decrease over the combined revenues of $61.3 million for the same period in 2002. The revenue decline is primarily due to lower volumes from our Access Revenue Management product due to the termination of an agreement with Adelphia Business Systems and to lower intracompany ACCESS volumes from certain customers.

 

Call Processing Services revenues were $32.6 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2003, a $7.8 million, or 19.3%, decrease over the combined revenues of $40.4 million for the same period in 2002. This expected decline is due to a lifecycle migration by carriers, who are moving off our call processing platform to implement SS7 connections between their own networks and their roaming partners’ networks.

 

Other Outsourcing Services revenues were $11.4 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2003, a $3.8 million, or 25.0%, decrease over the combined revenues of $15.2 million for the same period in 2002. The revenue decline is primarily due to lower MOUs for our prepaid wireless solution.

 

Cost of operations was $80.4 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2003. Cost of operations was $20.7 million in the period from January 1, 2002 to February 13, 2002 and $98.8 million in the period from February 14, 2002 to September 30, 2002. This represents a $39.1 million decrease, or 32.7%, over the combined cost of operations of $119.5 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2002. This cost reduction is primarily due to lower Off-Network Database Query Fees, reduced pricing for data processing services and the workforce restructurings that occurred in April and August of 2002 and February and July 2003. Cost of operations as a percentage of revenues were 39.9% in the nine months ended September 30, 2003, as compared to 51.6% in the period from January 1, 2002 to February 13, 2002, and 45.0% in the period from February 14, 2002 to September 30, 2002 for a combined total of 46.0% in the period from January 1, 2002 to September 30, 2002.

 

Sales and marketing expenses were $13.7 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2003. Sales and marketing expenses were $2.6 million in the period from January 1, 2002 to February 13, 2002 and $17.1 million in the period from February 14, 2002 to September 30, 2002. This represents a $6.0 million, or 30.5%, decrease over the combined sales and marketing expenses of $19.7 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2002. This decrease is primarily due to lower headcount and employee-related expenses within the sales and marketing organization resulting from the reductions in force. Sales and marketing expenses as a percentage of revenues were 6.8% in the nine months ended September 30, 2003, as compared to 6.5% in the period from January 1, 2002 to February 13, 2002 and 7.8% in the period from February 14, 2002 to September 30, 2002 for a combined total of 7.6% in the period from January 1, 2002 to September 30, 2002.

 

General and administrative expenses were $28.2 million in the nine months ended September 30, 2003. General and administrative expenses were $3.0 million in the period from January 1, 2002 to February 13, 2002

 

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and $30.8 million in the period from February 14, 2002 to September 30, 2002. This represents a $5.6 million decrease, or 16.6%, over the combined general and administrative expenses of $33.8 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2002. This decrease is primarily due to lower development expenses in addition to the reductions in workforce in April and August of 2002 and February and July 2003. General and administrative expenses as a percentage of revenue were 14.1% in the nine months ended September 30, 2003, as compared to 7.6% in the period from January 1, 2002 to February 13, 2002 and 14.0% in the period from February 14, 2002 to September 30, 2002 for a combined total of 13.0% in the period from January 1, 2002 to September 30, 2002.

 

Provision for uncollectible accounts was $1.0 million in the nine months ended September 30, 2003. Provision for (recovery of) uncollectible accounts was $1.3 million in the period from January 1, 2002 to February 13, 2002 and ($0.1) million in the period from February 14, 2002 to September 30, 2002. This represents a $0.2 million decrease, or 16.7%, from the combined provision for uncollectible accounts of $1.2 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2002. This decrease is primarily due to lowered risk with our CLEC customers. Provision for uncollectible accounts as a percentage of revenue were 0.5% in the nine months ended September 30, 2003, as compared to 3.3% in the period from January 1, 2002 to February 13, 2002 and 0.0% in the period from February 14, 2002 to September 30, 2002 for a combined total of 0.5% in the period from January 1, 2002 to September 30, 2002.

 

Depreciation and amortization expenses were $27.6 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2003. Depreciation and amortization expenses were $1.5 million in the period from January 1, 2002 to February 13, 2002 and $23.8 million in the period from February 14, 2002 to September 30, 2002. This represents a $2.3 million increase, or 9.1%, over the combined depreciation and amortization expense of $25.3 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2002. This increase is primarily due to higher depreciation and amortization expenses related to the asset revaluation to fair values as a result of purchase accounting associated with the acquisition of TSI. Depreciation and amortization expenses as a percentage of revenue were 13.7% in the nine months ended September 30, 2003, as compared to 3.7% in the period from January 1, 2002 to February 13, 2002 and 10.9% in the period from February 14, 2002 to September 30, 2002 for a combined total of 9.7% in the period from January 1, 2002 to September 30, 2002.

 

Restructuring expenses were $2.4 million in the nine months ended September 30, 2003. Restructuring expenses were $2.8 million in the period from February 14, 2002 to September 30, 2002. This represents a $0.4 million decrease, or 14.3%, over the restructuring expenses of $2.8 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2002. On February 28, 2003, we completed a restructuring plan, resulting in the termination of 71 employees or approximately 10.6% of our workforce. As a result, we accrued $1.8 million in severance related costs in February 2003. In July 2003, we recorded an additional restructuring expense of $0.6 million related to our acquisition of Brience. Restructuring expenses as a percentage of revenue were 1.2% in the nine months ended September 30, 2003, as compared to 0.0% in the period from January 1, 2002 to February 13, 2002 and 1.3% in the period from February 14, 2002 to September 30, 2002 for a combined total of 1.1% in the period from January 1, 2002 to September 30, 2002.

 

Operating income was $47.9 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2003. Operating income was $10.9 million in the period from January 1, 2002 to February 13, 2002 and $46.4 million in the period from February 14, 2002 to September 30, 2002. This represents a $9.4 million decrease, or 16.4%, over the combined operating income of $57.3 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2002. This decrease in operating income is primarily due to lower revenue and higher depreciation and amortization expenses offset partially by lower cost of operations, sales and marketing and general and administrative expenses. Operating income as a percentage of revenue was 23.8% in the nine months ended September 30, 2003, as compared to 27.3% in the period from January 1, 2002 to February 13, 2002 and 21.0% in the period from February 14, 2002 to September 30, 2002 for a combined total of 22.1% in the period from January 1, 2002 to September 30, 2002.

 

Interest income was $0.5 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2003. Interest income was $0.4 million in the period from January 1, 2002 to February 13, 2002 and $0.8 million in the period from February 14, 2002 to September 30, 2002. This represents a $0.7 million decrease, or 58.3%, over the combined interest

 

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income of $1.2 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2002. This decrease is primarily due to the extinguishment of the note receivable from Verizon in February 2002. Interest income as a percentage of revenue was 0.3% for the nine months ended September 30, 2003, as compared to 1.1% in the period from January 1, 2002 to February 13, 2002 and 0.5% in the period from February 14, 2002 to September 30, 2002, for a combined total interest income of 0.4% of revenue in the period from January 1, 2002 to September 30, 2002.

 

Interest expense was $44.5 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2003. There was no interest expense in the period from January 1, 2002 to February 13, 2002. Interest expense was $39.2 million in the period from February 14, 2002 to September 30, 2002. This represents a $5.3 million increase, or 13.5%, over the combined interest expense of $39.2 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2002. This increase is a result of the issuance of debt in connection with the acquisition of TSI on February 14, 2002 less principal payments since then. Interest expense as a percentage of revenue was 22.1% in the nine months ended September 30, 2003, as compared to 0.0% in the period from January 1, 2002 to February 13, 2002 and 17.9% in the period from February 14, 2002 to September 30, 2002 for a combined total interest expense of 15.1% of revenue in the period from January 1, 2002 to September 30, 2002.

 

Provision for income taxes was $2.7 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2003. Provision for income taxes was $4.4 million in the period from January 1, 2002 to February 13, 2002 and $6.9 million in the period from February 14, 2002 to September 30, 2002. This represents an $8.6 million, or 76.1%, decrease over the combined provision for income taxes of $11.3 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2002. This decrease is primarily due to lower revenue, higher net interest expense associated with the debt incurred in 2002 and higher depreciation and amortization expense in connection with our acquisition. Provision for income taxes as a percentage of revenue was 1.4% in the nine months ended September 30, 2003, as compared to 11.0% in the period from January 1, 2002 to February 13, 2002 and 3.1% in the period from February 14, 2002 to September 30, 2002, for a combined total of 4.3% in the period from January 1, 2002 to September 30, 2002.

 

Loss on discontinued operations was $2.2 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2002. Loss on discontinued operations as a percentage of revenues was 1.0% in the period from February 14, 2002 to September 30, 2002. This loss is due to Brience’s decision to divest itself of its Hello Asia subsidiary in July 2001.

 

Net income (loss) was $1.2 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2003. Net income (loss) was $6.9 million in the period from January 1, 2002 to February 13, 2002 and ($1.3) million in the period from February 14, 2002 to September 30, 2002. This represents a $4.4 million, or 78.6%, decrease from the combined net income (loss) of $5.6 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2002. This decrease is primarily due to lower revenue, higher net interest expense associated with the debt incurred in 2002 and higher depreciation and amortization expense in connection with the acquisition of the company. Net income (loss) as a percentage of revenue was 0.6% for the nine months ended September 30, 2003, as compared to 17.3% in the period from January 1, 2002 to February 13, 2002 and (0.6)% in the period from February 14, 2002 to September 30, 2002, for a combined total of 2.2% in the period from January 1, 2002 to September 30, 2002.

 

Undeclared and unpaid preferred unit dividends were $16.2 million in the period from February 14, 2002 to September 30, 2002. Undeclared and unpaid preferred unit dividends were $21.2 million in the nine months ended September 30, 2003. The preferred unit dividends relate to the 10% preferred yield on the Class B preferred units issued on February 14, 2002. These dividends compound quarterly. The amounts are not recorded as liabilities until declared.

 

Comparison of the year ended December, 31, 2001, the period from January 1, 2002 to February 13, 2002 and the period from February 14, 2002 to December 31, 2002

 

As described above, our results before and after February 14, 2002 are not generally comparable due to the effects of purchase accounting. However, to aid in the comparison to the year ended December 31, 2001, we have combined the period from January 1, 2002 to February 13, 2002 and the period from February 14, 2002 to December 31, 2002 and included explanations about the effects of purchase accounting. The full twelve months

 

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ended December 31, 2002 are referred to as “combined” herein. Also included are the historical results of Brience Inc. which was acquired on July 23, 2003. This transaction is accounted for as a combination of entities under common control, similar to a pooling of interests from February 14, 2002, the date of common control.

 

The historical financial results of Brience, Inc., from February 14, 2002, which is the date that GTCR Fund VII, L.P. and its affiliates possessed common control of us and Brience, Inc., through July 23, 2003, which is the date that we acquired Brience, Inc., are included in our financial results for the applicable periods because this acquisition is accounted for as a combination of entities under common control, similar to a pooling of interests.

 

Total combined revenues for the year ended December 31, 2002 were $336.0 million, which is the total of the revenues for the period from January 1, 2002 to February 13, 2002 and the period from February 14, 2002 to December 31, 2002. This represents a $25.4 million, or 7.0%, decrease from the $361.4 million for the year ended December 31, 2001. Combined Network Services experienced increases in revenues for the year ended December 31, 2002 compared to the 2001 period, offset by decreases in Call Processing Services, Technology Interoperability and Other Outsourcing Services revenues.

 

Combined Network Services revenues were $184.3 million (including $69.7 million of Off-Network Database Query Fees) for the year ended December 31, 2002, a $9.8 million, or 5.6%, increase over the comparable 2001 period of $174.5 million (including $69.1 million of Off-Network Database Query Fees). We experienced growth in INLink revenues driven by increased customer connections, strong wireless subscriber roaming-related signaling activity and the growing trend among many telecommunication carriers to outsource all or a portion of their SS7 network, which was partially offset by a decrease in average per-transaction pricing consistent with our pricing strategy.

 

Combined Technology Interoperability Services revenues were $78.7 million for the twelve months ended December 31, 2002, a $3.6 million, or 4.4%, decrease over the comparable 2001 period of $82.3 million. The revenue decline was due to decreased volumes primarily resulting from the loss of Cingular Wireless as a major customer for ACCESS. This decline was partially offset by increases in our ARM and ACCESS S&E products.

 

Combined Call Processing Services revenues were $52.8 million for the year ended December 31, 2002, a $12.4 million, or 19.0%, decrease from the comparable 2001 period of $65.2 million. This decline is due to a lifecycle migration by carriers, who are moving off TSI’s call processor to implement SS7 connections between their own markets and their roaming partners’ markets.

 

Combined Other Outsourcing Services revenues were $20.3 million for the year ended December 31, 2002, a $19.0 million, or 48.3%, decrease from the comparable 2001 period of $39.3 million. The revenue decline is primarily prepaid and hardware sales due to the transition of our telematic services, which was developed exclusively as an interim solution for Verizon.

 

Cost of operations was $20.7 million in the period from January 1, 2002 to February 13, 2002 and $130.3 million in the period from February 14, 2002 to December 31, 2002. Combined cost of operations was $151.0 million for the year ended December 31, 2002. This represents a $18.0 million decrease, or 10.7%, over the $169.0 million for the year ended December 31, 2001. This cost reduction is primarily due to reduced pricing for data processing services and the workforce restructurings that occurred in April and August of 2002. Cost of operations as a percentage of revenues were 51.6% in the period from January 1, 2002 to February 13, 2002, and 44.0% in the period from February 14, 2002 to December 31, 2002 for a combined total of 44.9% in the twelve month period ended December 31, 2002, as compared to 46.8% in the year ended December 31, 2001.

 

Sales and marketing expenses were $2.6 million in the period from January 1, 2002 to February 13, 2002 and $22.7 million in the period from February 14, 2002 to December 31, 2002. Combined sales and marketing expenses were $25.3 million for the year ended December 31, 2002. This represents a $1.0 million, or 4.1%, increase over the $24.3 million for the year ended December 31, 2001. This increase is primarily due to the inclusion of historical Brience results offset by lower headcount and employee-related expenses within the sales

 

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organization resulting from the reductions in force. Sales and marketing expenses as a percentage of revenues were 6.5% in the period from January 1, 2002 to February 13, 2002 and 7.7% in the period from February 14, 2002 to December 31, 2002 for a combined total of 7.6% in the period from January 1, 2002 to December 31, 2002, as compared to 6.7% in the period from January 1, 2001 to December 31, 2001.

 

General and administrative expenses were $3.0 million in the period from January 1, 2002 to February 13, 2002 and $42.6 million in the period from February 14, 2002 to December 31, 2002. Combined general and administrative expenses were $45.6 million for the year ended December 31, 2002. This represents a $4.4 million increase, or 10.7%, from the $41.2 million for the year ended December 31, 2001. This increase is primarily due to the inclusion of historical Brience results offset by lower development expenses in addition to the reductions in workforce in April and August of 2002. General and administrative expenses as a percentage of revenue were 7.6% in the period from January 1, 2002 to February 13, 2002 and 14.4% in the period from February 14, 2002 to December 31, 2002 for a combined total of 13.6% in the period from January 1, 2002 to December 31, 2002, as compared to 11.4% in the period from January 1, 2001 to December 31, 2001.

 

Provision for uncollectible accounts was $1.3 million in the period from January 1, 2002 to February 13, 2002 and ($0.7) million in the period from February 14, 2002 to December 31, 2002. Combined provision for uncollectible accounts was $0.6 million for the year ended December 31, 2002. This represents a $1.6 million decrease, or 72.7%, from the $2.2 million for the year ended December 31, 2001. This decrease is primarily due to lowered risk with our CLEC customers. Provision for uncollectible accounts as a percentage of revenue were 3.3% in the period from January 1, 2002 to February 13, 2002 and (0.2%) in the period from February 14, 2002 to December 31, 2002 for a combined total of 0.2% in the period from January 1, 2002 to December 31, 2002, as compared to 0.6% in the period from January 1, 2001 to December 31, 2001.

 

Depreciation and amortization expenses were $1.5 million in the period from January 1, 2002 to February 13, 2002 and $33.3 million in the period from February 14, 2002 to December 31, 2002. Combined depreciation and amortization expense were $34.8 million for the year ended December 31, 2002. This represents an $19.6 million increase, or 128.9%, over the $15.2 million for the year ended December 31, 2001. This increase is primarily due to higher depreciation and amortization expenses related to the asset revaluation to fair values as a result of purchase accounting associated with the acquisition of TSI. Depreciation and amortization expenses as a percentage of revenue were 3.7% in the period from January 1, 2002 to February 13, 2002 and 11.2% in the period from February 14, 2002 to December 31, 2002 for a combined total of 10.3% in the period from January 1, 2002 to December 31, 2002, as compared to 4.2% in the period from January 1, 2001 to December 31, 2001.

 

On August 29, 2002, we completed an additional restructuring resulting in the termination of 73 employees, or approximately 10% of the company’s workforce. As a result, we accrued $2.8 million in severance related costs in August 2002. Restructuring expense as a percentage of revenue was 1.0% in the period from February 14, 2002 to December 31, 2002 for a combined total restructuring expense of 0.8% of revenue in the period from January 1, 2002 to December 31, 2002.

 

Operating income was $10.9 million in the period from January 1, 2002 to February 13, 2002 and $64.9 million in the period from February 14, 2002 to December 31, 2002. Combined operating income was $75.8 million for the year ended December 31, 2002. This represents a $33.5 million decrease, or 30.7%, from the $109.3 million for the year ended December 31, 2001. This decrease in operating income is primarily due to higher depreciation and amortization expenses and the inclusion of historical Brience results offset partially by lower cost of operations, sales and marketing and general and administrative expenses. Operating income as a percentage of revenue was 27.3% in the period from January 1, 2002 to February 13, 2002 and 21.9% in the period from February 14, 2002 to December 31, 2002 for a combined total of 22.6% in the period from January 1, 2002 to December 31, 2002, as compared to 30.3% in the period from January 1, 2001 to December 31, 2001.

 

Interest income was $0.4 million in the period from January 1, 2002 to February 13, 2002 and $1.0 million in the period from February 14, 2002 to December 31, 2002. Combined interest income was $1.4 million for the year ended December 31, 2002. This represents a $2.5 million decrease, or 64.1%, from the $3.9 million for the

 

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year ended December 31, 2001. This decrease is primarily due to the extinguishment of the note receivable from Verizon in February 2002. Interest income as a percentage of revenue was 1.1% in the period from January 1, 2002 to February 13, 2002 and 0.4% in the period from February 14, 2002 to December 31, 2002, for a combined total interest income of 0.4% of revenue in the period from January 1, 2002 to December 31, 2002, as compared to 1.1% of revenue in the period from January 1, 2001 to December 31, 2001.

 

There was no interest expense in the period from January 1, 2002 to February 13, 2002. Interest expense was $54.1 million in the period from February 14, 2002 to December 31, 2002, resulting from the issuance of debt in connection with the acquisition of TSI. There was no interest expense for the year ended December 31, 2001. Interest expense as a percentage of revenue was 18.3% in the period from February 14, 2002 to December 31, 2002 for a combined total interest expense of 16.1% of revenue in the period from January 1, 2002 to December 31, 2002.

 

Income tax expense was $4.4 million in the period from January 1, 2002 to February 13, 2002 and $9.3 million in the period from February 14, 2002 to December 31, 2002. Combined income tax expense was $13.7 million for the year ended December 31, 2002. This represents a $30.2 million, or 68.8%, decrease from the $43.9 million for the year ended December 31, 2001. This decrease is primarily due to higher net interest expense associated with the debt incurred in 2002 and higher depreciation and amortization expense in connection with our acquisition. Income tax expense as a percentage of revenue was 11.0% in the period from January 1, 2002 to February 13, 2002 and 3.2% in the period from February 14, 2002 to December 31, 2002, for a combined total of 4.1% in the period from January 1, 2002 to December 31, 2002, as compared to 12.2% in the period from January 1, 2001 to December 31, 2001.

 

Loss on discontinued operations was $1.5 million in the period from February 14, 2002 to December 31, 2002. This loss is due to Brience’s decision to divest itself of its Hello Asia subsidiary in July 2001. Loss on discontinued operations as a percentage of revenues was 0.5% in the period from February 14, 2002 to December 31, 2002 for a combined total of 0.5% in the period from January 1, 2002 to December 31, 2002.

 

Net income was $6.9 million in the period from January 1, 2002 to February 13, 2002 and $.06 million in the period from February 14, 2002 to December 31, 2002. Combined net income was $7.5 million for the year ended December 31, 2002. This represents a $61.8 million, or 89.2%, decrease from the $69.3 million net income for the year ended December 31, 2001. This decrease is primarily due to higher net interest expense associated with the debt incurred in 2002, higher depreciation and amortization expense in connection with the acquisition of the company and the inclusion of historical Brience results. Net income as a percentage of revenue was 17.3% in the period from January 1, 2002 to February 13, 2002 and 0.2% in the period from February 14, 2002 to December 31, 2002, for a combined total of 2.2% in the period from January 1, 2002 to December 31, 2002, as compared to 19.2% in the period from January 1, 2001 to December 31, 2001.

 

The $23.0 million of undeclared and unpaid preferred unit dividends in the period from February 14, 2002 to December 31, 2002 relate to the 10% preferred yield on the Class B preferred units issued on February 14, 2002. These dividends compound quarterly. The amounts are not recorded as liabilities until declared.

 

Comparison of Year Ended December 31, 2001 and December 31, 2000

 

Total revenues were $361.4 million in 2001, a $45.4 million or 14.4% increase over revenues for 2000 of $315.9 million. Network Services, Technology Interoperability Services and Other Outsourcing Services experienced increases in revenues for 2001 compared to 2000, partially offset by a decrease in Call Processing Services revenues.

 

Network Services revenues were $174.5 million (including $69.1 million of Off-Network Database Query Fees) for 2001, a $36.1 million, or 26.1%, increase over revenues for 2000 of $138.4 million (including $58.9 million of Off-Network Database Query Fees). Our Visibility services experienced strong revenue growth as wireless carriers increasingly utilized this service to analyze network performance, monitor roaming traffic and troubleshoot customer care issues on a real-time basis. Significant Visibility transaction volume increases were partially offset by a substantial decrease in average per-transaction pricing consistent with our pricing strategy. In

 

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addition, we experienced significant growth in INLink revenues driven by increased customer connections, strong wireless subscriber roaming-related signaling activity and the growing trend among many telecommunication carriers to outsource all or a portion of their SS7 network, which was partially offset by a decrease in average per-transaction pricing consistent with our pricing strategy. Our intelligent network services also experienced strong revenue growth as carriers increasingly utilized our enhanced SS7-based call features and functionality, most notably Off-Network Database Queries and local number portability.

 

Technology Interoperability Services revenues were $82.3 million for 2001, a $13.4 million, or 19.4%, increase over revenues for 2000 of $68.9 million. Technology Interoperability Services revenue growth was driven primarily by strong ACCESS volume growth due to an increase in clearing transactions associated with continued industry-wide increases in wireless roaming telephone calls. This significant volume growth was partially offset by a slight decline in average per-transaction pricing consistent with our pricing strategy. In addition, Access Revenue Management (ARMS) revenues rose due primarily to increased usage by existing customers.

 

Call Processing Services revenues were $65.2 million for 2001, a $8.0 million, or 11.0%, decrease from revenues for 2000 of $73.3 million. The revenue decline is primarily attributable to one customer’s decision to transition call processing functionality for its prepaid wireless service to its own internal solution.

 

Other Outsourcing Services revenues were $39.3 million for 2001, a $3.9 million, or 11.2%, increase over revenues for 2000 of $35.4 million. Revenue growth was mainly due to increased revenues from STREAMLINER and WIN4. WIN4, which was developed exclusively as an interim solution for Verizon, was phased out in 2001 according to plan.

 

Cost of operations was $169.0 million for 2001, a $18.9 million, or 12.6%, increase over the cost of operations for 2000 of $150.2 million. The cost increases were primarily due to the higher variable costs associated with transaction volume growth for Off-Network Database Queries and higher processing costs associated with increased revenues and volumes for the Technology Interoperability Services. Cost of operations as a percentage of revenues declined to 46.8% in 2001 from 47.5% in 2000. Cost of operations (excluding Off-Network Database Query Charges) declined to 34.2% of revenues (excluding Off-Network Database Query Fees) for 2001 from 35.6% for 2000.

 

Sales and marketing expenses were $24.3 million for both 2001 and 2000. Sales and marketing expenses as a percentage of revenues decreased to 6.7% for 2001 from 7.7% for 2000 primarily from increased transaction growth without substantial additional sales and marketing costs.

 

General and administrative expenses were $41.2 million for 2001, a $4.5 million, or 9.3%, decrease over 2000 general and administrative expenses of $45.7 million. General and administrative expenses as a percentage of revenues decreased to 11.4% for 2001, from 14.5% for 2000. In 2001 and 2000, total service development costs were $27.2 million and $25.3 million, respectively. Of these amounts, $26.7 million and $23.8 million were expensed in 2001 and 2000, respectively.

 

Provision for uncollectible accounts was $2.2 million for both 2001 and 2000. Provision for uncollectible accounts as a percentage of revenues decreased to 0.6% for 2001 from 0.7% for 2000.

 

Depreciation and amortization expenses were $15.2 million for 2001, a $2.1 million, or 16.4%, increase over 2000 depreciation and amortization expenses of $13.1 million. The increase in depreciation and amortization expenses was due principally to the write-off of the remaining net book value of WRE software.

 

Operating income was $109.3 million for 2001, a $28.8 million, or 35.8%, increase over 2000 operating income of $80.5 million. Operating income as a percentage of revenues increased to 30.3% for 2001 from 25.5% for 2000 and was principally attributable to increased revenues and the absence of a corresponding increase in general and administrative expenses.

 

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Interest income was $3.9 million for 2001, a $0.8 million, or 26.4%, increase over 2000 interest income of $3.1 million. The increase in interest income was a result of the increased operating income and improved working capital.

 

There was no interest expense in 2001. Interest expense in 2000 totaled $.02 million.

 

Income tax expense was $43.9 million for 2001, a $11.3 million, or 34.9%, increase over 2000 income tax expense of $32.5 million. Our effective tax rate was 38.8% in 2001 as compared to 38.9% in 2000.

 

Net income was $69.3 million for 2001, a $18.2 million, or 36.0%, increase over 2000 net income of $51.1 million. Net income as a percentage of revenues increased to 19.2% for 2001, from 16.2% for 2000. The increase in net income is primarily a result of increased revenues and improved profits.

 

Restructurings

 

As part of the acquisition of the company in February 2002, we developed a restructuring plan to react to competitive pressures and to increase operational efficiency. The plan included the termination of approximately 78 employees in Tampa and Dallas, approximately 6% of our workforce, and closure of the Dallas office. As a result, we accrued $3.3 million of expenses in relation to this plan as of February 14, 2002, including $2.9 million for severance related to the reduction in workforce and $0.4 million for costs to relocate existing employees. The payments related to this plan were incurred through the third quarter of 2003. We expect this plan to result in reduced annual expenses of approximately $10.3 million.

 

On August 29, 2002, we completed a restructuring plan resulting in the termination of 73 employees, approximately 10% of our workforce. As a result, we accrued $2.8 million in severance-related costs in August 2002. The payments related to this restructuring were completed in May 2003. We expect this reorganization to result in reduced annual expenses of approximately $9.5 million.

 

On February 28, 2003, we completed a restructuring plan resulting in the termination of 71 employees. approximately 10.6% of our workforce. As a result, we accrued $1.8 million in severance-related costs in February 2003. The payments related to this restructuring will be incurred through November 2003. We expect this reorganization to result in reduced annual expenses of approximately $5.8 million. Further restructuring may be necessary in light of current economic conditions.

 

On July 23, 2003, we completed a restructuring plan related to our acquisition of Brience resulting in the termination of 5 employees. As a result, we incurred $0.6 million in severance-related costs in July 2003. The payments related to this restructuring were incurred through September 2003. We expect this reorganization to result in reduced annual expenses of approximately $0.8 million.

 

As of September 30, 2003, $7.7 million of these three restructuring plans’ costs had been paid with an accrual remaining of $0.1 million. Further restructuring may be necessary in light of current economic conditions.

 

Liquidity and Capital Resources

 

During the nine months ended September 30, 2003, our operations generated $35.1 million of cash compared to $39.9 million for the comparable period in 2002. The decrease is primarily attributable to increased interest payments made in the nine months ended September 30, 2003. Cash and cash equivalents were $6.3 million at September 30, 2003 as compared to $42.2 million at December 31, 2002. Our working capital decreased $4.5 million, from $7.2 million at December 31, 2002 to $2.7 million at September 30, 2003. Capital expenditures for property and equipment, including capitalized software costs, increased from $9.3 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2002 to $12.1 million. Dividends paid to Verizon, excluding non-cash distributions, were $11.3 million in 2002.

 

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During the combined year ended December 31, 2002, our operations generated $61.0 million of cash compared to $131.3 million for the comparable period in 2001. The decrease is primarily attributable to income tax payments made during the period January 1, 2002 to February 13, 2002, the payment of closing costs related to the TSI acquisition, the inclusion of historical Brience results and interest payments and debt service payments made during the period February 14, 2002 to December 31, 2002. Cash and cash equivalents were $42.2 million at December 31, 2002 as compared to $0.3 million at December 31, 2001, since we participated in a cash sweep program with Verizon prior to the acquisition. Our working capital decreased $99.4 million, from $106.7 million at December 31, 2001 to $7.2 million at December 31, 2002, primarily due to the elimination of the note receivable from Verizon at the acquisition date, the current portion of term note B and higher transition-related expense accruals. Capital expenditures for property and equipment, including capitalized software costs, increased from $10.4 million for the year ended December 31, 2001 to $12.9 million for the combined year ended December 31, 2002. Dividends paid to Verizon, excluding non-cash distributions, were $11.3 million in 2002 and $33.8 million in 2001.

 

We have also used off-balance sheet financing in recent years primarily in the form of operating leases for facility space and some equipment leasing and we expect this will continue. Our remaining operating lease payment obligations for 2003 total approximately $1.1 million based on leases in effect at September 30, 2003.

 

For fiscal 2003, we expect to spend approximately $18.0 million for capital expenditures, primarily for SS7 network expansion and investment in Wireless Local Number Portability (WLNP). As of September 30, 2003, $12.1 million had been incurred for capital expenditures and we expect the balance will be incurred prior to December 31, 2003.

 

In February 2002, we sold TSI LLC Preferred and Common Units for approximately $255.3 million. The sales were nonpublic offerings by TSI LLC, and therefore exempt from registration, pursuant to Section 4(2) of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended. The proceeds of the offering were used to finance the purchase of the company from Verizon.

 

In February 2002, we sold $245 million principal amount of our 12.75% Senior Subordinated Notes due 2009 in a private placement. Net proceeds from this offering were approximately $239.6 million. The proceeds of the offering were used to finance the purchase of TSI from Verizon.

 

In February 2002, we entered into a senior credit facility, which provides for aggregate borrowings by TSI of up to $328.3 million maturing December 2006. The facility is comprised of a revolving credit facility of up to $35.0 million in revolving credit loans and letters of credit with the funds available for general corporate purposes including working capital, capital expenditures, acquisitions and a term loan B facility of $293.3 million in term loans. The revolving line of credit and the term note each bear interest at variable rates either on a LIBOR or an alternative base rate option. TSI received net proceeds of $275.0 million on $293.3 million principal amount of term loan B facility and drew $5.4 million from the revolving credit facility. These proceeds were used to finance the purchase of the company from Verizon.

 

In May 2002, we repaid $5.4 million of the outstanding revolving credit facility. Draws and repayments are made against the revolving credit facility as needed. As of September 30, 2003 there was $35.0 million available under the revolving credit facility.

 

We have significant debt service payment obligations, including interest, in future years. Total cash interest payments related to our revolving credit facility, term B loan and our senior notes were $30.2 million in 2002 and $42.9 million in the nine months ended September 30, 2003. During 2002, we made $15.0 million in scheduled principal payments on term loan B. In the nine months ended September 30, 2003, we made a $37.3 million excess cash flow payment, $14.9 million in scheduled principal payment obligations on this indebtedness and a $5.0 million prepayment on the term loan B. Our outstanding debt has principal payment schedules requiring payments over a five and seven-year period for the term loan B and the senior notes, respectively. Following are

 

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the combined principal payment obligations on this indebtedness: $4.9 million in the remainder of 2003, $34.3 million in 2004, $44.0 million in 2005 and $138.0 million in 2006. In addition, we are required to prepay amounts outstanding under the senior credit facility in an amount equal to 100% of the excess cash flow, as defined in the senior credit facility, for each fiscal year.

 

The senior credit facility contains various restrictive covenants which we amended in September 2003. It prohibits us from prepaying other indebtedness, including the senior notes, and it requires us to maintain specified financial ratios, such as a minimum ratio of pro forma EBITDA to interest expense, a minimum fixed charge coverage ratio, a maximum ratio of senior debt to pro forma EBITDA and a maximum ratio of total debt to pro forma EBITDA, and satisfy other financial condition tests including limitations on capital expenditures. In addition, the senior credit facility prohibits us from declaring or paying any dividends and prohibits us from making any payments with respect to the senior notes if we fail to perform our obligations under, or fail to meet the conditions of, the senior credit facility or if payment creates a default under the senior credit facility. We are in compliance with all covenants as of September 30, 2003.

 

On September 25, 2003, we entered into a First Amendment to Credit Agreement (the “First Amendment”) with our term note B and revolving credit lenders signatory thereto and Lehman Commercial Paper Inc., as administrative agent for the lenders (the “Agent”). The First Amendment amends our senior credit facility. The First Amendment provides for changes in the financial covenants that (i) increase the maximum consolidated leverage and consolidated senior debt ratios, (ii) reduce the minimum consolidated interest coverage ratios beginning with the third and fourth fiscal quarters of 2003 and the four fiscal quarters of 2004, 2005 and beyond and (iii) reduce the minimum consolidated fixed charge coverage ratio. In addition, the First Amendment increases the permitted level of capital expenditures for fiscal years 2004 and 2005. The First Amendment also evidences the agreement of the lenders that, notwithstanding any contrary accounting treatment under GAAP necessitated by the acquisition of Brience on July 23, 2003, the consolidated net income and consolidated EBITDA of Brience prior to July 23, 2003 will be excluded from any determination of consolidated net income or consolidated EBITDA of TSI LLC and its subsidiaries for purposes of our senior credit facility.

 

The indenture governing the senior notes, among other things: (i) restricts our ability and the ability of our subsidiaries to incur additional indebtedness, issue shares of preferred stock, incur liens, pay dividends or make certain other restricted payments and enter into certain transactions with affiliates; (ii) prohibits certain restrictions on the ability of certain of our subsidiaries to pay dividends or make certain payments to us; and (iii) places restrictions on our ability and the ability of our subsidiaries to merge or consolidate with any other person or sell, assign, transfer, lease, convey or otherwise dispose of all or substantially all of our assets. The indenture related to these notes and the senior credit facility also contains various covenants which limit our discretion in the operation of our businesses.

 

Our principal source of liquidity will be cash flow generated from operations and borrowings under our senior credit facility. Our principal use of cash will be to meet debt service requirements, finance our capital expenditures, make acquisitions and provide working capital. We expect that cash available from operations combined with the availability of $35.0 million under our revolving line of credit will be sufficient to fund our operations, debt service and capital expenditures for at least the next 12 months.

 

Our ability to make payments on and to refinance our debt and to fund planned capital expenditures will depend on our ability to generate sufficient cash in the future. This, to some extent, is subject to general economic, financial, competitive and other factors that are beyond our control. We believe that, based upon current levels of operations, we will be able to meet our debt service obligations when due. Significant assumptions underlie this belief, including, among other things, that we will continue to be successful in implementing our business strategy and that there will be no material adverse developments in our business, liquidity or capital requirements. If our future cash flow from operations and other capital resources are insufficient to pay our obligations as they mature or to fund our liquidity needs, we may be forced to reduce or delay our business activities and capital expenditures, sell assets, obtain additional debt or equity capital or restructure or refinance all or a portion of our debt on or before maturity. We cannot assure you that we would be

 

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able to accomplish any of these alternatives on a timely basis or on satisfactory terms, if at all. In addition, the terms of our existing and future indebtedness, including the senior notes and our senior credit facility, may limit our ability to pursue any of these alternatives.

 

Effect of Inflation

 

Inflation generally affects us by increasing our cost of labor, equipment and new materials. We do not believe that inflation has had any material effect on our results of operations during the nine months ended September 30, 2002 and 2003.

 

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

 

In January 2003, the FASB issued FASB Interpretation No. 46 “Consolidation of Variable Interest Entities.” This interpretation of Accounting Research Bulletin No. 51, “Consolidated Financial Statements,” addresses consolidation by business enterprises of variable interest entities. Under current practice, two enterprises generally have been included in consolidated financial statements because one enterprise controls the other through voting interests. This interpretation defines the concept of “variable interests” and requires existing unconsolidated variable interest entities to be consolidated by their primary beneficiaries if the entities do not effectively disperse the risks among the parties involved. This interpretation applies immediately to variable interest entities created after January 31, 2003, and to variable interest entities in which an enterprise obtains an interest after that date. It applies in the first fiscal year or interim period ending after December 15, 2003, to variable interest entities in which an enterprise holds a variable interest that it acquired before February 1, 2003. If it is reasonably possible that an enterprise will consolidate or disclose information about a variable interest entity when this interpretation becomes effective, the enterprise shall disclose information about those entities in all financial statements issued after January 31, 2003. The interpretation may be applied prospectively with a cumulative-effect adjustment as of the date on which it is first applied or by restating previously issued financial statements for one or more years with a cumulative-effect adjustment as of the beginning of the first year restated. We do not believe that FIN 46 has any impact on our financial statements currently. However, if we enter into certain types of transactions in the future, including special purpose entities, then consolidation of that entity with us might be required.

 

In April 2003, the FASB issued Statement No. 149, Accounting for Amendment of Statement 133 on Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities, or FAS 149. The Statement amends and clarifies accounting for derivative instruments, including certain derivative instruments embedded in other contracts, and for hedging activities under Statement 133. This Statement is effective for contracts entered into or modified after June 30, 2003. The adoption of this statement has not had a material impact on our financial statements.

 

In May 2003, the FASB issued Statement No. 150, Accounting for Certain Financial Instruments with Characteristics of both Liabilities and Equity, or FAS 150. This statement establishes standards for how an issuer classifies and measures financial instruments with characteristics of both liabilities and equity. This Statement is effective for financial instruments entered into or modified after May 31, 2003. The adoption of this statement has not had a material impact on our financial statements.

 

Forward-Looking Statements

 

We have made forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 in this report. The words “believes,” “anticipates,” “plans,” “expects,” “intends,” “estimates” and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause our actual results, performance and achievements, or industry results, to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements.

 

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All forward-looking statements in this report are based on information available to us on the date of this report. We undertake no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. All subsequent written and oral forward-looking statements attributable to us, or persons acting on our behalf, are expressly qualified in their entirety by the cautionary statements contained throughout this report.

 

Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk

 

Interest Rate Market Risk

 

We are exposed to changes in interest rates on our senior credit facility. Our senior credit facility is variable rate debt. Interest rate changes therefore generally do not affect the market value of such debt but do impact the amount of our interest payments and, therefore, our future earnings and cash flows, assuming other factors are held constant. As of September 30, 2003, we had variable rate debt of approximately $221.2 million ($212.2 million net of discount). Holding other variables constant, including levels of indebtedness, a one percentage point increase in interest rates on our variable debt would have had an estimated impact on pre-tax earnings and cash flows for the next year of approximately $2.2 million. Under the terms of the senior credit facility at least 45% of our funded debt must bear interest that is effectively fixed. As a result, we may from time to time be required to enter into interest rate protection agreements establishing a fixed maximum interest rate with respect to a portion of our total indebtedness.

 

In March 2003, we entered into an interest rate protection agreement that effectively caps the LIBOR exposure of $100 million of our senior credit facility at 3.0% for a period of two years. As a result of this interest rate protection agreement, approximately 75% of funded debt now bears interest that is effectively fixed as to rate.

 

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BUSINESS

 

Overview

 

We are a global communications technology company specializing in innovative business and network engineering solutions that manage and interconnect voice and data systems throughout the world. Our services include transaction-based technology interoperability, network and call processing services that simplify the interconnection and management of complex voice and data networks. We address technology interoperability complexities as the largest clearinghouse in the United States for the billing and settlement of wireless roaming telephone calls, with an estimated market share of approximately 60% in 2002 based on wireless subscribers. We also own one of the largest unaffiliated Signaling System 7 (SS7) networks in the United States. SS7 is the telecommunication industry’s standard network signaling protocol used by nearly all carriers to enable the setup and delivery of wireless and wireline telephone calls. Our network services also allow our customers to access intelligent network services and monitor network performance and subscriber activity on a real-time basis. In addition, we are the industry’s leading developer and provider of call processing solutions that enable seamless regional, national and international wireless roaming telephone service.

 

Industry Trends

 

Demand for our services is driven primarily by the number of wireless telephone subscribers, the volume of wireless roaming telephone calls and the increasing technological complexities associated with the proliferation of different communication standards and protocols within telecommunication networks. The number of U.S. wireless subscribers has grown from 14.7 million in 1993 to 141.6 million in 2002, according to the Cellular Telecommunications and Internet Association (the CTIA). Kagan World Media estimates that the U.S. wireless subscriber base is expected to grow to over 215.0 million by 2007. In conjunction with the projected growth in the number of U.S. wireless subscribers, we believe the annual number of billable wireless roaming telephone calls will also continue to increase. Growth in wireless subscribers and wireless roaming telephone calls has been driven by improved wireless service quality, decreased cost of service and increased wireless telephone service coverage both in the U.S. and abroad. Wireless telephone service coverage has increased due to the build out of networks in new and existing markets and increased roaming arrangements among carriers that allow customers of one carrier to use another carrier’s network while traveling out of the subscribers’ home market.

 

These developments have been accompanied by increased technological complexities associated with the proliferation of different network architectures, including various mobile switch types (e.g., Lucent, Nortel, Ericsson and Motorola), diverse signaling standards (e.g., CDMA, TDMA, GSM and 3G technologies), distinct billing record formats (e.g., CIBER and TAP) and multiple network protocols (e.g., X.25, Frame Relay, SS7 and IP). Despite these complexities, wireless carriers are required to provide seamless regional, national and international wireless telephone service coverage in order to attract and retain subscribers. We expect these complexities to increase as wireless carriers introduce new network technologies to enable wireless messaging, data and e-commerce solutions.

 

An added complexity to the wireless industry is the federal mandate requiring carriers to offer wireless local number portability (WLNP). The implementation of WLNP impacts nearly every system within a carrier’s operations, including network signaling and routing, switch upgrades, billing, point of sale and customer service. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) mandate, which allows customers to change their telecommunications service provider while keeping their existing telephone number, requires wireless carriers to change or “port” and activate a customer’s service within 2.5 business hours of the initial customer request. By November 24, 2003, wireless operators must offer full portability throughout their networks, including the ability to support roaming. In order to port numbers, carriers need to exchange information with other carriers and transmit information to the regional Number Portability Administration Centers (NPACs). The business and technical impacts of this mandate present significant revenue opportunities for us, as the implementation and management of WLNP technical solutions is not a core competency of carriers.

 

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These technological challenges and federal mandates have made revenue assurance, cost management and delivery of quality service increasingly difficult for carriers. As a result, we believe wireless carriers will increasingly utilize trusted third-party service providers that offer outsourced solutions to assist in the management of interoperability, network and call processing complexities. We believe we offer the most comprehensive and advanced suite of services to meet these carriers’ needs. Our proven capabilities position us well to continue developing innovative solutions to enhance the technological advantage of our services and meet the industry’s evolving requirements.

 

Services

 

We provide a diverse set of services to meet the evolving requirements of the telecommunication services industry. These services include:

 

  Network Services. We provide our customers with connectivity to our SS7 network and other widely used communications networks (e.g., X.25, Frame Relay and IP). SS7 is the telecommunication industry’s standard network signaling protocol used by almost every carrier in North America to enable the setup and delivery of wireless and wireline telephone calls. A telephone call has two components: the call content (e.g., voice, video or data) and the signaling information (e.g., caller information, number called and subscriber validation). SS7 is the transport network for this signaling information. We also provide Web-based analysis and reporting services, allowing our customers to access real-time subscriber activity, monitor their networks, troubleshoot customer care issues and handle network management tasks seamlessly. In addition, use of our SS7 network facilitates access to intelligent network services, such as local number portability (LNP), line information database (LIDB), toll-free database and Caller ID. Our primary services in this group are INLink, Visibility, the SS7 Database Access services, Inpack, and CCNS. We also offer software and services that enable secure application and mobile data communication across multiple devices, software platforms, and networks. Mobile Processing Server (MPS) is an integrated software design and development environment for building mobile solutions that provide a compelling user experience across multiple device form factors ranging from cell phones to PDAs. Secure Collaboration Gateway (SCG) enables enterprise customers to grant selective, controlled access to sensitive data and applications to partners, customers and employees. Business Process Server (BPS) is a high performance workflow-based platform for implementing enterprise information and service integration solutions. Integrated Experience Studio (IES) is a graphical development and service creation environment used in conjunction with the other TSI Brience applications.

 

  Technology Interoperability Services. We address technology interoperability complexities by acting as the primary point of contact for hundreds of wireless carriers for the processing of roaming billing and short message service (SMS) transactions across substantially all network, signaling, billing and messaging standards. Our clearinghouse services have established us as the trusted third party for the collection, translation and exchange of proprietary subscriber billing data and messages between carriers on a secure, confidential and timely basis.

 

  Call Processing Services. We offer telecommunication carriers comprehensive call processing services that employ advanced technologies to provide subscriber verification, call delivery and technical fraud detection and prevention regardless of switch type, billing format or signaling standard. These services support seamless regional, national and international telephone roaming service for wireless subscribers.

 

  Other Outsourcing Services. We provide other value-added outsourcing services including: (i) a prepaid wireless solution that enables wireless carriers to offer prepaid wireless services with national roaming capabilities; (ii) a telematics solution that enables trucking and distribution companies to track vehicle location and improve fleet utilization and (iii) outsourced services that enhance carriers’ ability to manage and consolidate billing for their enterprise customer accounts.

 

Our revenues are primarily generated from transaction-based processing fees. These fees are based on the number of roaming calls/events, the number of automatic, periodic electronic signals sent over our network to

 

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locate and track subscribers and the number of call detail and billing records cleared. Each time a mobile phone user turns on their phone, a transaction is generated. Further use of the phone to place or receive calls or to use specialized services generates transactions for which TSI can charge the wireless service provider.

 

In addition, we earn fixed monthly fees for network connections, principally to our SS7 network, as well as circuit and port fees.

 

Customers

 

We serve more than 275 telecommunication service providers worldwide. Our customer base includes all of the top ten wireless carriers in the United States, including AT&T Wireless, Cingular Wireless, Sprint PCS, Verizon Wireless and T-Mobile. We also serve wireless companies in Latin America, Asia Pacific and Europe, including China Unicom, NTT DoCoMo, T-Mobile International, Telstra, Telefónica, and Telcel among others. In addition, we provide services to wireline providers such as competitive local exchange carriers, local exchange carriers and interexchange carriers. We have a revenue guaranty agreement with respect to revenues from our largest customer, Verizon Wireless. See “Certain Relationships and Related Transactions.”

 

Competitive Strengths

 

We believe that the following strengths will allow us to continue to enhance our operating profitability and cash flow:

 

  Market leader in wireless technology interoperability and call processing. We believe that we offer the most comprehensive and advanced suite of technology interoperability and call processing services to the telecommunication industry. Our technology interoperability services are designed to allow seamless communications between wireless carriers regardless of the communication standards and protocols deployed on their networks. We are the largest wireless clearinghouse in the United States, processing nearly 60% based on wireless subscribers. Wireless clearing and financial settlement support has been a core service offering since our inception and has allowed us to develop trusted third-party relationships with many telecommunication service providers by securely accessing and managing their proprietary subscriber and network data. In addition, we developed many of the wireless industry’s first and leading call processing solutions that enable wireless customers to make and receive calls while roaming regionally, nationally or internationally.

 

  Premier SS7 network provider. We own and operate one of the largest unaffiliated SS7 networks in North America and provide complementary intelligent network and network monitoring services to telecommunication and data network providers. As a single SS7 and intelligent network services source, we provide our customers cost-effective connectivity to the signaling networks of substantially the entire U.S. public-switched telecommunication network, connectivity to international gateways as well as an array of network-enabled services. We believe our SS7 services will continue to grow as carriers as well as enterprise customers increasingly outsource SS7 network connectivity, management and monitoring. We believe this outsourcing trend by carriers is and will continue to be driven by the significant capital required to build a national SS7 network, the cost of providing the required connectivity to all the major domestic SS7 network providers and the technical expertise required to manage the network. Additionally, demand continues to grow for the ancillary services that the SS7 network supports, such as local number portability and calling features. Due to a considerable investment to upgrade our network in 2002, we have the ability to package derivative database products that will convert what was formerly pass-through revenue to margin revenue in what is forecasted to be a sizeable market opportunity.

 

 

Strong customer relationships. Historically, we have experienced minimal customer turnover with contract renewal rates averaging approximately 89% over the last three years. We serve more than 275 telecommunication service providers worldwide. We currently serve all of the top ten wireless carriers in the United States and provide services to a variety of wireline providers. We also have a highly active and respected customer users’ group, which consists of representatives from over 200 customers including AT&T Wireless, Cingular Wireless, Dobson Communications, Sprint PCS and Verizon

 

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Wireless. The TSI Users’ Group allows customers to play a significant role in the development, enhancement and evaluation of our services through monthly meetings. Interaction with this group reduces our research and development expenses and speeds new product development, enhancement and market introduction.

 

  History of innovative product development. We have built our business and reputation by continually identifying new opportunities in the telecommunication marketplace and designing comprehensive solutions that meet carriers’ evolving technology interoperability, network and call processing needs. Our history includes the development of (i) the first automatic roaming call delivery service (Follow Me Roaming), (ii) the first online roaming subscriber monitoring and support system for the industry (Visibility), (iii) the first commercial fraud profiler (FraudX), (iv) the first seamless international roaming solution (UniRoam), (v) our own proprietary IS-41 call processor and (vi) the first nationwide telematics application (OnStar). In addition, we are recognized as a leader in defining and developing industry standards through our work with organizations such as the CTIA, GSM Association (GSMA), CDMA Development Group (CDG) and CIBERNET. For example, we were one of the primary leaders within the GSMA in developing its globally deployed uniform billing standard, TAP3. More recent innovations include the development of a comprehensive suite of services to implement and manage wireless local number portability including service order administration, inter-carrier communications, fallout management, work flow management and porting center management and administration.

 

  Proven business model. We offer mission-critical business and network engineering solutions that manage and interconnect voice and data systems in 26 countries throughout North America, Central and Latin America, Asia Pacific and Europe through a service bureau model that provides us with a strong base of recurring revenues and cash flows. Our transaction-based business model and ability to leverage our fixed cost base offer advantageous scale economies that give us a significant competitive advantage. Beginning in fiscal 1998 through fiscal 2002, we have achieved revenue growth averaging 9.0% annually and EBITDA margins in excess of 28.6%. We believe that the cost, time and potential disruption incurred by a customer in moving to a competitor’s service offering are significant, further strengthening the stability of our revenue base.

 

  Positioned to capitalize on emerging communication industry technologies. We believe the introduction of 2.5G and 3G wireless services (i.e., EDGE, GPRS, wCDMA, CDMA2000 and 1xRTT) will increase the technological complexity of wireless networks and increase the demand for our suite of services. We also believe that our market leadership, strong customer relationships and technical expertise position us well to capitalize both on next generation networks and emerging mobile data technology complexities. In addition, as one of the largest providers of outsourced SS7 and intelligent network services in the United States, we are strategically positioned to provide services to traditional wireless and wireline telecommunication providers, as well as Internet Protocol-based (IP-based) service providers who must access existing public-switched telecommunication networks to serve and expand their customer base. Likewise, we are well positioned to provide consultation and services to new entrants to the telecom market such as Internet content and application developers and wireless local area network (WLAN) providers.

 

  Strong management team. In February 2002, G. Edward Evans became our Chief Executive Officer and Raymond L. Lawless became our Chief Financial Officer. Mr. Evans is a wireless industry leader with extensive experience as President and Chief Operating Officer of Dobson Communications since March 2000, as President of Dobson Communications’ cellular subsidiaries from 1997 to 2000 and in a variety of management positions with BellSouth and GTE from 1989 to 1996. During Mr. Evans’ tenure, Dobson Communications grew from a regional rural wireless company to become one of the largest wireless providers in North America. Mr. Evans is also a board member of the CTIA and Carolina West Wireless. Mr. Lawless is an experienced executive in the telecommunication industry. He served as Vice President Finance and Treasurer for Intermedia Communications Inc. from 1997 to 2001. Prior to Intermedia, Mr. Lawless spent 18 years at Bell Atlantic Corporation in various finance positions. Our senior executive team averages 18 years of experience in the telecommunication industry. We have issued or reserved 12.0% of our common equity for issuance to our senior management team.

 

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Business Strategy

 

We intend to continue to strengthen our market leadership position, maximize profitability and enhance cash flow through the following strategies:

 

  Further penetrate our existing customer base. We intend to continue to aggressively market our current suite of services to our existing customers in order to further diversify our revenue stream and increase per customer revenues. We believe there are significant opportunities to cross-sell our services and further penetrate our existing customers. Many of our customers do not currently purchase all of our available services.

 

  Enhance existing services suite through continued development. We intend to continue addressing customer needs and drive industry standards with industry-leading innovations that enhances the technological advantage of our services. One of our strengths is the technological sophistication and functionality of our services. We take a collaborative approach to service development, leveraging our strong customer relationships as well as our central role in information exchange and problem definition within the wireless industry to continue to meet the demands of our customer base.

 

  Develop innovative new services. We are dedicated to understanding the requirements of our customer base and developing innovative new services to meet the industry’s evolving technology interoperability, network and call processing needs. Throughout our history, we have been successful in identifying and developing mission-critical solutions for carriers. Through our relationships, ongoing dialogue with customers and participation in various industry organizations, we believe we will continue to identify emerging carrier technology complexities. We believe that our proven internal capabilities position us well to develop innovative services to respond to and solve these industry needs.

 

  Capitalize on near-term opportunity in the emerging mobile data market. We are well positioned to capitalize on the emerging mobile data market. Our private IP data service, Inpack, provides connectivity between carriers to allow roaming GSM subscribers to access their home carrier’s data services. Our Message Manager solution enables network access, protocol translation and conversion, routing and delivery of SMS across carrier networks. Our Event Manager solution will addresses clearing and financial settlement for IP-based events such as messaging, m-commerce, mobile financial information services and transactions and Internet content.

 

Demand is growing for mobile, high-speed access to the Internet, corporate intranet and other data applications while traveling. “Virtual” workspaces are being deployed in airports, hotels, cafés and home offices by wireless Internet service providers (WISPs) in these venues. To meet the demand for this type of wireless connectivity, operators must supplement their networks with wireless local area network (WLAN) or “Wi-Fi” access. Our suite of Wi-Fi services addresses the interoperability and business needs associated with this rapidly emerging service.

 

We believe all of these services will help carriers solve the complexities that arise from the deployment of new wireless data technologies.

 

  Penetrate global markets. The number of global wireless subscribers is expected to grow from 1 billion in today to over 2.2 billion by 2005, according to the market research firm EMC (London). We are pursuing additional expansion opportunities in markets outside of North America that we believe will experience high growth and consequently have physically located sales and technical support personnel in Europe and Asia Pacific and are targeting opportunities in Central and Latin America, Europe and Asia/Pacific. We have developed customer relationships with China Unicom, NTT DoCoMo, Hutchison, T-Mobile International, Telefónica and Telstra, among others, many of whom own additional properties throughout the world. Demand for our services globally is driven by carriers’ needs to interconnect national and regional networks to facilitate international wireless roaming and financial clearing and settlement. In addition, complications arising from geographic variations in switch software, message routing standards, network transport and signaling protocols create opportunities to leverage our strong capabilities.

 

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  Expand customer base. We seek to expand our customer base by targeting new telecommunication carriers, as well as customers outside of the traditional wireless and wireline telecommunication services industry. We believe that our separation from Verizon Communications Inc. may allow us to sell additional services to existing customers and to new customers that are Verizon competitors who that may have been concerned that using our services would benefit Verizon. In addition, the convergence of traditional telecommunication networks and IP networks has increased communications complexities and expanded the number of market participants, which include Internet service providers (ISPs), wireless ISPs, content providers, enterprises, mobile virtual network operators (MVNOs) and IP telephony providers. We expect that many of these new market participants will use our technology interoperability, network and call processing services.

 

  Opportunistically acquire complementary businesses. We will explore the possibility of acquiring companies that possess complementary service offerings, technologies and/or customer relationships both in the U.S. and internationally. Through these types of acquisitions, we believe we can broaden our market reach, increase our service offering and enhance our ability to continue providing industry-leading solutions to our customers.

 

Industry Overview

 

Wireless Industry

 

The first wireless carriers in the United States built out their wireless networks by purchasing licenses for analog spectrum and deploying networks on a regional basis. Since then the number of domestic wireless carriers has grown significantly to include hundreds of domestic wireless carriers. In order to improve the quality and decrease the cost of wireless services, carriers introduced new technologies, including second generation (2G) digital air-interface protocols (e.g., TDMA, CDMA and GSM). These improvements increased the U.S. wireless subscriber base from 14.7 million in 1993 to 141.6 million in 2002 (CTIA). The U.S. wireless subscriber base is expected to grow to over 215.0 million by 2007 (Kagan World Media). The significant growth in wireless subscribers and wireless calls has driven our growth and we believe this trend will continue.

 

With the introduction by carriers of 2.5G and 3G services, we expect that the technological and business complexities of the wireless industry will continue to increase. These complexities will be compounded by the introduction of new technologies (e.g., wCDMA, CDMA2000, EDGE, GPRS and 1xRTT), the inclusion of new industry participants (e.g., MVNOs, content providers, advertisers and enterprises) and the introduction of new and advanced services (e.g., m-commerce, SMS, mobile data, location, security, privacy and gateway functions). Interoperability providers like us will be needed to ensure that legacy systems communicate with emerging technologies. We believe that we are well positioned to continue developing innovative solutions that address these increasing complexities by utilizing our broad base of technological skills and our well-established reputation within the telecommunication industry.

 

An added complexity to the wireless industry is the federal mandate requiring carriers to offer wireless local number portability (WLNP). The implementation of WLNP impacts nearly every system within a carrier’s operations, including network signaling and routing, switch upgrades, billing, point of sale and customer service. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) mandate, which allows customers to change their telecommunications service provider while keeping their existing telephone number, requires wireless carriers to change or “port” and activate a customer’s service within 2.5 business hours of the initial customer request. By November 24, 2003, wireless operators must offer full portability throughout their networks, including the ability to support roaming. In order to port numbers, carriers need to exchange information with other carriers and transmit information to the regional Number Portability Administration Centers (NPACs). The business and technical impacts of this mandate present significant revenue opportunities for us, as the implementation and management of WLNP technical solutions is not a core competency of carriers.

 

Technology Interoperability

 

Growth in wireless subscribers and wireless calls has been driven by improved wireless service quality, decreased costs of service and increased wireless telephone coverage. Wireless telephone coverage has increased

 

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due to the build out of networks in new and existing markets and increased roaming arrangements among carriers. The increasing importance to carriers of roaming revenue, the continuing growth in roaming transactions and the necessity for seamless regional, national and international service coverage have made revenue assurance, cost management and delivery of quality service increasingly important for carriers. In order to minimize these complexities, and due to the proprietary nature of subscriber billing and activity data, carriers require a trusted third party to act as the primary contact for the processing of roaming, billing and SMS transactions across substantially all network, signaling and billing standards. We believe we are well positioned to capitalize on expected continued growth in the number of wireless roaming telephone calls and SMS messages.

 

Network Services

 

SS7 is the telecommunication industry’s standard network signaling protocol used by substantially all telecommunication carriers to enable the setup and delivery of telephone calls. A telephone call has two components: the call content (e.g., voice, video or data), and the signaling information (e.g., caller information, number called and subscriber validation). The signaling information is transmitted through the SS7 network, parallel to the call networks, thereby eliminating the need to tie up bandwidth on the call network. Specifically, an SS7 network, which can be comprised of hundreds of network links, identifies available call network routes and designates the circuits and switches to be used for each call. This allows the SS7 network to identify the best call routes for connections, to efficiently manage the telephone networks and to generate transaction records for billing and measurement. In addition, use of an SS7 network facilitates access to intelligent network services (e.g., LNP, LIDB, toll-free database and Caller ID). By using our Web-based analysis and reporting services, carriers also have access to our proprietary analysis and reporting services which enable real-time monitoring and management of their networks and troubleshooting of customer care issues.

 

The Federal Communications Commission’s wireless local number portability (WLNP) mandate allows customers to change their local telecommunications service provider while keeping their existing telephone number. WLNP poses both monumental business and technical challenges for the industry and significant revenue opportunities for us as carriers seek to cost-efficiently meet the FCC requirements with both turnkey and service bureau solutions. We experienced early and rapid adoption of our current suite of WLNP solutions and believe the stringent requirements of the mandate will create the need for additional quick-to-market, high margin products and services that we are well-positioned to provide.

 

The increasing demand for the transmission of data requires wireless carriers to support packet-switched communications protocols including IP and General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) in addition to their legacy circuit-switched telecommunication networks. GPRS roaming enables subscribers to access their GPRS-based wireless data services (e.g., public Internet, corporate intranets, e-mail and m-commerce) while abroad or beyond the reach of their home network. We believe that we are well positioned, primarily due to our Inpack service offering, to benefit from the growth in the transmission of this type of data traffic.

 

Call Processing

 

Improvements in air interface protocols have been accompanied by increasing complexities associated with varying network architectures, including various mobile switch types (e.g., Lucent, Nortel, Ericsson and Motorola), diverse signaling standards (e.g., CDMA, TDMA and GSM), distinct billing record formats (e.g., CIBER and TAP) and multiple billing applications. This multiplicity of technologies requires wireless carriers to use a trusted third party to manage certain functions such as (i) identifying and validating a subscriber when roaming, (ii) obtaining permission from a host carrier to deliver a call, (iii) detecting and preventing fraudulent calls, (iv) providing seamless regional, national and international roaming capabilities, (v) ensuring roamers have the same services when roaming as they do in their home market and (vi) ensuring the call is billed appropriately. These services address a carrier’s profitability by maximizing the delivery of quality wireless service and minimizing the number of fraudulent telephone calls. As a result, we believe that carriers will continue to seek the services of third parties who provide solutions for outsourcing the management of complex call processing issues.

 

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Outsourcing

 

We believe that carriers will continue to outsource to trusted third parties certain operational functions that would require technical expertise and significant capital to implement in-house. We believe that many wireless carriers currently are capital constrained and are focused primarily on operational issues that most directly affect revenue and subscriber growth. These issues include increasing network capacity, integrating recent acquisitions, reducing customer churn, increasing ARPU and introducing data services. Billing system consolidation, technology interoperability and SS7 networks affect a small percentage of a carrier’s total cost base but can cause significant customer service disruption. We believe that carriers will be reluctant to switch providers or concentrate their strategic focus and capital spending in these areas. In addition, due to the proprietary nature of subscriber billing data, carriers will continue to require a trusted third-party intermediary to provide clearinghouse services in a secure and confidential manner.

 

History

 

Our company has been a leading provider of technology interoperability, network and call processing services to the telecommunication industry for more than 15 years. Founded in 1987 as GTE Telecommunication Services Inc., a unit of GTE, our business has grown from a set of three roaming facilitation products into a comprehensive suite of services that address the increasing complexities of the telecommunication industry. With our strong technical expertise, we have developed leading solutions to address many of the wireless industry’s most challenging technology issues.

 

As wireless technologies evolved through the early 1990s, we experienced strong revenue growth and increased demand for new services to serve the growing wireless subscriber base. Our services simplify the interconnection and management of complex and rapidly converging voice and data networks. Our proven internal capabilities position us well to continue developing innovative solutions to enhance the technological advantage of our services and meet the industry’s evolving requirements.

 

We began offering our suite of services globally during the late 1990s as demand for international roaming interoperability grew. In addition to developing a GSM to IS-41 interoperability solution, we expanded our presence in Latin America and Asia/Pacific with key customers such as Telcel, Telefónica, NTT DoCoMo and most recently, China Unicom.

 

In 2000, GTE and Bell Atlantic merged to form Verizon, Inc. As part of that transaction, we became an indirect, wholly-owned subsidiary of Verizon. In addition, to further broaden our services suite and expand our wireline customer base, we acquired GTE’s Intelligent Network Services business in June of 2000. The integration of this business provided our company with a national SS7 network as well as access to databases for local number portability, toll-free calling and line information database access.

 

In February 2002, we were acquired by TSI Inc., a corporation owned by TSI LLC, whose members include affiliates and co-investors of GTCR Golder Rauner, LLC and members of our senior management. Today, we operate as a profitable business that offers a complete suite of technology interoperability, network and call processing solutions. We believe that we are the largest provider of wireless roaming financial clearing services in the world based on the amount of revenues we receive from wireless carriers. We also operate one of the largest unaffiliated SS7 networks in the United States and provide complementary intelligent network and database services to telecommunication and data network providers. We are also the leading provider of best-in-class subscriber verification, call processing and fraud detection and prevention solutions to the wireless industry.

 

On July 23, 2003, we acquired Brience by merging Brience with and into TSI Brience, a newly formed wholly owned subsidiary of TSI Networks with TSI Brience continuing as the surviving entity and a wholly owned subsidiary of TSI Networks. Historically, Brience developed and sold information access and integration software products to large enterprises. At the time of the merger, however, Brience’s business was limited to selling and servicing its Mobile Processing Server product.

 

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Products and Services

 

We provide a diverse set of technology interoperability, network and call processing services to meet the evolving requirements of the telecommunication services industry.

 

Network Services

 

Through our diverse network architecture, we provide connectivity to SS7 and other network transport protocols such as X.25, Frame Relay and GPRS. Many of our service capabilities are based on our SS7 network that enables call set up, call delivery and access to intelligent network services such as Caller ID, local number portability and LIDB. SS7 is the industry standard used by almost every switched telephone operator in North America to identify available network routes and to designate the circuit used for each individual telephone call. As a single SS7 and intelligent network services source, we provide our customers cost-effective connectivity to the signaling networks of substantially the entire U.S. public-switched telecommunication network, global connectivity and an array of SS7 network-enabled services. Our SS7 network and related services allow our customers to monitor network performance and subscriber activity on a real-time basis. For our Frame Relay and other network services, the circuits are provided by a variety of global vendors. As a leading independent provider of SS7 network services, we support interoperability through hundreds of network links distributed over six signaling transfer point, or STP, pairs. We have approximately 350 Frame Relay connections (both via public provider or our private Frame Relay backbone). We have eleven customers using our General Packet Radio Service Roaming Exchange, or GRX, network for GPRS service. These customers account for substantially all of the existing domestic traffic for GPRS services.

 

Our primary network service solutions include INLink, Visibility, SS7 Database Access for intelligent network services, Inpack and CCNS. We generate revenues from these service solutions primarily by charging per-transaction processing fees, circuit fees and port fees.

 

  INLink—Our SS7 service, INLink, provides wireless carriers with network connectivity and access to a variety of advanced services and features such as network management, fraud control, call setup, call delivery and intelligent network services (LIDB, LNP and Caller ID). INLink offers seamless connectivity and interoperability regardless of location, switch type, signaling protocol or network protocol.

 

  Visibility—Our Visibility services provide wireless carriers with valuable operational analysis tools for real-time monitoring of subscriber activity both within a carrier’s own network and across multiple carrier networks. Visibility allows for timely resolution of customer service issues and for detection and prevention of fraudulent calls. Visibility also enables wireless carriers to view roaming activity in their own markets as well as their subscribers’ roaming activity in other markets, in a user-friendly, Web-based reporting environment. As one of the industry’s most comprehensive SS7 network monitoring and analysis tools, Visibility combines validation, authentication and call delivery messages sent over SS7 networks with similar information from our other services. SS7 information is collected either at our intelligent network STPs or at carriers’ own STPs. Visibility also gives carriers the ability to reinstate service for subscribers who are experiencing problems while roaming on another carrier’s network without involving the other carrier.

 

  SS7 Database Access—Our SS7 network services provide database access for intelligent network services such as local number portability, wireless local number portability, line information database service, toll-free service and Caller ID.

 

  Local Number Portability (LNP)—Local number portability allows a wireline telephone subscriber to switch local service providers while keeping the same telephone number. We manage interactions with number portability databases and provide database queries on a per-call basis, thereby allowing carriers to deploy local number portability without the high cost of building their own infrastructure. In 1996, the FCC mandated that incumbent local exchange carriers implement wireline number portability in all major U.S. markets beginning in 1999.

 

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  Wireless Local Number Portability—Wireless local number portability allows a wireless telephone subscriber to switch wireless service providers while keeping the same telephone number. Today, all of our services are capable of supporting the technical requirements for wireless local number portability. Additionally, we are actively developing the operational support systems that will be required by wireless carriers to facilitate the intercarrier exchange of subscribers. Wireless carriers have been mandated to provide wireless local number portability by November 24, 2003.

 

  Line Information Database (LIDB) Access and Transport—We provide access to line information databases which are developed and maintained by telecommunication carriers that provide subscriber information necessary to provide enhanced services such as validating telephone numbers and billing information. The SS7 network then determines the appropriate database to validate the card number, routes the information to the switch that analyzes the response and determines how to treat the call.

 

  Toll-Free Database Access and Transport—Our SS7 network provides access to a database of all toll-free numbers in the United States to provide effective call routing by returning the response to our customer for call routing.

 

  Caller Name Database—We develop and maintain calling name database access, allowing carriers to query many regional Bell operating companies and major independent telephone carriers and reduce the “name not available” messages that customers receive. We also manage and operate a database for storage of incumbent local exchange carrier, competitive local exchange carrier and wireless calling name records.

 

  Inpack—Inpack is a suite of services that enables subscribers to have seamless access to their home carriers’ GPRS network while roaming both nationally and internationally. Inpack is a GRX offering for GPRS and serves as a virtual private network, or VPN, for other emerging services, such as signaling solutions, billing, clearing and settlement services. The service offers secure access to home based e-commerce, public Internet, corporate intranets and e-mail systems to roaming subscribers.

 

  CCNS—Our Cellular Carrier Network Services, or CCNS, provide network circuits that interconnect carriers’ cell sites or switches to other switches or network elements across local access transport areas, or LATA, or state boundaries. These circuits can be used for transmitting high-speed data, voice or video.

 

  Mobile Processing Server—an integrated software design and development environment for building mobile solutions that provide a compelling user experience across multiple device form factors ranging from cell phones to PDAs

 

  Secure Collaboration Gateway—enables enterprise customers to grant selective, controlled access to sensitive data and applications to partners, customers and employees.

 

  Business Process Server—a high performance workflow-based platform for implementing enterprise information and service integration solutions

 

  Integrated Experience Studio—a graphical development and service creation environment used in conjunction with the other TSI Brience applications

 

Technology Interoperability Services

 

We provide the wireless industry with technology interoperability solutions to facilitate the processing of roaming billing and SMS messages and data required for seamless regional, national and international wireless roaming telephone service. To provide ubiquitous service to wireless customers, wireless carriers enter into inter-carrier roaming agreements that govern pricing and business rules associated with one carrier providing service to another carrier’s customers. To manage network availability and to properly bill these subscribers for roaming charges, wireless carriers must exchange data across various billing protocols and integrate that data with their existing billing and management information systems. As the wireless industry has evolved, we have developed solutions that address underlying interoperability complexities including the translation of various network, signaling and billing protocols to allow different wireless carriers to communicate. Our clearinghouse services

 

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have established us as the trusted third party for the collection, translation and distribution of the information required to initiate, complete, monitor and bill telecommunication services provided by one carrier to numerous other carriers’ customers. Our services are also used to clear roaming traffic between multiple billing systems within a single carrier. We are the largest wireless clearinghouse in the United States, processing nearly 60% based on wireless subscribers.

 

Our primary technology interoperability services that we offer for clearing and financial settlement are ACCESS, ACCESS S&E, UniRoam, Wholesale Rating Engine, Access Revenue Management and Message Manager. These services allow the exchange of proprietary subscriber billing data through a trusted third party on a secure and confidential basis, ensuring the timely exchange of roaming data and compliance with established business rules for roaming activity between carriers. We primarily generate revenues by charging per-transaction processing fees.

 

  ACCESS—Our primary clearing and financial settlement service, ACCESS, enables the timely exchange of billing data between domestic and international wireless service providers, accurately converts and processes multiple billing protocols and manages complex accounting procedures. ACCESS simplifies the exchange of CIBER billing data between IS-41-based carriers (CDMA, TDMA, AMPS) and their roaming partners. This service generates user-friendly, on-line reports with daily and monthly summaries of key data.

 

  ACCESS S&E—ACCESS S&E is our service that provides ACCESS-like functionality to GSM carriers. ACCESS S&E provides for the exchange of billing data between GSM carriers and their GSM and IS-41 roaming partners. ACCESS S&E also has Web-based reporting systems that provide daily and monthly summaries of key data.

 

  UniRoam—UniRoam simplifies interstandard and international roaming (IS-41/GSM) by providing carriers with subscriber call origination, automatic call delivery and home wireless system billing. UniRoam provides interoperability between different cellular network protocols, including ANSI-41/CIBER (used in CDMA, TDMA and AMPS networks) and GSM-MAP/TAP, using our network and infrastructure as a common point of mediation and provides seamless coverage across international borders.

 

  Wholesale Rating Engine—The Wholesale Rating Engine, or WRE, service converts raw switch data into billing records that include pricing information for wireless carriers that do not rate their roaming traffic. The Wholesale Rating Engine can convert, rate and edit records in either the CIBER or TAP standard formats, thereby supporting interoperability for cross-standard roaming.

 

  Access Revenue Management—Access Revenue Management, or ARMS, is a secure, end-to-end solution that provides wireline carriers with the data collection, conversion, rating, billing and reporting necessary to assure revenue from carrier access billing and reciprocal compensation. We collect data from various record formats and provide analytical tools, rating and conversion services to enable carriers to optimize revenues from inter-carrier access billing.

 

  Message Manager—Our Message Manager solution enables network access, protocol translation, routing and delivery of short message service (SMS) messages across carrier networks. According to Mobile Lifestream, the number of short messages sent on a world-wide basis via SMS is expected to grow to approximately 79 billion per month in 2005 from approximately 20 billion per month in 2000. As SMS use grows, the demand will increase for interoperability, network and value-added services to enable seamless delivery and receipt of these messages.

 

  Event Manager—Event Manager addresses a variety of wireless Internet events including messaging, m-commerce, mobile financial, Internet content, intranet access, entertainment and location-based applications. It simplifies the management and administration of the business relationships established between content providers and wireless operators, as well as that between wireless operators and their subscribers. This solution facilitates virtual roaming with wireless Internet partners, via data collection, rating, clearing and settlement and reporting of wireless data records for wireless operators and content providers

 

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Call Processing Services

 

We developed many of the wireless industry’s first and leading solutions for wireless subscriber verification, call processing and technical fraud detection and prevention. For a wireless subscriber to make and accept calls, as well as to access custom services while roaming on another operator’s network, the host operator must validate with the home operator that the customer is an authorized subscriber on a specified service plan. As the wireless industry has evolved, we have developed subscriber verification and call delivery solutions that address interoperability complexities by translating and converting various network, signaling and billing protocols to facilitate wireless roaming service coverage and telephone call delivery. Our comprehensive, integrated fraud management solutions employ advanced technologies to provide flexible, efficient fraud detection and fraud prevention, regardless of switch type, software release version or industry standard. Our integrated service offerings provide a total authentication solution and comprehensive protection for subscribers.

 

Our primary call processing services are FraudManager, Follow Me Roaming Plus, Key Management Center and FraudX. We generate revenues from these services primarily by charging per-transaction processing fees and licensing software.

 

  FraudManager—Our FraudManager solution verifies a subscriber’s eligibility to receive service while roaming in another carrier’s market. This is enabled by our proprietary call processor, which can replicate mobile switching center functionality to serve functions such as the Home Location Register (HLR) or Visited Location Register (VLR). The call processor can also communicate with carriers’ switches on a peer-to-peer basis, thereby replicating home, visited or foreign Mobile Switching Center (MSC) functionality. This provides the capability to expeditiously and cost-effectively address industry and customer issues without being dependent upon third-party switch manufacturers (e.g., Lucent, Motorola, Nortel). FraudManager is recognized as one of the industry’s premier pre-call validation services that detects and blocks a fraudulent call on an invalid user’s first attempt.

 

  Follow Me Roaming Plus—Follow Me Roaming Plus (FMR Plus) is an advanced call delivery system that provides roaming subscribers with seamless activation and call delivery when traveling between  IS-41 markets. The service facilitates roaming by creating a temporary identity for roaming subscribers in visited networks and allows them to maintain their custom calling features while roaming. Our FMR Plus solution enables carriers to provide seamless roaming through compatibility with all major switch types and interoperability with non IS-41 environments.

 

  Key Management Center—Our Key Management Center provides carriers with an affordable authentication service to prevent wireless fraud. In the authentication process, the exchange of authentication keys (A-Key) between carriers and multiple wireless equipment manufacturers requires establishing numerous electronic data interchange (EDI) connections. Both wireless carriers and wireless equipment manufacturers can benefit from the increased efficiency and security of using us as a single source to coordinate storage, retrieval and distribution of A-Keys. By doing so, A-Key distribution and management between manufacturers and wireless carriers are greatly simplified. Administrative and network costs are reduced. Wireless carriers also save the costs of developing secure storage and EDI transmission capabilities.

 

  FraudX—FraudX is our technical fraud detection and prevention solution. Our fraud profiling system uses near real-time data from mobile switches to create a unique profile for each subscriber, based upon the subscriber’s incoming and outgoing call records. After the subscriber profiles are established, FraudX continually compares each subscriber’s calling activity to his or her profile and to known fraudulent profiles, constantly monitoring events and generating alerts in case of usage pattern deviation. FraudX also allows for subtle variations in subscriber activity and updates the subscribers’ profiles with new, legitimate calling patterns as they emerge.

 

Other Outsourcing Services

 

We also offer a broad range of additional value-added outsourcing services. These services help customers address declining voice ARPU, reduce operating costs and reduce customer turnover.

 

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Our primary other outsourcing services include Prepaid Wireless, Fleet-On-Track and STREAMLINER.

 

  STREAMLINER—STREAMLINER allows wireless carriers to present their enterprise customers with a single consolidated bill when service is provided by multiple carriers across different markets. This solution also helps enterprise customers to better understand their wireless invoice by providing a tool that analyzes complex business account structures and large volumes of usage data.

 

  Fleet-On-Track—Fleet-On-Track is a platform technology that enables trucking and other distribution companies to track their fleets of vehicles throughout the country, providing for better utilization and resource management. This solution was a precursor to our work as the original developer of the OnStar technology that provides wireless access to directions, restaurant guides and emergency roadside assistance.

 

  Prepaid Wireless—We offer a prepaid wireless solution that enables carriers to offer national prepaid service to their subscribers. Our prepaid wireless service enables subscribers to make and receive calls throughout North America and to make calls with the same dialing pattern as post-paid, with no access codes or personal identification numbers. The service tracks prepaid airtime levels and alerts subscribers when airtime accounts are exhausted. Prepaid wireless is available in two deployment options. As a service bureau offering, we own and maintain the entire prepaid solution. As a hybrid offering, the wireless operator owns and maintains the on-site call management hardware, while we own and maintain the database and real-time rating engine hardware and software.

 

Customers

 

We serve more than 275 telecommunication service providers in 26 North American, Latin American, Asia Pacific and European countries with our extensive portfolio of solutions. We maintain strong and collaborative relationships with our customers which include wireless and wireline carriers such as ALLTEL, AT&T Wireless, Cingular Wireless, Dobson Communications, Sprint PCS, U.S. Cellular Corp. and Verizon Wireless as well as wireline carriers such as XO Communications. We also serve wireless companies in Latin America, Asia Pacific and Europe, including China Unicom, NTT DoCoMo, T-Mobile International and Telefónica, among others. We believe that maintaining strong relationships with our customers is one of our core competencies and that maintaining these relationships is critical to our success.

 

Our top ten customers accounted for approximately 62.7% of our revenues for the year ended December 31, 2002. Our largest customer is Verizon (Verizon Wireless, Verizon Network Services and other Verizon affiliates), which accounted for approximately 31.0%, 33.9% and 33.1%, of our revenues in 2002, 2001 and 2000, respectively. We have a revenue guaranty agreement with respect to revenues from Verizon Wireless. Our customer base includes wireless companies in the U.S., Latin America, Asia/Pacific and Europe. In addition, we also provide services to wireline providers such as competitive local exchange carriers, local exchange carriers and interexchange carriers.

 

Historically, we have experienced a low level of customer turnover and have contract renewal rates averaging approximately 89% over the last three years. This dedication to provide superior solutions and services to our customers is evident in that we currently serve all of the top ten wireless carriers in the U.S. and many premier wireline providers.

 

Sales and Marketing

 

Our Sales and Marketing organizations include 108 people, as of October 31, 2003, who work together to identify and address customer needs and concerns, deliver comprehensive services, develop a clear and consistent corporate image and offer a best-in-class customer support system designed to give customers efficient, courteous and expert advice on a timely basis.

 

 

Sales. The sales department was reorganized from a centralized sales force to a globally focused sales force in 2002 to better serve the needs of existing customers and to identify new opportunities more

 

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quickly. Sales directors are organized geographically with individuals responsible for North America, Central and Latin America, Asia Pacific and Europe/Middle East/Africa. Regional sales managers are located throughout the U.S. to serve top tier customers in the Northeast, Northwest, Midwest and the southern U.S. Account managers are product specialists and work as a team with the regional sales managers and directors to respond to customer needs. Compensation for our sales force is composed of an industry-competitive base salary and a variable component based on sales quota attainment.

 

  Marketing. Our marketing organization is comprised of channel distribution managers, product managers and marketing services employees. Channel distribution managers are responsible for working with the sales organization to develop specific pricing options, current and future product needs, revenue forecasts and projected market opportunities. Our product managers are responsible for managing the product’s positioning through the life cycle as well as managing costs and initial pricing. This includes development of a product plan, product development requirements, resource planning and vendor management if appropriate. Each product manager coordinates a cross-functional product team with participants from several functional areas within our organization including sales, technology and operations. These product team participants are responsible for coordinating the execution of the product plan within their functional teams. Marketing services employees work with channel distribution managers and product managers to determine appropriate allocation of funding for and coordinate advertising, promotions, media relations, speaking opportunities, trade shows and our users’ group.

 

Operations and Customer Support

 

We have 178 employees, as of October 31, 2003, from a number of groups within our organization dedicated to managing our own internal operations and processes and supporting our customers.

 

  Internal Operations Support. Our Internal Technology Support group manages our internal hardware and software technology program as well as the LAN, Internet, email and departmental server data centers for our employees. This group is responsible for the TSI Solution Gateway, our system for customer problem management, and also provides management information software solutions and support that enable efficient operations within our organization. Other internal operations functions include information security, supplier management, facilities management and disaster recovery. All provide mission-critical support to our employees in achieving strategic objectives and help ensure our ability to continue to serve our customers effectively.

 

  Customer Service, Documentation and Training. Our Customer Service organization provides “front-line” support for our services to our global customers. New support personnel are recruited for their multi-lingual, interpersonal and customer care skills, and are provided intensive product training prior to accepting direct customer interface responsibility. Our Documentation and Training group publishes the technical documentation accompanying our portfolio of services in multiple languages, and also travels nationally and internationally to provide strategic customer training in our services suite. The group has established world-class training facilities in Tampa, where it sponsors regular customer and employee program offerings, and has also developed Web-based real-time training that our customers have successfully utilized as a remote training option.

 

Technology

 

The Technology group comprises 228 professionals and performs all functions associated with the design, development, testing, implementation and operational support of our services. The Technology group balances technology and business priorities and enhances TSI’s ability to deliver timely and cost-effective solutions.

 

The primary functions of the Technology group include:

 

 

Product Development and Life Cycle. These groups deliver new product developments, enhancements and maintenance releases in a timely manner and develops integrated solutions that address customer

 

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needs across multiple areas including billing, messaging, decision support and reporting. These groups also constantly monitor technology developments to ensure that we leverage our legacy investments while developing new technologies that provide flexible and cost effective solutions to our customers.

 

  Operational Support Services. These groups provide 24 hours/7 days a week operational support for our Products to ensure a high level of service and system availability to our customers. These groups work with the other Technology groups to identify and implement proactive measures to meet our customer commitments.

 

  Technology Services. This group is responsible for maintaining the high overall quality of customer service through centralized testing, system/data base administration and configuration management. This group also works with our vendors on system performance management, capacity planning and system tuning.

 

Network Operations

 

We have 69 employees, as of October 31, 2003, dedicated to network provisioning, monitoring and support.

 

  Network Operations Center. We maintain a state-of-the-art Network Operations Center (NOC) that actively monitors our applications network and our connections to our customers, providing support both domestically and internationally 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year. Our NOC proactively identifies potential application, operating system, network, switch connectivity and call processing problems and manages those problems through resolution with customers in conjunction with IXCs, LECs, field engineering, our internal product support and product development teams, and hardware and software vendors.

 

  Network Services. This group designs, develops and supports our SS7 and IP-based Intelligent Network Service offerings and works closely with our other functional departments and vendors to ensure that we are engineering and monitoring cost effective and reliable network solutions which meet our customers’ needs.

 

Business Development and Strategy

 

Our Business Development and Strategy organization is composed of 11 people as of October 31, 2003 and is responsible for strategy development, new business initiatives, first office applications, technology planning and market planning. This group is responsible for developing integrated and achievable short– and long-term business plans in support of our vision and strategic plan. This responsibility extends from initial concept through first customer implementation, including strategic partnership development and contract negotiations. This group develops strategies that leverage technology evolution and designs solutions to technical problems associated with our core business and new business initiatives.

 

Employees

 

At October 31, 2003, we had approximately 641 employees, including 636 full-time and 5 part-time employees, none of whom are represented by a union. We believe our relations with employees are good.

 

Competition

 

We believe we are the only company that offers a full suite of technology interoperability, network and call processing services. However, we compete with a number of U.S. and international companies in specific areas of our business.

 

 

Network Services. Our competitors for SS7 network connectivity and intelligent network services include Verisign, Southern New England Telephone (SNET), Transaction Network Services (TNS) and regional Bell operating companies. Wireless and wireline carriers may also choose to deploy and

 

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manage their own in-house SS7 networks. Our Inpack packet data network service competes with a variety of carriers including Sonera and Cable & Wireless in the U.S. and also Global Crossing, France Telecom, KPNQwest, and Comfone (a subsidiary of Swisscom) internationally.

 

  Technology Interoperability Services. Our primary competitors in the U.S. technology interoperability market are EDS and Verisign. Internationally, our ACCESS and ACCESS S&E services compete with EDS, MACH and Dan Net. In the wireline clearinghouse services marketplace, we encounter Communications Data Group (CDG), INTEC Telecom Systems/CHA Systems, Aptis/EUR Data Center and Daleen Technologies. Certain wireless carriers also choose to deploy in-house interoperability and billing solutions for clearing internal and affiliate traffic.

 

  Call Processing Services. Our call processing services primarily compete with turnkey products from vendors such as Logica and HNC Software/Systems Link. Internationally, we compete primarily with turnkey product vendors such as Logica. Our subscriber verification and key management services compete with CMG Telecommunication Inc., DSC Communications, HNC Software/SystemsLink and others. Our wireless fraud prevention solutions compete primarily with carrier-deployed software solutions from Bassett Telecom Solutions, HNC Software/SystemsLink, Compaq, Dynamics Research Corp (DRC), ECTel, Lightbridge/Corsair and others. Also, certain carriers may choose to deploy in-house call processing and fraud detection and prevention solutions.

 

  Other Outsourcing Services. We compete with Boston Communications Group, Lightbridge/Corsair, HNC Software/SystemsLink and others in the provisioning of prepaid wireless account management services. Certain wireless carriers have developed their own services rather than utilize our STREAMLINER service.

 

Competitive factors in the market for our services primarily include breadth and quality of services offered, price, development capability and new product innovation.

 

Governmental Regulation

 

We are not subject to the direct regulation of the FCC or any state utility regulatory commission. Some of our customers, however, may be subject to federal or state regulation that could have an indirect effect on our business. Because we do not provide voice-grade or data services that are deemed to be common carrier telecommunication services, we do not anticipate that our services will be subject to regulation by the FCC or state public utility commissions.

 

Environmental Regulation

 

We are subject to a broad range of federal, foreign, state and local laws and regulations relating to the pollution and protection of the environment and health and safety. Among the many environmental requirements applicable to us are laws relating to air emission, wastewater discharges and the handling, disposal and release of solid and hazardous substances and wastes. Based on continuing internal review and advice from independent consultants, we believe that we are currently in substantial compliance with applicable environmental requirements.

 

We are also subject to laws, such as CERCLA, that may impose liability retroactively and without fault for releases or threatened releases of hazardous substances at on-site or off-site locations. We are not aware of any material releases for which we may be liable under CERCLA or any other environmental or health and safety law.

 

We do not currently anticipate any material adverse effect on our operations, financial condition or competitive position as a result of our efforts to comply with environmental requirements. Some risk of environmental liability is inherent, however, in the nature of our business, and we cannot assure you that material environmental liabilities will not arise. It is also possible that future developments in environmental regulation could lead to material environmental compliance or cleanup costs.

 

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Intellectual Property Rights

 

We consider our patents, patent licenses and trademarks, in the aggregate, to be important to our business and seek to protect this proprietary know-how in part through U.S. and foreign patent and trademark registrations. Certain of our patents are also important individually. We currently maintain 41 registered trademarks and seven patents in the United States and in foreign countries. In addition, we maintain certain trade secrets for which, in order to maintain the confidentiality of such trade secrets, we have not sought patent protection. Concurrent with our purchase from Verizon Communications by TSI Inc., we entered into an intellectual property agreement with Verizon Communications and Verizon Information Services pursuant to which:

 

  we and the Verizon companies each conveyed an undivided joint ownership interest to the other in certain of our respective unregistered intellectual property;

 

  the Verizon companies and their affiliates granted a limited, royalty-free, non-exclusive, worldwide license of certain of our respective registered intellectual property to us and our affiliates;

 

  we granted a limited royalty-free, non-exclusive, worldwide license of certain of our registered intellectual property to the Verizon companies and their affiliates;

 

  the Verizon companies and their affiliates granted a limited, royalty-free, non-exclusive, worldwide license of certain third-party intellectual property to us pursuant to their right to sublicense such materials;

 

  the Verizon companies conveyed and transferred to us certain of their intellectual property; and

 

  the Verizon companies and their affiliates generally agreed to be indefinitely prohibited from using any of the intellectual property that we license to them under the intellectual property agreement to offer goods or services that compete with us, whether such goods or services are provided to third parties or used internally.

 

See “Certain Relationships and Related Transactions—Intellectual Property Agreement.”

 

Properties

 

As of September 30, 2003, our principal facility was 186,000 square feet of leased office space in Tampa, Florida that we use for headquarters and administration purposes. The lease expires on October 31, 2006, subject to renewal terms. We lease several other small immaterial facilities for office space and STP equipment storage.

 

We consider our properties to be in good condition generally and believe that our facilities are adequate to meet our anticipated requirements.

 

Legal Proceedings

 

We are currently a party to various claims and legal actions that arise in the ordinary course of business. We believe such claims and legal actions, individually and in the aggregate, will not have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations.

 

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MANAGEMENT

 

Directors and Executive Officers

 

Our executive officers and directors are as follows:

 

Name


   Age

  

Position


G. Edward Evans

   42   

Chief Executive Officer, Director

Raymond L. Lawless

   48   

Chief Financial Officer, Director

Michael O’Brien

   38   

Vice President—Marketing

Paul A. Wilcock

   56   

Vice President—Technology

Wayne Nelson

   42   

Vice President—Controller

Gilbert Mosher

   56   

Vice President—Operations/Customer Support

Robert Garcia, Jr.

   41   

General Counsel

Charles A. Drexler

   48   

Vice President—Sales

Linda Hermansen

   38   

Vice President—Business Development & Strategy

Eugene Bergen Henegouwen

   44   

Managing Director—European Operations

Paul Corrao

   49   

Vice President —Network Operations

David A. Donnini

   38   

Director

Collin E. Roche

   32   

Director

Odie C. Donald

   54   

Director

Tony G. Holcombe

   48   

Director

 

G. Edward Evans became our Chief Executive Officer and Director in February 2002. From January 1997 until January 2002, Mr. Evans was employed by Dobson Communications Corporation, serving as the President of its cellular subsidiaries and then as the President and Chief Operating Officer of Dobson Communications Corporation itself. Mr. Evans was employed by BellSouth Mobility, Inc. from 1993 to 1996, serving as General Manager—Kentucky, Director of Field Operations at BellSouth’s corporate office in Atlanta and Director of Marketing—Alabama. He was an Area Manager and a Market Manager of U.S. Cellular from 1990 to 1993 and was Sales Manager of GTE Mobilnet from 1989 to 1990. Mr. Evans serves on the boards of the CTIA and Carolina West Wireless. He holds an MBA from Georgia State University.

 

Raymond L. Lawless became our Chief Financial Officer in February 2002 and a Director as of March 2003. From October 2001 to February 2002, Mr. Lawless provided financial consulting services to telecommunication companies. Mr. Lawless worked for Intermedia Communications Inc. from April 1997 to September 2001 serving as Vice President Finance and Treasurer. During his tenure at Intermedia, Mr. Lawless was responsible for capital formation, treasury operations, risk management, corporate development, forecasting, strategic planning, budgeting, management reporting and investor relations support. Prior to that, Mr. Lawless spent 18 years at Bell Atlantic Corporation in various finance positions. Mr. Lawless holds a BS in Business Administration from West Chester University and an MBA from the University of Arkansas.

 

Michael O’Brien has served as Vice President—Marketing since January 2003. Prior to that, he served as Vice President—Marketing/Business Development from September 2002 to January 2003 and Vice President—Marketing from August 2001 to September 2002. Previously he served as Assistant Vice President—Marketing from November of 2000 to August 2001 and Marketing Director—North American Wireless from June of 1999 to November of 2000. From January of 1999 to June of that same year, Mr. O’Brien worked as an independent consultant. From August of 1997 to January of 1999, Mr. O’Brien held the position of Director of Operations at GE LogistiCom, a satellite communications business. Prior to his employment with GE LogistiCom, Mr. O’Brien served as a Product Manager with us from March of 1996 to August of 1997. He has over 9 years experience with us in various marketing and operations positions. Mr. O’Brien holds a BS in Computer Science from the University of Virginia.

 

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Paul A. Wilcock has served as Vice President—Technology since September 2002. Prior to that he served as Vice President—Business Development and Strategy from August 2001 to September 2002. Having joined us in 1992, Mr. Wilcock previously served as Assistant Vice President—Business Development and Strategy, Assistant Vice President—Marketing, Director—Product Development and Support Services and Director—Enterprise Technology. Mr. Wilcock began his GTE career in 1975 and has held numerous positions of increasing responsibility in engineering, operations, marketing and strategy development. Mr. Wilcock graduated in Telecommunications from Leeds College of Engineering and Science (England) and holds an MBA from Wake Forest University.

 

Wayne Nelson has served as Vice President—Controller since August 2002. From September 2000 to August 2002 Mr. Nelson served as Director—Finance and previously he served as Director—Customer Support. Mr. Nelson began his GTE career as a Finance Associate in 1987. He has over 11 years experience with us in various marketing, operations and finance positions. Mr. Nelson holds a BA in Economics from the University of Rochester and an MBA in Finance/Statistics from Rutgers University.

 

Gilbert Mosher has served as Vice President—Operations/Customer Support since August 2001 and previously served as Assistant Vice President—Information Technology, responsible for overseeing our software development. Prior to that, Mr. Mosher held various positions with increasing responsibility in the technical and management areas beginning with a position as a Programmer Analyst with GTE in 1979. Mr. Mosher joined us in January, 1996 as Assistant Vice President—Information Technology. He earned a BS in Professional Management from Nova Southeastern University and was elected as a member of Alpha Chi, National College Honor Scholarship Society. He also holds an MBA from Nova Southeastern University.

 

Robert Garcia, Jr. became our General Counsel in February 2002. Prior to being appointed to General Counsel, he served as Associate General Counsel since September 2000. Mr. Garcia joined us in 1995 as in-house legal counsel. Prior to that, he was in private practice in Washington, D.C. Mr. Garcia received his law degree from the National Law Center, George Washington University and has a BA in Political Science from the University of South Florida.

 

Charles A. Drexler became our Vice President—Sales in June 2002. Prior to joining us, Mr. Drexler served as director-project development for MetroPCS from March 2002 to June 2002. Mr. Drexler provided consulting services to telecommunications companies from August 2001 to March of 2002. From 1989 to July 2001, Mr. Drexler held positions of increasing responsibility at Lucent/AT&T. During his tenure at Lucent/AT&T he was responsible for managing and developing domestic and international sales territories. Mr. Drexler holds BA in education from the University of Texas-El Paso.

 

Linda Hermansen became our Vice President—Business Development and Strategy in January 2003. From November 1997 to January 2003, she served as Director—Marketing and Business Development. Ms. Hermansen began her GTE career in 1989 with the GTE Telephone Operations finance department where she held various positions of increasing responsibility within business analysis. Ms. Hermansen holds a bachelor of science degree in economics from the University of Illinois and an MBA from Butler University.

 

Eugene Bergen Henegouwen became our Managing Director – European Operations in May 2003. Mr. Bergen Henegouwen, a Dutch native, has held a variety of high tech executive level positions in the United States and The Netherlands. Prior to joining us, he was CEO and Chairman of Invention Machine Corporation from January 2001 to November 2002. From January 1999 to December 2000 he was CEO and president of AVIO Digital Inc. and from April 1995 to December 1998 he was CEO of Philips Creative Display Solutions in The Netherlands. Mr. Bergen Henegouwen has also held senior level management positions with Philips Consumer Electronics, Business Electronics, Monitors and Philips Telecommunications and Data Systems. He holds a master of science degree and a bachelor of science degree in electrical engineering from Delft University of Technology in The Netherlands.

 

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Paul Corrao became our Vice President – Network Operations in July 2003. He has held several senior level customer care and operations positions throughout his 29-year career. From February 2002 to July 2003 he was Vice President – Operations for EPIX and from August 1999 to October 2001 he was Vice President  – Service Delivery for Intermedia Communications. Mr. Corrao spent 26 years with AT&T where he managed such areas as switching quality control, VTNS operations, 800 and business application services, ISDN installations and customer care. He also worked with Bell Atlantic’s Global Network division. He holds a master of science degree from the Stevens Institute of Technology and a BA in computer science from the City University of New York (CUNY).

 

David A. Donnini has served as a Director since February 2002. Mr. Donnini is currently a Principal of GTCR Golder Rauner, LLC, which he joined in 1991. He previously worked as an associate consultant with Bain & Company. Mr. Donnini earned a BA in Economics from Yale University and an MBA from Stanford University. Mr. Donnini is a director of various companies including American Sanitary, Cardinal Logistics Management, U.S. Fleet Services, InfoHighway Communications Corporation, InteCap (formerly Technology Dispute & Resolution Consulting), Coinmach Laundry Corporation, Synagro Technologies, International Computer Graphics, Keystone Group, Polymer Group and Polypore.

 

Collin E. Roche has served as a Director since February 2002. Mr. Roche is a Principal of GTCR Golder Rauner, LLC, which he joined in 1996. Previously, Mr. Roche worked as an investment banking analyst at Goldman, Sachs & Co. and as an associate at Everen Securities. He received a BA in Political Economy from Williams College. He also holds an MBA from Harvard Business School. Mr. Roche serves on the board of directors of Transaction Network Services, InfoHighway Communications Corporation, TransFirst Holdings, Skylight Financial and Verifone.

 

Odie C. Donald has served as a Director since August 2002. Mr. Donald was a consultant to DIRECTV, Inc., a direct broadcast satellite television service and a unit of Hughes Electronics Corporation, from July 2001 to December 2002. From April 2000 to July 2001, Mr. Donald was President of DIRECTV. From March 1999 to April 2000 he was Chief Executive Officer of Cable & Wireless Caribbean and Atlantic Islands Plc. Prior to that, Mr. Donald spent 25 years with BellSouth Corporation, where he held various positions, including Group President—Customer Operations from 1998 to 1999 and President of Bellsouth Mobility from 1992 to 1998. Mr. Donald serves on the board of directors of Darden Restaurants Inc.

 

Tony G. Holcombe has served as a Director since March 2003. Mr. Holcombe is currently chief executive officer of Valutec Card Solutions, which he joined in September 2002. From May 1997 to September 2002, Mr. Holcombe served in various executive positions at Ceridian Corporation and its subsidiaries. From November 1999 to September 2002, Mr. Holcombe served as Executive Vice President of Ceridian Corporation. In addition, Mr. Holcombe held the following positions at subsidiaries of Ceridian Corporation including President of Ceridian Employer Employee Services from November 1999 to September 2002 and President of Comdata from May 1997 to November 1999. Prior to this, Mr. Holcombe was President and Chief Executive Officer of National Processing, Inc., which provides transaction-processing services and customized processing solutions, from October 1994 to March 1997. Mr. Holcombe serves on the board of directors of TALX Corporation.

 

Except as described herein, there are no arrangements or understandings between any member of the management committee or executive officer and any other person pursuant to which that person was elected or appointed to his position. There are no family relationships between our executive officers or directors.

 

Our Board of Directors has the power to appoint officers. Each officer will hold office for the term determined by our Board of Directors and until such person’s successor is chosen and qualified or until such person’s death, resignation or removal.

 

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Board Committees

 

Our only Board committee in 2002 was our compensation committee. The compensation committee administers our benefit plans and makes recommendations concerning compensation of our employees. The compensation committee consists of Mssrs. Evans, Donnini and Roche.

 

In March 2003, the Board of Directors created our audit committee. The audit committee reviews and reports to the Board with respect to various auditing and accounting matters, including the recommendation to the Board as to the selection of the independent auditors, the scope of the annual audit procedures, general accounting policy matters and the performance of the independent auditors. The audit committee is currently comprised of Mssrs. Roche, Donald, and Holcombe.

 

The Board may create additional committees in the future.

 

Compensation of Directors

 

Beginning in March of 2003, non-employee and non-equity investor directors will receive $2,500 in fees per board meeting. Prior to this, none of our directors were entitled to receive any fees for serving as directors. Under the TSI Telecommunication Holdings, Inc. Non-Employee Directors Stock Option Plan, non-employee directors of TSI Inc. who do not otherwise have an equity interest in TSI LLC are entitled to receive options to purchase 50,000 shares of TSI Inc.’s non-voting common stock upon joining TSI Inc.’s board of directors. See “Non-Employee Directors Stock Option Plan.” None of our directors, except for Mr. Donald and Mr. Holcombe, currently are eligible to receive options under this plan. Options to purchase 50,000 shares of TSI, Inc.’s non-voting common stock pursuant to this plan were granted to Mr. Donald in 2002 and Mr. Holcombe in 2003. All of our directors are reimbursed for out-of-pocket expenses related to their service as directors.

 

Compensation of Executive Officers

 

Summary Compensation Table

 

The following table summarizes compensation awarded or paid by us during 2002, 2001 and 2000 to our Chief Executive Officer, President and our four next highly compensated executive officers (our “named executive officers”).

 

          Annual Compensation

Name and Principal Position


   Year

   Salary

    Bonus

   

All Other

Compensation


G. Edward Evans

Chief Executive Officer

  

2002

2001

2000

  

$

 

 

342,026

—  

—  

 

 

 

 

$

 

 

100,000

—  

—  

 

 

 

 

$

 

 

10,550

—  

—  

    
  


 


 

Michael Hartman(1)

President

  

2002

2001

2000

  

 

 

 

56,729

208,000

56,000

 

(2)

(3)

 

 

 

 

—  

397,925

139,700

 

(4)

 

 

 

 

 

190,101

40,866

12,039

    
  


 


 

Raymond L. Lawless

Chief Financial Officer

  

2002

2001

2000

  

 

 

 

192,603

—  

—  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

56,700

—  

—  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

9,896

—  

—  

    
  


 


 

Paul A. Wilcock

Vice President-Technology

  

2002

2001

2000

  

 

 

 

176,400

169,046

157,323

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

44,800

264,750

140,600

 

(5)

 

 

 

 

 

9,480

8,267

8,091

    
  


 


 

Gilbert Mosher

Vice President-Operations/Customer Support

  

2002

2001

2000

  

 

 

 

156,354

149,500

138,692

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

39,800

155,525

50,100

 

(6)

 

 

 

 

 

8,368

6,730

6,552

    
  


 


 

Michael O’Brien

Vice President-Marketing

  

2002

2001

2000

  

 

 

 

148,967

138,027

116,173

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

37,400

233,300

53,500

 

(7)

 

 

 

 

 

7,792

6,871

5,938

    
  


 


 

 

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(1) Mr. Hartman became our President during July 2000 and began receiving a salary on September 17, 2000. He ceased to be President in February 2003.
(2) This amount of salary includes $38,000 of deferred compensation.
(3) This amount of salary includes $10,230 of deferred compensation.
(4) Mr. Hartman’s 2001 bonus is comprised of an incentive bonus of $153,000 and a retention bonus of $244,925.
(5) Mr. Wilcock’s 2001 bonus is comprised of an incentive bonus of $52,000 and a retention bonus of $212,750.
(6) Mr. Mosher’s 2001 bonus is comprised of an incentive bonus of $41,000 and a retention bonus of $114,525.
(7) Mr. O’Brien’s 2001 bonus is comprised of an incentive bonus of $41,000 and a retention bonus of $188,300.

 

The following table identifies and quantifies the individual amounts included in of All Other Compensation for each person listed:

 

Name and Principal Position


   Year

  Flex
Spending(1)


  Premium
Refund(2)


  Parking
Reimb


  Financial
Planning(3)


  401K
Employer
Match


  Company
Match
Executive
Deferral


  Consulting

 

G. Edward Evans

Chief Executive Officer

  

2002

2001

2000

 

$

 

 

—  

—  

—  

 

$

 

 

—  

—  

—  

 

$

 

 

550

—  

—  

 

$

 

 

—  

—  

—  

 

$

 

 

10,000

—  

—  

 

$

 

 

—  

—  

—  

 

$

 

 

—  

—  

—  

 

 

 

    
 

 

 

 

 

 

 


Michael Hartman

President

  

2002

2001

2000

 

 

 

 

—  

16,000

4,699

 

 

 

 

—  

—  

25

 

 

 

 

—  

660

—  

 

 

 

 

—  

9,000

6,000

 

 

 

 

1,538

7,650

1,315

 

 

 

 

—  

7,556

—  

 

 

 

 

188,563

—  

—  

(4)

 

 

    
 

 

 

 

 

 

 


Raymond L. Lawless

Chief Financial Officer

  

2002

2001

2000

 

 

 

 

—  

—  

—  

 

 

 

 

—  

—  

—  

 

 

 

 

550

—  

—  

 

 

 

 

—  

—  

—  

 

 

 

 

9,346

—  

—  

 

 

 

 

—  

—  

—  

 

 

 

 

—  

—  

—  

 

 

 

    
 

 

 

 

 

 

 


Paul A. Wilcock

Vice President-Technology

  

2002

2001

2000

 

 

 

 

—  

—  

—  

 

 

 

 

—  

—  

121

 

 

 

 

660

660

660

 

 

 

 

—  

—  

—  

 

 

 

 

8,820

7,607

7,310

 

 

 

 

—  

—  

—  

 

 

 

 

—  

—  

—  

 

 

 

    
 

 

 

 

 

 

 


Gilbert Mosher

Vice President-Operations/Customer Support

  

2002

2001

2000

 

 

 

 

—  

—  

—  

 

 

 

 

—  

—  

106

 

 

 

 

550

—  

—  

 

 

 

 

—  

—  

—  

 

 

 

 

7,818

6,730

6,446

 

 

 

 

—  

—  

—  

 

 

 

 

—  

—  

—  

 

 

 

    
 

 

 

 

 

 

 


Michael O’Brien

Vice President-Marketing

  

2002

2001

2000

 

 

 

 

—  

—  

—  

 

 

 

 

—  

—  

50

 

 

 

 

660

660

660

 

 

 

 

—  

—  

—  

 

 

 

 

7,132

6,211

5,228

 

 

 

 

—  

—  

—  

 

 

 

 

—  

—  

—  

 

 

 

    
 

 

 

 

 

 

 



(1) During 2000, we decided to eliminate a car allowance and an allowance for club fees. Flex spending was designed to replace these two allowances.
(2) This refund was issued to former GTE employees, who participated in MetLife Inc.’s Grandfathered Supplemental Employee Life Insurance & Dependent Life Insurance, when MetLife Inc. converted to a publicly held stock company through demutualization.
(3) Financial planning compensation is an amount to be used in connection with the executive’s personal financial and estate planning.
(4) Mr. Hartman’s consulting agreement covered the period from February 14, 2002 to February 14, 2003 for which he was paid $215,500. The portion attributed to services provided in 2002 was $188,563.

 

Option Grants in Last Fiscal Year

 

None of our named executive officers were granted options in our last fiscal year under TSI Inc.’s Founders’ Stock Option Plan or Non-Employee Directors Stock Option Plan.

 

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Option Exercises in Last Fiscal and Fiscal Year-End Option Values

 

Our named executive officers did not exercise any options during the last fiscal year and did not hold any unexercised options as of December 31, 2002.

 

Compensation Committee Interlocks and Insider Participation

 

The compensation arrangements for our chief executive officer and each of our other executive officers are established pursuant to the terms of the respective employment agreements between TSI Inc. and each executive officer. The terms of the employment agreements were established pursuant to arms-length negotiations between representatives of our largest stockholder and each executive officer in connection with our acquisition from Verizon..

 

Employment Agreements

 

In his senior management agreement, Mr. Evans agrees to serve as our chief executive officer until he resigns or until we terminate his employment. While employed by us, Mr. Evans will receive an annual base salary of $400,000, subject to increase by our board of directors. For each fiscal year of employment, Mr. Evans will be eligible for an annual bonus of up to 50% of his annual base salary and will be entitled to any other benefits approved by our board of directors. During Mr. Evans’ employment, Evans Motor Sports LLC, an entity owned by Mr. Evans, will be entitled to use an aircraft leased by us. In connection with such use, Mr. Evans or Evans Motor Sports LLC pays 25% of the monthly lease and other fixed costs for the aircraft and reimburses us for all operating costs of the aircraft in connection with such use. Effective January 1, 2003, Mr. Evans or Evans Motor Sports LLC shall pay that percentage of the monthly lease and other fixed costs for such aircraft based on Mr. Evans’ actual use of the aircraft on behalf of or in furtherance of business for Evans Motor Sports LLC, and continue to reimburse the Company for all operating costs of the aircraft in connection with such use. Commencing in 2004, Mr. Evans or Evans Motor Sports LLC shall make such payments on a quarterly basis within the thirty (30) days immediately following the end of such quarter.

 

Mr. Evans’ employment will continue until (i) he resigns without good reason, disability or death, (ii) our board of directors decides to terminate his employment with cause, (iii) our board of directors decides to terminate his employment without cause, or (iv) he terminates his employment for good reason. If his employment is terminated by us without cause or by Mr. Evans for good reason, then we will be obligated to pay Mr. Evans one-twelfth of his annual base salary per month for a six-month period commencing on the date of termination. Mr. Evans may then elect to receive these same severance payments for up to three additional six-month periods. However, any severance payments made to Mr. Evans will be reduced by the amount of any cash compensation he earns or receives with respect to any other employment during the period in which he is receiving severance.

 

Mr. Evans agrees to limitations on his ability to disclose any of our confidential information, and acknowledges that all inventions relating to his employment belong to us. Mr. Evans also agrees not to compete with us anywhere in the world or to solicit our employees for either the period during which he receives severance (if he is terminated without cause or if he resigns for good reason) or for two years after his termination (if he resigns without good reason or if we terminate his employment for cause).

 

Other members of our senior management team also entered into senior management agreements pursuant to which they agreed to be employed by us under terms generally no less favorable to us than Mr. Evans’ terms.

 

Consulting Agreement

 

In February 2002, Michael Hartman entered into a Consulting Agreement with us pursuant to which Mr. Hartman agreed to provide consulting services to us and retain the title of President for a period of one year until February 14, 2003. Mr. Hartman received consulting payments totaling $215,500 in two installments in January and February of 2003, but was not entitled to any fringe benefits from us.

 

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Mr. Hartman agreed to limitations on his ability to disclose any of our confidential information, and acknowledged that all inventions relating to his service to us belong to us. Mr. Hartman also agreed not to compete with us anywhere in the world or to solicit our employees for a period of one year following the closing of the acquisition.

 

Management Equity Arrangements

 

We have a senior management agreement with G. Edward Evans pursuant to which he:

 

  acquired a strip of 1,979.35 Class B Preferred Units and 620,031.79 Common Units, which are referred to as “Co-Invest Units,” at a price of $1,000 per Class B Preferred Unit and $.0333 per Common Unit, which are the same prices as other equity investors paid;

 

  acquired 5,855,855.86 additional Common Units which were available only for issuance to management investors and which are referred to as “Carried Units,” at a price of $.0333 per Carried Unit, which is the same price other equity investors paid for Common Units; and

 

  committed to acquire up to approximately $196,000 of additional equity securities of TSI LLC under certain circumstances at the same price as other equity investors participating in any such purchase.

 

GTCR Fund VII, L.P. loaned Mr. Evans approximately $1,000,000 to fund a portion of the purchase price for his purchase of Co-Invest Units and Carried Units. This loan bears interest at a rate of 10.0% per annum.

 

Other members of our senior management team, including Messrs. Lawless, Wilcock, O’Brien, Nelson, Garcia, Drexler, Mosher, Bergen Henegouwen, and Corrao and Ms. Hermansen, also entered into senior management agreements pursuant to which they acquired an aggregate of 4,369,369.39 Carried Units at the same price as Mr. Evans. As a result of these purchases, 12% of our common equity is held by, or reserved for issuance to, our senior management team. See “Certain Agreements and Related Transactions—Senior Management Agreements.”

 

Founders’ Stock Option Plan

 

TSI Inc. adopted the TSI Telecommunication Holdings, Inc. Founders’ Stock Option Plan (the “Founders’ Option Plan”) on May 16, 2002. Non-employee directors, executives and other key employees of TSI Inc. or its subsidiaries are eligible for grants of stock options under the plan. The purpose of the stock option plan is to provide those persons who have a substantial responsibility for the management and growth of TSI Inc. and its subsidiaries with additional incentives by allowing them to acquire an ownership interest in TSI Inc.

 

A total of 1,000,000 shares of TSI Inc. non-voting common stock, representing approximately 1.0% of TSI Inc.’s currently outstanding common stock on a fully-diluted basis, are available for issuance under the Founders’ Option Plan, subject to adjustment in the event of a reorganization, recapitalization, stock dividend, stock split, merger or similar change in the outstanding shares of common stock. These shares may be, in whole or in part, authorized and unissued or held as treasury shares.

 

The compensation committee of TSI Inc.’s board of directors administers the Founders’ Option Plan. Grants will be awarded under the Founders’ Option Plan entirely at the discretion of the compensation committee. As a result, TSI Inc. is unable to determine at this time the recipients, amounts and values of future benefits to be received under the Founders’ Option Plan. As of September 30, 2003, there were options to purchase 280,540 shares of TSI Inc.’s non-voting common stock granted and outstanding under this plan.

 

Eligibility

 

Non-employee directors, executives and key employees of TSI Inc. and its subsidiaries who do not have an equity interest in TSI LLC will be eligible to receive grants under the Founders’ Option Plan. However, only employees may receive grants of incentive stock options. In each case, the compensation committee will select the actual grantees.

 

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Stock Options

 

Under the Founders’ Option Plan, stock options granted will be presumed to be nonqualified stock options and are not intended to be incentive stock options within the meaning of Section 422A of the Internal Revenue Code unless clearly indicated by the compensation committee in the underlying stock option agreement, in which case such stock options will be consistent with and contain all provisions required under Section 422 of the Internal Revenue Code.

 

The compensation committee will determine the exercise price of any stock option at its discretion. The exercise price of any stock option may be paid in any of the following ways:

 

  in cash,

 

  by delivery of a promissory note, in the discretion of the compensation committee,

 

  if there is a public market for the common stock, by delivery of outstanding shares of common stock that have been owned by the grantee for a minimum of six months and one day with a fair market value on the date of exercise equal to the exercise price payable with respect to the stock options’ exercise,

 

  if there is a public market for the common stock, through a “same day sale” commitment from a grantee and a broker-dealer that is a member of the National Association of Securities Dealers, Inc. (a “NASD Dealer”) reasonably acceptable to the compensation committee, in which the grantee irrevocably elects to exercise the stock option and sell a portion of the common stock so purchased to pay for the exercise price and in which the NASD Dealer irrevocably commits upon receipt of such common stock to forward the exercise price directly to TSI Inc.,

 

  if there is a public market for the common stock, through a “margin” commitment from a grantee and a NASD Dealer in which the grantee irrevocably elects to exercise the stock option and to pledge the common stock so purchased to the NASD Dealer in a margin account as security for a loan from the NASD Dealer in the amount of the exercise price, and in which the NASD Dealer irrevocably commits upon receipt of the common stock to forward the exercise price to TSI Inc., or

 

  any combination of the foregoing.

 

The compensation committee will determine the term of each stock option in its discretion. However, no term may exceed ten years from the date of grant or, in the case of an incentive stock option granted to a person who owns stock constituting more than 10% of the voting power of all classes of stock of TSI Inc. or any of its subsidiaries, five years from the date of grant. In addition, all stock options awarded under the Founders’ Option Plan, whether or not then exercisable, generally cease vesting when a grantee ceases to be a non-employee director, executive or employee of, or to otherwise perform services for, TSI Inc. or its subsidiaries.

 

There are, however, exceptions for stock options vested and exercisable on the date of termination depending upon the circumstances of cessation. In the case of a grantee’s death or disability, such stock options will expire 180 days after the date of the grantee’s death or long-term disability. In the event of retirement approved by the board of directors of TSI Inc., the grantee’s stock options will expire 90 days after the date of the grantee’s retirement. In addition, if a grantee is discharged other than for good cause, the grantee’s stock options will expire 90 days after the date of the grantee’s discharge.

 

Vesting, Withholding Taxes and Transferability of Stock Options

 

The terms and conditions of each award made under the Founders’ Option Plan, including vesting requirements, will be set forth, consistent with the plan, in a written agreement with the grantee.

 

The grantees under the Founders’ Option Plan are liable for any withholding taxes required to be withheld upon exercise of the grantee’s stock options. TSI Inc. is entitled under the Founders’ Option Plan to withhold

 

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from any grantee the amount of any withholding or other tax due from TSI Inc. with respect to any common stock issuable under the stock options, and TSI Inc. may defer the exercise of the stock options or the issuance of the common stock following exercise unless indemnified to its satisfaction.

 

No award made under the Founders’ Option Plan will be transferable other than by will or the laws of descent and distribution, and each award may be exercised only by the grantee or his or her legal guardian or legal representative.

 

Amendment, Suspension and Termination of Founders’ Option Plan

 

The board of directors of TSI Inc. or the compensation committee may suspend or terminate the Founders’ Option Plan or any portion of the plan at any time and may amend it from time to time in such respects as the board of directors or the compensation committee may deem advisable, except that no amendment will become effective without prior approval of TSI Inc.’s shareholders if such approval is necessary for continued compliance with laws, agreements, or stock exchange listing requirements. Furthermore, any termination may not impair the rights of participants under outstanding stock options without the affected participant’s consent. No stock options will be granted under the Founders’ Option Plan after five years from the date the stock option plan is adopted or the date the stock option plan is approved by TSI Inc.’s shareholders, whichever is earlier.

 

Non-Employee Directors Stock Option Plan

 

The board of directors of TSI Inc. adopted the TSI Telecommunication Holdings, Inc. Non-Employee Directors Stock Option Plan (the “Non-Employee Directors Plan”) on August 2, 2002. The purpose of the Non-Employee Directors Plan is to provide inducement to obtain and retain the services of qualified persons as members of TSI Inc.’s board of directors and to align more closely the interests of such persons with the interests of TSI Inc.’s stockholders.

 

A total of 300,000 shares of TSI Inc. non-voting common stock, representing approximately 0.3% of TSI Inc.’s currently outstanding common stock on a fully-diluted basis, are available for issuance under the Non-Employee Directors Plan, subject to adjustment in the event of a reorganization, recapitalization, stock dividend, stock split, combination or other reclassification in the outstanding shares of common stock. These shares may be, in whole or in part, authorized and unissued or held as treasury shares. As of September 30, 2003, options to purchase 100,000 shares were issued and outstanding under this plan.

 

TSI Inc.’s compensation committee administers the Non-Employee Directors Plan. Each eligible participant under the Non-Employee Directors Plan will be granted options to purchase 50,000 shares of common stock of TSI Inc. on the later to occur of (i) the election of such participant as a director of TSI Inc. or (ii) the establishment of the Non-Employee Directors Plan.

 

Eligibility

 

Non-employee directors of TSI Inc. who do not have an equity interest in TSI LLC will be eligible to receive grants under the Non-Employee Directors Plan.

 

Stock Options

 

Stock options granted under the Non-Employee Directors Plan will be nonqualified stock options.

 

The exercise price per share of common stock will be 100% of the fair market value of a share of common stock of TSI Inc. on the date of grant, taking into account for so long as the shares of TSI Inc. are not listed on the Nasdaq National Market all relevant factors determinative of value as solely determined by the compensation committee and subject to adjustment in the event of a reorganization, recapitalization, stock dividend, stock split, combination or other reclassification affecting the shares of common stock of TSI Inc.

 

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Any option granted under the Non-Employee Directors Plan will be exercisable only during the grantee’s term as a director of TSI Inc., except that an option may be exercisable by a holder for a period of 180 days after such grantee fails to be re-elected as a director of TSI Inc. and an option may be exercisable for up to one year after the death of a grantee while a director of TSI Inc., except that such option will be exercisable only to the extent that the grantee was entitled to exercise on the date of such grantee’s death or failure to be re-elected and only to the extent that the option would not have expired had the grantee continued to be a director of TSI Inc.

 

In the event of a change in control of TSI Inc. other than as a result of an initial public offering, the options granted under the Non-Employee Directors Plan will immediately vest and become exercisable and such options will terminate if not exercised as of the date of the change in control or other prescribed period of time. Further, in the event of the liquidation or dissolution of TSI Inc., the options will terminate immediately prior to the liquidation or dissolution.

 

The exercise price of any stock option may be paid in any of the following ways:

 

  in cash;

 

  by delivery of a promissory note, in the discretion of the designated committee;

 

  by delivery of outstanding shares of common stock that have been owned by the grantee for a minimum of six months and one day with a fair market value on the date of exercise equal to the exercise price payable with respect to the stock option’s exercise;

 

  if there is a public market for the common stock, through a “same day sale” commitment from a grantee and an NASD reasonably acceptable to the designated committee, in which the grantee irrevocably elects to exercise the stock option and sell a portion of the common stock so purchased to pay for the exercise price and in which the NASD Dealer irrevocably commits upon receipt of such common stock to forward the exercise price directly to TSI Inc.;

 

  if there is a public market for the common stock, through a “margin” commitment from a grantee and a NASD Dealer in which the grantee irrevocably elects to exercise the stock option and to pledge the common stock so purchased to the NASD Dealer in a margin account as security for a loan from the NASD Dealer in the amount of the exercise price, and in which the NASD Dealer irrevocably commits upon receipt of the common stock to forward the exercise price to TSI Inc.; or

 

  any combination of the foregoing, except that the designated committee may require that the exercise price be paid in cash.

 

The compensation committee will determine the term of each stock option in its discretion. However, no term may exceed ten years from the date of grant. The compensation committee will determine the date or the conditions on which each option will become exercisable and may provide that an option will become exercisable in installments. Each grantee will consult with TSI Inc.’s compliance office to confirm that no blackout period with respect to TSI Inc.’s shares of common stock is then in effect. The shares of common stock constituting each installment may be purchased in whole or in part at any time after such installment becomes exercisable, subject to such minimum exercise requirements as may be imposed by the compensation committee. Unless otherwise provided under the Non-Employee Directors Plan or in the terms of the underlying stock option grant, a grantee may exercise an option only if such grantee has been a director of TSI Inc. or a subsidiary of TSI Inc. continuously since the date the option was granted.

 

Withholding Taxes and Transferability of Stock Options

 

TSI Inc. is entitled under the Non-Employee Directors Plan to withhold from any grantee the amount of any withholding or other tax due from TSI Inc. with respect to any shares of common stock issuable under the stock options, and TSI Inc. may defer the exercise of the stock options or the issuance of the common stock following exercise unless indemnified to its satisfaction.

 

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No award made under the Non-Employee Directors Plan will be transferable other than by will or the laws of descent and distribution, and each award may be exercised only by the grantee or such grantee’s legal guardian or legal representative. In the event of the death of the grantee, exercise of stock options granted under the Non-Employee Directors Plan will be made only (i) by the executor or administrator of the estate of the deceased grantee or persons to whom the deceased grantee’s rights under the stock option pass by will or by the laws of descent and distribution, and (ii) to the extent that the deceased grantee was entitled to so exercise at the date of his death, unless otherwise provided by the compensation committee in such grantee’s underlying option agreement. In connection with the transfer of an option, the grantee will remain liable for any withholding taxes required to be withheld upon exercise of the option by the transferee.

 

Amendment, Suspension and Termination of Non-Employee Directors Plan and Outstanding Options

 

The board of directors of TSI Inc. or the compensation committee may suspend or terminate the Non-Employee Directors Plan or any portion of the plan at any time and may amend it from time to time in such respects as the board of directors or the compensation committee may deem advisable, except that no amendment will become effective without prior approval of TSI Inc.’s shareholders if such approval is necessary for continued compliance with laws, agreements, or stock exchange listing requirements. Furthermore, any termination may not impair the rights of participants under outstanding stock options without the affected grantee’s consent. No stock options will be granted under the Non-Employee Directors Plan after five years from the date the stock option plan is adopted or the date the stock option plan is approved by TSI Inc.’s shareholders, whichever is earlier.

 

The compensation committee may amend or modify any option granted under the Non-Employee Directors Plan in any manner to the extent that the committee would have had authority initially to grant such option except that no such amendment or modification will impair the rights of any grantee without the consent of such adversely affected grantee. With the grantee’s consent, the compensation committee may cancel any option and issue a new option to such grantee.

 

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CERTAIN RELATIONSHIPS AND RELATED TRANSACTIONS

 

Limited Liability Company Agreement

 

The limited liability company agreement of TSI LLC authorizes TSI LLC to issue Class B Preferred Units and Common Units. TSI LLC also has the authority to create and issue Class A Preferred Units, with the terms and provisions more fully described in the senior management agreements described below, in connection with certain repurchases by TSI LLC of Class B Preferred Units and Common Units held by former executives in the event they cease to be employed by TSI LLC, TSI Telecommunication Services Inc. or our respective subsidiaries.

 

Pursuant to the limited liability company agreement, distributions of property of TSI LLC shall be made in the following order:

 

  First, holders of Class A Preferred Units, if any, will receive a preferred yield on their invested capital of 10% per annum, compounded quarterly;

 

  Second, holders of Class A Preferred Units, if any, will receive return of their invested capital;

 

  Third, holders of Class B Preferred Units will receive a preferred yield on their invested capital of 10% per annum, compounded quarterly;

 

  Fourth, holders of Class B Preferred Units will receive return of their invested capital; and

 

  Thereafter, holders of the Common Units will receive all remaining distributions.

 

A Board of Managers generally has the exclusive authority to manage and control the business and affairs of TSI LLC. The composition of the Board of Managers is determined in accordance with the provisions of the securityholders agreement described below.

 

Securityholders Agreement

 

Pursuant to the securityholders agreement entered into in connection with our acquisition from Verizon, units of TSI LLC (or common stock following a change in corporate form) beneficially owned by the securityholders of TSI LLC and its subsidiaries are subject to certain restrictions on transfer, other than certain exempt transfers as defined in the securityholders agreement, as well as the other provisions described below. When reference is made to “units” of TSI LLC in the discussion that follows, such reference shall be deemed to include common stock of TSI LLC following a change in corporate form, whether in preparation for an initial public offering or otherwise.

 

The securityholders agreement provides that GTCR Fund VII, L.P., GTCR Fund VII/A, L.P. and GTCR  Co-Invest, L.P., which we refer to as the “GTCR investors,” and our executives or our subsidiaries who acquire securities of TSI LLC, which we refer to as the “management investors,” and all other parties to the agreement, which we refer to as the “other investors,” will vote all of their units to elect and continue in office, boards of managers or boards of directors of TSI LLC and each of its subsidiaries, consisting of up to seven members composed of:

 

  three persons designated by GTCR Fund VII;

 

  our chief executive officer;

 

  one other employee of ours or our subsidiaries designated by the chief executive officer; and

 

  two representatives designated jointly by GTCR Fund VII and the chief executive officer, or, if GTCR Fund VII and the chief executive officer are unable to agree upon such representatives, designated by GTCR Fund VII.

 

The securityholders agreement also provides:

 

  the management investors and the other investors with customary tag-along rights with respect to transfers of TSI LLC units beneficially owned by the GTCR investors;

 

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  preemptive rights to management investors and other investors in connection with certain authorizations of sales to the GTCR investors of Common Units or securities convertible into Common Units;

 

  in connection with certain sales of interests in TSI LLC by investors other than the GTCR investors, rights of first refusal with respect to such sales, first to TSI LLC, then to the remaining investors; and

 

  the GTCR investors with drag along rights with respect to TSI LLC units owned by the management investors and the other investors.

 

Registration Agreement

 

Under the registration agreement entered into in connection with our acquisition form Verizon, the holders of a majority of the GTCR investors’ registrable TSI LLC securities have the right at any time, subject to certain conditions, to require TSI LLC, any corporate successor thereto or any subsidiary thereof, to register any or all of their securities under the Securities Act on Form S-1, which we refer to as a “long-form registration” at TSI LLC’s expense or on Form S-2 or Form S-3, which we refer to as a “short-form registration” at TSI LLC’s expense. TSI LLC is not required, however, to effect any such long-form registration within 90 days after the effective date of a previous long-form registration. In addition, all holders of registrable securities are entitled to request the inclusion of such securities in any registration statement at TSI LLC’s expense whenever TSI LLC proposes to register any offering of its equity securities (other than pursuant to an initial public offering of TSI LLC’s equity securities or a registration on Form S-4 or Form S-8).

 

Senior Management Agreements

 

Provisions Regarding Units

 

Mr. Evans

 

We have entered into a senior management agreement with G. Edward Evans pursuant to which he:

 

  acquired a strip of 1,979.35 Class B Preferred Units and 620,031.79 Common Units, which are referred to as “Co-Invest Units,” at a price of $1,000 per Class B Preferred Unit and $.0333 per Common Unit;

 

  acquired 5,855,855.86 additional Common Units which were available only for issuance to management investors and which are referred to as “Carried Units,” at a price of $.0333 per Carried Unit; and

 

  committed to acquire up to approximately $196,000 of additional equity securities of TSI LLC under certain circumstances.

 

Co-Invest Units were fully vested when purchased but Carried Units are subject to vesting and will vest quarterly over a period of five years, subject to acceleration in the event of an initial public offering of the equity of TSI LLC, or any corporate successor thereto or a sale of TSI LLC.

 

TSI LLC may be required to purchase a portion of Mr. Evans’ units in the event of his termination of employment due to death or disability. In addition, TSI LLC and the other investors will have the right to purchase all or a portion of Mr. Evans’ units if his employment is terminated. If TSI LLC elects or is required to purchase any units pursuant to the call and put options described in the preceding sentences, up to 50% of the purchase price of any such units may be paid by issuing Class A Preferred Units to Mr. Evans. Each Class A Preferred Unit has a liquidation preference equal to the purchase price of the units being purchased with such Class A Preferred Unit. In addition, if any repurchase would result in a violation of law applicable to TSI LLC or its subsidiaries or a default under their financing arrangements, TSI LLC may defer such purchase until it is permitted, with the deferred purchase price accruing interest at the rate of 10% per annum, compounded quarterly. The purchase price for securities purchased pursuant to the call and put options described above shall be:

 

  the original cost in the case of unvested Carried Units;

 

  the fair market value of such unit in the case of vested Carried Units and Co-Invest Units which are Common Units; and

 

  the unreturned capital plus unpaid yield in the case of Co-Invest Units which are Class B Preferred Units.

 

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GTCR Fund VII, L.P. loaned Mr. Evans approximately $1,000,000 to fund a portion of the purchase price for his purchase of Co-Invest Units and Carried Units. This loan bears interest at a rate of 10% per annum.

 

The senior management agreement also prohibits Mr. Evans from transferring any of his Co-Invest Units or Carried Units, subject to certain exceptions. This transfer restriction terminates with respect to particular securities upon such securities being transferred in a public sale and terminates with respect to all securities upon the sale of TSI LLC.

 

Others

 

Other members of our senior management team, including Messrs. Lawless, Wilcock, O’Brien, Nelson, Garcia, Drexler, Mosher, Bergen Henegouwen, Corrao and Ms. Hermansen, also entered into senior management agreements pursuant to which they acquired an aggregate of 4,369,369.39 Carried Units at the same price and under terms generally no less favorable to the company than Mr. Evans’ terms.

 

Employment Provisions

 

Mr. Evans

 

Our senior management agreement with Mr. Evans also contains provisions relating to employment. Mr. Evans agrees to serve as our chief executive officer until he resigns or until we terminate his employment. While employed by us, Mr. Evans will receive an annual base salary of $400,000, subject to increase by our board of directors. For each fiscal year of employment, Mr. Evans will be eligible for an annual bonus of up to 50% of his annual base salary and will be entitled to any other benefits approved by our board of directors. During Mr. Evans’ employment, Evans Motor Sports LLC, an entity owned by Mr. Evans, will be entitled to use an aircraft leased by us. In connection with such use, Mr. Evans or Evans Motor Sports LLC pays 25% of the monthly lease and other fixed costs for the aircraft and reimburses us for all operating costs of the aircraft in connection with such use. Effective January 1, 2003, Mr. Evans or Evans Motor Sports LLC shall pay that percentage of the monthly lease and other fixed costs for such aircraft based on Mr. Evans’ actual use of the aircraft on behalf of or in furtherance of business for Evans Motor Sports LLC, and continue to reimburse the Company for all operating costs of the aircraft in connection with such use. Commencing in 2004, Mr. Evans or Evans Motor Sports LLC shall make such payments on a quarterly basis within the thirty (30) days immediately following the end of such quarter.

 

Mr. Evans’ employment will continue until (i) he resigns without good reason, disability or death, (ii) our board of directors decides to terminate his employment with cause, (iii) our board of directors decides to terminate his employment without cause, or (iv) he terminates his employment for good reason. If his employment is terminated by us without cause or by Mr. Evans for good reason, then we will be obligated to pay Mr. Evans one-twelfth of his annual base salary per month for a six-month period commencing on the date of termination. We have an option to extend the severance payment period (and the corresponding non-compete period described below) for up to three additional six-month periods. Any severance payments made to Mr. Evans will be reduced by the amount of any cash compensation he earns or receives with respect to any other employment during the period in which he is receiving severance.

 

Mr. Evans agreed to limitations on his ability to disclose any of our confidential information, and acknowledged that all inventions relating to his employment belong to us. Mr. Evans also agreed not to compete with us anywhere in the world or to solicit our employees for either the period during which he receives severance (if he is terminated without cause or if he resigns for good reason) or for two years after his termination (if he resigns without good reason or if we terminate his employment for cause).

 

The senior management agreement also contains customary representations, warranties and covenants.

 

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Others

 

Other members of our senior management team, including Messrs. Lawless, Wilcock, O’Brien, Nelson, Garcia, Drexler, Mosher, Bergen Henegouwen, Corrao and Ms. Hermansen, also entered into senior management agreements pursuant to which they agreed to be employed by us under terms generally no less favorable to us than Mr. Evans’ terms.

 

Consulting Agreement

 

At the time of our acquisition from Verizon, we entered into a Consulting Agreement with Michael Hartmen pursuant to which Mr. Hartman agreed to provide consulting services to us and retain the title of President for a period of one year until February 14, 2003. Mr. Hartman received consulting payments totaling $215,500 in two installments in January and February of 2003, but was not entitled to any fringe benefits.

 

Mr. Hartman agreed to limitations on his ability to disclose any of our confidential information, and acknowledges that all inventions relating to his service to us belong to us. Mr. Hartman also agreed not to compete with us anywhere in the world or to solicit our employees for a period of one year following the closing of the acquisition.

 

Purchase Agreements

 

At the time of our acquisition from Verizon, the GTCR investors and certain co-investors acquired a strip of Class B Preferred Units and Common Units for an aggregate purchase price of $252,367,500 and $2,632,500, respectively and committed to purchase up to an additional $25,000,000 of equity securities of TSI LLC. The investment of the additional $25,000,000 is conditioned upon the GTCR investors and the board of managers of TSI LLC approving the terms of the investment and the proposed use of the proceeds from the investment, as well as the satisfaction of certain other conditions.

 

Professional Services Agreement

 

At the time of our acquisition from Verizon, we engaged GTCR Golder Rauner, LLC (“GTCR”) as a financial and management consultant, and GTCR agreed to provide financial and management consulting services to us and our subsidiaries, all on the terms and subject to the conditions set forth in the professional services agreement.

 

GTCR agreed during the term of such engagement to consult with our board, the boards of directors (or similar governing body) of our affiliates and our management and management of our affiliates in such manner and on such business and financial matters as may be reasonably requested from time to time by the Board, including but not limited to: (i) corporate strategy; (ii) budgeting of future corporate investments; (iii) acquisition and divestiture strategies and (iv) debt and equity financings.

 

GTCR will provide and devote to the performance of the professional services agreement such partners, employees and agents of GTCR as GTCR deems appropriate for the furnishing of the services required by the professional services agreement.

 

At the time of any purchase of equity by the Investors and/or their Affiliates pursuant to Section 1B of the unit purchase agreement, we will pay to GTCR a placement fee in immediately available funds equal to one percent of the amount paid to TSI LLC in connection with such purchase. At the time of any other equity or debt financing of TSI LLC, TSI Inc., us or any of our respective subsidiaries prior to a Public Offering (as defined in TSI LLC’s limited liability company agreement) (other than (i) the purchase of securities of TSI LLC by any executive pursuant to any senior management agreement (as entered into from time to time among TSI LLC, us and our executives) and (ii) any debt or equity financing provided by the seller or sellers of a target company or business in connection with the acquisition thereof), we will pay to GTCR a placement fee in immediately

 

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available funds equal to one percent of the gross amount of such financing (including the committed amount of any revolving credit facility). If any individual payment to GTCR pursuant to this paragraph would be less than $10,000, then such payment will be held by us until such time as the aggregate of such payments equals or exceeds $10,000.

 

The company will pay to GTCR an annual management fee of $500,000. Such management fee is payable in equal monthly installments which began March 1, 2002.

 

We are obligated to promptly reimburse GTCR for such reasonable travel expenses, legal fees and other out-of-pocket fees and expenses as have been or may be incurred by GTCR, its directors, officers and employees in connection with our purchase from Verizon, in connection with any financing of TSI LLC, us or any of our respective subsidiaries, and in connection with the rendering of any other services hereunder (including, but not limited to, fees and expenses incurred in attending company-related meetings).

 

The professional services agreement will continue until the earlier to occur of (i) a sale in a public offering registered under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, of equity securities of TSI LLC or a corporate successor to TSI LLC and (ii) the Investors and their Affiliates ceasing to own at least 50% of the Investor Securities (as defined in the unit purchase agreement). No termination of the professional services agreement, whether pursuant to this paragraph or otherwise, will affect our obligations with respect to the fees, costs and expenses incurred by GTCR in rendering services hereunder and not reimbursed by us as of the effective date of such termination.

 

Neither GTCR nor any of its affiliates, partners, employees or agents shall be liable to us, TSI LLC, or their subsidiaries or affiliates for any loss, liability, damage or expense arising out of or in connection with the performance of services contemplated by the professional services agreement, unless such loss, liability, damage or expense is proven to result directly from the gross negligence or willful misconduct of GTCR.

 

We have agreed to indemnify and hold harmless GTCR, its partners, affiliates, officers, agents and employees against and from any and all loss, liability, suits, claims, costs, damages and expenses (including attorneys’ fees) arising from their performance under the professional services agreement, except as a result of their gross negligence or intentional wrongdoing.

 

Neither GTCR nor we may assign our rights or obligations under the professional services agreement without the express written consent of the other, except that GTCR may assign its rights and obligations to an affiliate of GTCR. The professional services agreement is governed by the internal laws of the State of Delaware.

 

For purposes of the professional services agreement, the following terms have the following definitions:

 

“Affiliate” of any person means any other person controlling, controlled by or under common control with such particular person or entity.

 

“Investors” means GTCR Fund VII, L.P., GTCR Fund VII/A, L.P., and GTCR Co-Invest, L.P.

 

Revenue Guaranty Agreement

 

We have entered into an agreement with Verizon Information Services Inc. (VIS) in which VIS has agreed, through December 31, 2005, to make quarterly payments to us if the amount of wireless revenues, as defined, for a given period is less than the revenue target for such period. In general the revenue guaranty payments will be due if wireless revenues during each of the years in the period from February 14, 2002 to December 31, 2005 are less than 82.5% of the agreed-upon targets.

 

Payments due under the agreement would be calculated quarterly as equal to 61.875% of the shortfall for the each first three quarters and 82.5% of the cumulative shortfall for each of the years covered under the agreement. The quarterly and full year targets covered under the agreement are:

 

  $12.9 million for each fiscal quarter in 2002, $45.4 million for the period February 14, 2002 to December 31, 2002;

 

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  $8.7 million for each fiscal quarter in 2003, $34.9 million for full year 2003;

 

  $8.4 million for each fiscal quarter in 2004; $33.5 million for full year 2004; and

 

  $8.3 million for each fiscal quarter in 2005, $33.2 million for full year 2005.

 

No payments from Verizon are due under the guaranty agreement for the period from February 14, 2002 to December 31, 2002.

 

Intellectual Property Agreement

 

Under the intellectual property agreement entered into in connection with our acquisition from Verizon, Verizon Information Services Inc., Verizon Communications Inc. and we agreed to the following:

 

  We and the Verizon companies each conveyed an undivided joint ownership interest to the other in certain of our respective unregistered intellectual property;

 

  the Verizon companies and their affiliates granted a limited, royalty-free, non-exclusive, worldwide license of certain of their respective registered intellectual property to us and our affiliates;

 

  We granted a limited royalty-free, non-exclusive, worldwide license of certain of our registered intellectual property to the Verizon companies and their affiliates;

 

  the Verizon companies and their affiliates granted a limited, royalty-free, non-exclusive, worldwide license of certain third-party intellectual property to us pursuant to their right to sublicense such materials;

 

  the Verizon companies conveyed and transferred to us certain of their intellectual property; and

 

  the Verizon companies and their affiliates are generally indefinitely prohibited from using any of the intellectual property that we license to them under the intellectual property agreement to offer goods or services that compete with us, whether such goods or services are provided to third parties or used internally.

 

Taken together, these licenses and joint-ownership grants generally provide us and the Verizon companies the right to continue our respective use of the other’s intellectual property in existence as of the closing of the acquisition to the extent that we rely upon such intellectual property to operate our respective businesses prior to the closing of the acquisition. We also agreed that, except as required by applicable law, we will not divulge or otherwise make available to any person the intellectual property that is the subject of the agreement.

 

Distributed Processing Services Agreement

 

We entered into a Distributed Processing Services Agreement with Verizon Information Technologies Inc. (“VITI”) whereby VITI agreed to provide us with data center infrastructure and technical support services in support of our distributed systems processing, including a data center network infrastructure. Furthermore, for a period not to exceed sixty (60) days from the effective date of the Distributed Processing Services Agreement, VITI provides the six circuits that we receive from NTN on a pass-through cost basis. VITI also continued to provide us access to SAP, AP and Intranet applications for a period of sixty (60) days from the effective date of the Distributed Processing Services Agreement.

 

VITI is responsible for monitoring the company-provided telecommunications network between our location and VITI’s location, as well as for the purchase and maintenance of the network hardware and software at VITI’s demarcation point. We are responsible for the purchase and maintenance of any network hardware or software necessary to allow us to connect to the network at a mutually satisfactory company demarcation point.

 

We pay both monthly labor fees (capped at approximately $240,667 per month) and maintenance fees. The contract rate of the maintenance fees is $3.6 million annually with $300,000 of that charge billed to us on a monthly basis. If new hardware, software or maintenance is added or service levels are increased, VITI will

 

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charge us at rates that are consistent with those described above in this paragraph. To the extent we request VITI to transfer any third party licenses used specifically for us and not under Verizon’s enterprise license, VITI will transfer such licenses, provided that the company has paid all consent, license and maintenance fees.

 

The term of the agreement is for 18 months. We have the right to terminate the agreement (or any services relating to specific hardware or software that we may want to remove from the environment) for convenience, in whole or in part, by providing three months prior written notice. Appropriate adjustments to the fees will be made with respect to any termination in part. Provided that we have not been terminated for default, VITI will, upon request, provide termination assistance to us sufficient to transfer us to another service provider. This assistance shall be provided at $125 per hour.

 

We have the right to purchase certain hardware from VITI upon termination or expiration of the agreement for either one dollar or book value, depending on the type of hardware. We and VITI also entered into service level agreements, attached as an exhibit to the agreement, for existing applications and hardware and for existing hardware platforms. The parties are also obligated to negotiate new service levels for added hardware and software within 90 days of the implementation of such additional hardware or software.

 

On July 8, 2003, the Distributed Processing Services Agreement with VITI was renewed for an additional 3 years. Based on the hardware and software configurations at that time, the monthly hardware, software, maintenance and labor charge is $343,421.

 

Equity Sponsor’s Investment in Transaction Network Services, Inc.

 

Certain investment funds affiliated with GTCR Golder Rauner, LLC are collectively the controlling equityholder of Transaction Network Services, Inc. (“TNS”). The company has done business with TNS in the past, and expects to continue to do business with TNS in the future. Collin Roche, who serves as one of our directors, also serves on the board of directors of TNS.

 

Acquisition of Brience, Inc.

 

Effective July 23, 2003, pursuant to an agreement and plan of merger dated as of July 15, 2003, among TSI Networks, TSI Brience, LLC (“TSI Brience”), Brience, Inc. (“Brience”) and certain holders (the “seller parties”) of Series C Preferred Stock, par value $.01 per share, of Brience, Brience was merged with and into TSI Brience with TSI Brience continuing as the surviving entity and a wholly owned subsidiary of TSI Networks. Historically, Brience developed and sold information access and integration software products to large enterprises. At the time of the merger, however, Brience’s business was limited to selling and servicing its Mobile Processing Server product.

 

As a result of the merger, each share of Series C Preferred Stock of Brience outstanding as of the effective time of the merger was converted into a right to receive a pro rata share of 1.67 shares of Class B Common Stock, par value $.01 per share, of TSI Networks, under the terms and subject to the conditions set forth in the merger agreement. All other outstanding classes of stock of Brience were canceled and retired with no right to payment under the terms of the merger agreement. Concurrent with the merger, the seller parties other than GTCR Fund VII, L.P. and GTCR Co-Invest, L.P. entered into an exchange agreement, dated as of July 23, 2003, with TSI LLC pursuant to which such seller parties (the “exchange parties”) exchanged all of the merger consideration received by the exchanging parties in the merger in exchange for a pro rata portion of 19,775.01 common units of TSI LLC. Also concurrent with the merger, GTCR Fund VII, L.P. and GTCR Co-Invest L.P. (the “investors”) entered into a contribution agreement, dated as of July 23, 2003, with TSI LLC pursuant to which the Investors agreed to contribute to TSI LLC all of the merger consideration received by the investors in the merger in exchange for a pro rata position of 80,224.99 common units of TSI LLC.

 

The consideration paid to holders of Series C Preferred Stock was determined through arms-length negotiations between (i) the board of managers and officers of TSI LLC and the boards of directors and officers of TSI Networks and the company and (ii) the board of directors and officers of Brience, which included representatives of the exchanging parties. Messrs. Donnini and Roche recused themselves from all discussions by the board of managers of TSI LLC and the boards of directors of TSI Networks and the company with respect to the merger. The merger agreement was approved and adopted by the stockholders of Brience pursuant to written consents, which included a majority of the minority owners of Brience.

 

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SECURITY OWNERSHIP OF CERTAIN BENEFICIAL OWNERS AND MANAGEMENT

 

All of the company’s common stock is owned by TSI Inc., a corporation owned by TSI LLC, whose members include affiliates and co-investors of GTCR Golder Rauner, LLC and certain members of our management.

 

The ownership interests in TSI LLC consist of Class A Preferred Units, Class B Preferred Units and Common Units. Holders of Class A Preferred Units and Class B Preferred Units have no voting rights except as required by law. The holders of Common Units are entitled to one vote per unit on all matters to be voted upon by the members of TSI LLC.

 

Class A Preferred Units are entitled to a preferred yield of 10.0% per annum, compounded quarterly. On any liquidation or other distribution by TSI LLC, holders of Class A Preferred Units are entitled to an amount equal to the original investment in such preferred units, net of any prior returns of capital with respect to such preferred units, plus any accrued and unpaid preferred yield, which we refer to as the “Class A Preference Amount,” before any payments may be made to holders of Class B Preferred Units or Common Units. Class A Preferred Units may be used as consideration for the repurchase by TSI LLC of Class B Preferred Units and Common Units held by members of our management team who cease to be employed by TSI LLC, TSI Inc. or their respective subsidiaries. Class B Preferred Units are also entitled to a preferred yield of 10.0%, compounded quarterly. On any liquidation or other distribution by TSI LLC and after payment of the Class A Preference Amount, holders of Class B Preferred Units are entitled to an amount equal to the original investment in such preferred units, net of any prior returns of capital with respect to such preferred units, plus any accrued and unpaid preferred yield, which we refer to as the “Class B Preference Amount,” before any payments may be made to holders of Common Units. The Common Units represent the common equity of TSI LLC. After payment of the Class A Preference Amount and the Class B Preference Amount, Common Unit holders are entitled to any remaining proceeds of any liquidation or other distribution by TSI LLC pro rata according to the number of Common Units held by such holder.

 

Both our senior credit facility and the indenture relating to the notes generally limit the ability of TSI LLC’s operating subsidiaries to pay cash distributions to their respective equityholders other than distributions in amounts approximately equal to the tax liability of the members of TSI LLC unless certain conditions are satisfied. Because TSI LLC’s only significant assets are the stock of its subsidiaries, TSI LLC likely will not have sufficient funds to make distributions to its members, other than tax distributions. Such tax distributions will be made quarterly and will be based on the approximate highest combined tax rate that applies to any of TSI LLC’s members.

 

The following table sets forth certain information regarding the beneficial ownership of TSI LLC as of September 30, 2003 by: (i) each person or entity known to us to own more than 5% of any class of TSI LLC’s outstanding securities and (ii) each member of our board of managers, each of our named executive officers and all members of the board of managers and executive officers as a group. TSI LLC’s outstanding securities consisted of approximately 89,604,505 Common Units, 252,367.50 Class B Preferred Units and no Class A Preferred Units as of September 30, 2003. The following table sets forth information regarding the beneficial ownership of TSI LLC rather than us because TSI LLC owns 100% of TSI Inc.’s outstanding capital stock and TSI Inc. owns 100% of our capital stock. To our knowledge, each of such securityholders has sole voting and investment power as to the units shown unless otherwise noted. Beneficial ownership of the securities listed in the table has been determined in accordance with the applicable rules and regulations promulgated under the Exchange Act.

 

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          Securities Beneficially
Owned(1)


      

Name


  

Number of

Common

Units


  

Percentage of

Common

Units


   

Number of

Preferred

Units


  

Percentage of

Preferred

Units


 

Principal Securityholders:

                      

GTCR Fund VII, L.P.(2)(3)

   69,299,335.43    77.3 %   220,971.00    87.6 %

GTCR Fund VII/A, L.P.(2)(3)

   69,299,335.43    77.3     220,971.00    87.6  

GTCR Co-Invest, L.P.(2)(3)

   69,299,335.43    77.3     220,971.00    87.6  

GTCR Capital Partners, L.P.(2)(3)

   69,299,335.43    77.3     220,971.00    87.6  

Snowlake Investment Pte. Ltd.(4)

   9,165,309.28    10.2     29,258.79    11.6  

Managers and Executive Officers:

                      

G. Edward Evans(5)

   6,475,887.65    7.2     1,979.35    *  

David A. Donnini(2)(3)

   69,299,335.43    77.3     220,971.00    87.6  

Collin E. Roche(2)(3)

   69,299,335.43    77.3     220,971.00    87.6  

Michael Hartman(7)

   —      —       —      —    

Raymond L. Lawless(5)

   900,900.90    1.0     —      —    

Michael O’Brien(5)

   585,585.59    *     —      —    

Paul Wilcock(5)

   585,585.59    *     —      —    

Gilbert Mosher(5)

   405,405.41    *     —      —    

Odie C. Donald(6)

   —      —       —      —    

Tony G. Holcombe(8)

   —      —       —      —    

All managers and executive officers as a group (15 persons)

   80,144,592.44    89.4 %   222,950.35    88.3 %

* Less than 1%
(1) Pursuant to Rule 13d-3 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, a person has beneficial ownership of any securities as to which such person, directly or indirectly, through any contract, arrangement, undertaking, relationship or otherwise has or shares voting power and/or investment power and as to which such person has the right to acquire such voting and/or investment power within 60 days. Percentage of beneficial ownership as to any person as of a particular date is calculated by dividing the number of shares beneficially owned by such person by the sum of the number of shares outstanding as of such date and the number of shares as to which such person has the right to acquire voting and/or investment power within 60 days.
(2) The address of each of GTCR Fund VII, L.P., GTCR Fund VII/A, L.P., GTCR Co-Invest, L.P., GTCR Capital Partners, L.P. and Messrs. Donnini and Roche is c/o GTCR Golder Rauner, LLC, 6100 Sears Tower, Chicago, Illinois 60606.
(3) Includes 45,054,361.36 Common Units and 143,575.10 Class B Preferred Units held by GTCR Fund VII, L.P., 22,487,432.10 Common Units and 71,787.55 Class B Preferred Units held by GTCR Fund VII/A, L.P., 618,348.83 Common Units and 1,971.66 Class B Preferred Units held by GTCR Co-Invest, L.P. and 1,139,193.14 Common Units and 3,636.69 Class B Preferred Units held by GTCR Capital Partners, L.P. Mr. Donnini is a principal in GTCR Golder Rauner, LLC, which is the general partner of the general partner of GTCR Fund VII, L.P. and GTCR Fund VII/A, L.P. and which is the general partner of GTCR Co-Invest, L.P. Mr. Roche is a Principal in GTCR Golder Rauner, LLC. Mr. Donnini and Mr. Roche each disclaim the beneficial ownership of the Units held by such entities except to the extent of his proportionate ownership interests therein.
(4) The address of Snowlake Investment Pte. Ltd. is c/o GIC Special Investment Pte Ltd, 255 Shoreline Drive, Suite 600, Redwood City, California 94065.
(5) The address of each of Messrs. Evans, Lawless, Wilcock, Mosher and O’Brien is c/o TSI Telecommunication Services Inc., One Tampa City Center, Suite 700, Tampa, Florida 33602.
(6) The address of Mr. Donald is 35 Kenmare Hall NE, Atlanta, Georgia 30324.
(7) The address of Mr. Hartman is 16704 Almanzor de Avila, Tampa, Florida 33613.
(8) The address of Mr. Holcombe is 201 Lake Ridge Court, Franklin, Tennessee 37069.

 

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DESCRIPTION OF SENIOR CREDIT FACILITY

 

In connection with the transactions described herein, the issuer entered into a senior credit facility with Lehman Commercial Paper Inc., as administrative agent, Lehman Brothers Inc., as exclusive advisor, sole lead arranger and sole book-running manager, and a syndicate of financial institutions and institutional lenders. Set forth below is a summary of the material terms of the senior credit facility.

 

The senior credit facility matures on December 31, 2006 and provides for aggregate borrowings by us of up to $328.3 million (with net proceeds to us on February 14, 2002 of up to $310.0 million). The senior credit facility provides for:

 

  a revolving credit facility of up to $35.0 million in revolving credit loans and letters of credit, and

 

  a term loan B facility of $293.3 million in term loans (with net proceeds to us of $275.0 million).

 

We borrowed approximately $298.8 million under the senior credit facility (with net proceeds to us of $280.4 million) to provide a portion of the proceeds required to consummate the acquisition. The revolving credit facility will also be used for working capital and general corporate needs, including permitted acquisitions.

 

We can borrow up to $35.0 million under the revolving credit facility for general corporate purposes including working capital, capital expenditures and acquisitions. Our ability to fund acquisitions from the revolving credit facility is limited to an aggregate amount of $15.0 million.

 

Collateral and Guarantees

 

The loans and other obligations under the senior credit facility are guaranteed by TSI LLC, TSI Inc. and each of TSI LLC’s direct and indirect subsidiaries (other than certain foreign subsidiaries).

 

Our obligations under the senior credit facility and the guarantees are secured by:

 

  a perfected first priority security interest in all of our tangible and intangible assets and all of the tangible and intangible assets of TSI LLC and each of its direct and indirect subsidiaries, subject to certain customary exceptions, and

 

  a pledge of (i) all of the capital stock of TSI Inc. owned by TSI LLC, all of our capital stock and that of any of TSI LLC’s direct and indirect domestic subsidiaries and (ii) two-thirds of the capital stock of certain first-tier foreign subsidiaries, if any.

 

Interest and Fees

 

Our borrowings under the senior credit facility are subject to quarterly interest payments and bear interest at a rate which, at our option, can be either:

 

  a base rate generally defined as the sum of (i) the higher of (x) the prime rate (as quoted on Page 3750 of the Dow Jones Telerate screen) and (y) the federal funds effective rate, plus one half percent (0.50%) per annum) and (ii) an applicable margin or,

 

  a LIBOR rate generally defined as the sum of (i) the rate at which eurodollar deposits for one, two, three or six months and, if available to the lenders under the applicable credit facility, nine or twelve months (as selected by us) are offered in the interbank eurodollar market and (ii) an applicable margin.

 

The initial applicable margin for the base rate revolving loans is 3.50% and the applicable margin for the eurodollar revolving loans is 4.50%. Commencing on the date of delivery of our financial statements occurring after the completion of two full fiscal quarters following the closing of the acquisition, the applicable margin for the revolving loans is subject to adjustment based on our leverage ratio. The applicable margin for the base rate term B loan and eurodollar term B loan is 3.50% and 4.50%, respectively.

 

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We are required to pay a commitment fee on the difference between committed amounts and amounts actually utilized under the revolving credit facility, which is 0.50% per annum.

 

Repayments; Prepayments

 

The term loan B facilities are subject to equal quarterly installments of principal beginning on September 30, 2002 as set forth in the table below:

 

Year


   Term Loan B

2002*

   $ 15.0 million

2003

     20.0 million

2004

     35.0 million

2005

     45.0 million

2006

     178.3 million
    

Total

   $ 293.3 million
    


* There were only two quarterly principal payments in 2002, commencing on September 30, 2002.

 

The revolving credit facility does not require any principal repayments until maturity on December 31, 2006. Voluntary prepayments of principal outstanding under the revolving loans are permitted at any time without premium or penalty, upon the giving of proper notice. In addition, we are required to prepay amounts outstanding under the senior credit facility in an amount equal to:

 

  100% of the net cash proceeds from any sale or issuance of equity by TSI LLC or any of its direct or indirect subsidiaries, subject to certain baskets and exceptions;

 

  100% of the net cash proceeds from any incurrence of additional indebtedness (excluding certain permitted debt);

 

  100% of the net cash proceeds from any sale or other disposition by TSI LLC, or any of its direct or indirect subsidiaries of any assets, subject to certain reinvestment provisions and excluding certain dispositions in the ordinary course; and

 

  100% of excess cash flow for each fiscal year.

 

In addition, any prepayment of the term loan B facility (other than from excess cash flow) shall be accompanied by a prepayment premium equal to 2.00% of the principal amount of such prepayment (if such prepayment is made on or prior to the first anniversary of the closing date) and 1.00% of the principal amount of such prepayment (if such prepayment is made after the first anniversary of the closing date and through the second anniversary of the closing date).

 

In March of 2003, we made an excess cash flow payment of $37.3 million as required under the senior credit facility.

 

In June of 2003, we made a voluntary prepayment of $5 million, reducing the principal amount of the senior credit facility.

 

Certain Covenants

 

The senior credit facility requires us to meet certain financial tests, including without limitation, a minimum fixed charge coverage ratio, a maximum leverage ratio, a maximum senior debt leverage ratio and a minimum interest coverage ratio. In addition, the senior credit facility contains certain covenants which, among other things, limit the incurrence of additional indebtedness, investments, dividends, transactions with affiliates, asset sales, acquisitions, capital expenditures, mergers and consolidations, prepayments of other indebtedness, liens and encumbrances and other matters customarily restricted in such agreements.

 

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On September 25, 2003, we entered into a First Amendment to Credit Agreement (the “First Amendment”) with the lenders under our senior credit facility and Lehman Commercial Paper Inc., as administrative agent for the lenders (the “Agent”). The First Amendment amends our senior credit facility financial covenants by

 

  increasing the maximum consolidated leverage and consolidated senior debt ratios,

 

  reducing the minimum consolidated interest coverage ratios beginning with the third and fourth fiscal quarters of 2003 and the four fiscal quarters of 2004, 2005 and beyond and

 

  reducing the minimum consolidated fixed charge coverage ratio.

 

In addition, the First Amendment increases the permitted level of capital expenditures for fiscal years 2004 and 2005. The First Amendment also provides that, notwithstanding any contrary accounting treatment under GAAP necessitated by the acquisition of Brience on July 23, 2003, the consolidated net income and consolidated EBITDA of Brience prior to July 23, 2003 will be excluded from any determination of consolidated net income or consolidated EBITDA of TSI Telecommunication Holdings, LLC and its subsidiaries for purposes of the covenants in our senior credit facility.

 

Events of Default

 

The senior credit facility contains customary events of default, including, without limitation, payment defaults, breaches of representations and warranties, covenant defaults, cross-defaults to certain other material indebtedness in excess of specified amounts, certain events of bankruptcy and insolvency, certain ERISA events, judgment defaults in excess of specified amounts, failure of any guaranty or security document or any subordination provision supporting the senior credit facility to be in full force and effect and change in control.

 

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DESCRIPTION OF THE NOTES

 

You can find the definitions of certain terms used in this description under the subheading “Certain Definitions.” In this description, the word “TSI” refers only to TSI Telecommunication Services Inc. and not to any of its subsidiaries.

 

TSI issued the notes under an indenture among itself, the Guarantors and The Bank of New York, as trustee, in a private transaction that was not subject to the registration requirements of the Securities Act. The terms of the notes include those stated in the indenture and those made part of the indenture by reference to the Trust Indenture Act of 1939, as amended.

 

The following description is a summary of the material provisions of the indenture and the registration rights agreement. It does not restate those agreements in their entirety. We urge you to read the indenture and the registration rights agreement because they, and not this description, define your rights as holders of the notes. Copies of the indenture and the registration rights agreement are available as set forth below under “—Additional Information.” Certain defined terms used in this description but not defined below under “—Certain Definitions” have the meanings assigned to them in the indenture or the registration rights agreement.

 

The registered Holder of a note will be treated as the owner of it for all purposes. Only registered Holders have rights under the indenture.

 

Brief Description of the Notes and the Guarantees

 

The Notes

 

The notes:

 

  are general unsecured obligations of TSI;

 

  are subordinated in right of payment to all existing and future Senior Debt of TSI;

 

  are pari passu in right of payment with any future senior subordinated Indebtedness of TSI;

 

  are senior in right of payment with any future subordinated Indebtedness of TSI;

 

  are unconditionally guaranteed by TSI Telecommunication Holdings, Inc. (the “Parent”), the direct parent entity of TSI;

 

  are unconditionally guaranteed by TSI Telecommunication Holdings, LLC (the “Ultimate Parent”), the direct parent entity of the Parent; and

 

  are unconditionally guaranteed by each of the Domestic Subsidiaries of TSI.

 

As of the date of the indenture, all of our subsidiaries were “Restricted Subsidiaries.” However, under the circumstances described below under the subheading “—Certain Covenants—Designation of Restricted and Unrestricted Subsidiaries,” we will be permitted to designate certain of our subsidiaries as “Unrestricted Subsidiaries.” Our Unrestricted Subsidiaries will not be subject to many of the restrictive covenants in the indenture. Our Unrestricted Subsidiaries will not guarantee the notes.

 

The Guarantees

 

The notes are guaranteed by the Guarantors.

 

Each guarantee of the notes is:

 

  a general unsecured obligation of the Guarantor;

 

  subordinated in right of payment to all existing and future Senior Debt of that Guarantor;

 

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  pari passu in right of payment with any future senior subordinated Indebtedness of that Guarantor; and

 

  senior in right of payment to any future subordinated Indebtedness of that Guarantor.

 

As of September 30, 2003, TSI and the Guarantors guaranteed total Senior Debt of $221.2 million. As indicated above and as discussed in detail below under the caption “—Subordination,” payments on the notes and under the Subsidiary Guarantees are subordinated to the payment of Senior Debt. The indenture permits us and the Guarantors to incur additional Senior Debt.

 

Principal, Maturity and Interest

 

The indenture does not limit the maximum aggregate principal amount of notes that TSI may issue thereunder. TSI issued notes in an aggregate principal amount of $245.0 million in connection with the initial offering of notes. TSI may issue additional notes from time to time. Any offering of additional notes is subject to the covenant described below under the caption “—Certain Covenants—Incurrence of Indebtedness and Issuance of Preferred Stock.” The notes and any additional notes subsequently issued under the indenture will be treated as a single class for all purposes under the indenture, including, without limitation, waivers, amendments, redemptions and offers to purchase. TSI will issue notes in denominations of $1,000 and integral multiples of $1,000. The notes will mature on February 1, 2009.

 

Interest on the notes will accrue at the rate of 12 3/4% per annum and will be payable semi-annually in arrears on February 1 and August 1, commencing on August 1, 2002. TSI will make each interest payment to the Holders of record on the immediately preceding January 15 and July 15.

 

Interest on the notes will accrue from the date of original issuance or, if interest has already been paid, from the date it was most recently paid. Interest will be computed on the basis of a 360-day year comprised of twelve 30-day months.

 

Methods of Receiving Payments on the Notes

 

If a Holder has given wire transfer instructions to TSI, TSI will pay all principal, interest and premium and Liquidated Damages, if any, on that Holder’s notes in accordance with those instructions. All other payments on notes will be made at the office or agency of the paying agent and registrar within the City and State of New York unless TSI elects to make interest payments by check mailed to the Holders at their address set forth in the register of Holders.

 

Paying Agent and Registrar for the Notes

 

The trustee will initially act as paying agent and registrar. TSI may change the paying agent or registrar without prior notice to the Holders of the notes, and TSI or any of its Subsidiaries may act as paying agent or registrar.

 

Transfer and Exchange

 

A Holder may transfer or exchange notes in accordance with the indenture. The registrar and the trustee may require a Holder, among other things, to furnish appropriate endorsements and transfer documents in connection with a transfer of notes. Holders will be required to pay all taxes due on transfer. TSI is not required to transfer or exchange any note selected for redemption. Also, TSI is not required to transfer or exchange any note for a period of 15 days before a selection of notes to be redeemed.

 

Guarantees

 

The notes will be guaranteed by the Parent, the Ultimate Parent, and each of TSI’s current and future Domestic Subsidiaries, including the Subsidiary that owns TSI’s SS7 network (collectively, the “Guarantors”).

 

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These Guarantees will be joint and several obligations of the Guarantors. Each Guarantee will be subordinated to the prior payment in full of all Senior Debt of that Guarantor. The obligations of each Guarantor under its Guarantee will be limited as necessary to prevent that Guarantee from constituting a fraudulent conveyance under applicable law. See “Risk Factors—Fraudulent conveyance laws may adversely affect the validity and enforceability of the guarantees of the notes.”

 

A Guarantor may not sell or otherwise dispose of all or substantially all of its assets to, or consolidate with or merge with or into (whether or not such Guarantor is the surviving Person), another Person, other than TSI or another Guarantor, unless:

 

  (1) immediately after giving effect to that transaction, no Default or Event of Default exists; and

 

  (2) either:

 

(a) the Person acquiring the property in any such sale or disposition or the Person formed by or surviving any such consolidation or merger assumes all the obligations of that Guarantor under the indenture, its Guarantee and the registration rights agreement, pursuant to a supplemental indenture reasonably satisfactory to the trustee; or

 

(b) the Net Proceeds of such sale or other disposition are applied in accordance with the applicable provisions of the indenture.

 

The Guarantee of a Guarantor will be released:

 

(1) in connection with any sale or other disposition of all or substantially all of the assets of that Guarantor (including by way of merger or consolidation), to a Person that is not (either before or after giving effect to such transaction) a Subsidiary of TSI, if the sale or other disposition complies with the “Asset Sale” provisions of the indenture;

 

(2) in connection with any sale of all of the Capital Stock of a Guarantor to a Person that is not (either before or after giving effect to such transaction) a Subsidiary of TSI, if the sale complies with the “Asset Sale” provisions of the indenture;

 

(3) if TSI designates any Restricted Subsidiary that is a Guarantor as an Unrestricted Subsidiary in accordance with the applicable provisions of the indenture; or

 

(4) in connection with the sale, disposition or transfer of all of the assets of a Guarantor to another Guarantor or TSI.

 

See “Repurchase at the Option of Holders—Asset Sales.”

 

Additionally, upon written confirmation in accordance with the indenture, the Guarantee of the Ultimate Parent and the Parent will be released (i) following a sale of all of the Capital Stock of the Subsidiary that owns TSI’s SS7 network in a transaction that complies with the terms set forth below under the caption “Repurchase at the Option of Holders—Asset Sale” if the Net Proceeds from such sale are contributed by the Ultimate Parent to the Parent as common equity or as a capital contribution and by the Parent to TSI (plus any other consideration received in such sale net of estimated taxes in respect of such sale) as common equity capital or as a capital contribution in accordance with the terms of the Equity Contribution Agreement or (ii) if the Ultimate Parent contributes to the Parent as common equity or as a capital contribution, and the Parent in turn contributes to TSI as common equity or as a capital contribution, all of its Equity Interests in the Subsidiary that owns TSI’s SS7 network.

 

Subordination

 

The payment of principal, interest and premium and Liquidated Damages and other amounts, if any, on the notes will be subordinated to the prior payment in full in cash of all Senior Debt of TSI, including Senior Debt incurred after the date of the indenture.

 

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The holders of Senior Debt will be entitled to receive payment in full in cash of all Obligations due in respect of Senior Debt (including interest after the commencement of any bankruptcy proceeding at the rate specified in the applicable Senior Debt), before the Holders of notes will be entitled to receive any payment or distribution with respect to the notes (except that Holders of notes may receive and retain Permitted Junior Securities and payments made from the trust described under “—Legal Defeasance and Covenant Defeasance”), in the event of any distribution to creditors of TSI:

 

(1) in a liquidation or dissolution of TSI;

 

(2) in a bankruptcy, reorganization, insolvency, receivership or similar proceeding relating to TSI or its property;

 

(3) in an assignment for the benefit of creditors; or

 

(4) in any marshaling of TSI’s assets and liabilities.

 

TSI also may not make any payment in respect of the notes (except in Permitted Junior Securities or from the trust described under “—Legal Defeasance and Covenant Defeasance”), if:

 

(1) a payment default on Senior Debt occurs; or

 

(2) any other default occurs and is continuing on any series of Designated Senior Debt that permits holders of that series of Designated Senior Debt to accelerate its maturity and the trustee receives a notice of such default (a “Payment Blockage Notice”) from TSI or the holders of any Designated Senior Debt.

 

Payments on the notes may and will be resumed:

 

(1) in the case of a payment default, upon the date on which such default is cured or waived; and

 

(2) in the case of a nonpayment default, upon the earliest of (a) the date on which such nonpayment default is cured or waived, (b) 179 days after the date on which the applicable Payment Blockage Notice is received, and (c) the Trustee receives notice from the Representative for such Designated Senior Debt rescinding the Payment Blockage Notice, unless the maturity of any Designated Senior Debt has been accelerated.

 

No new Payment Blockage Notice may be delivered unless and until 365 days have elapsed since the delivery of the immediately prior Payment Blockage Notice.

 

No nonpayment default that existed or was continuing on the date of delivery of any Payment Blockage Notice to the trustee will be, or be made, the basis for a subsequent Payment Blockage Notice unless such default shall have been cured or waived for a period of not less than 90 days.

 

If the trustee or any Holder of the notes receives a payment in respect of the notes (except in Permitted Junior Securities or from the trust described under “—Legal Defeasance and Covenant Defeasance”), when the payment is prohibited by these subordination provisions; the trustee or the Holder, as the case may be, will hold the payment in trust for the benefit of the holders of Senior Debt. Upon the written request of the holders of Senior Debt, the trustee or the Holder, as the case may be, will promptly deliver the amounts in trust to the holders of Senior Debt or their proper representative.

 

TSI must promptly notify holders of Senior Debt if payment of the notes is accelerated because of an Event of Default.

 

As a result of the subordination provisions described above, in the event of a bankruptcy, liquidation or reorganization of TSI, Holders of notes may recover less ratably than creditors of TSI who are holders of Senior Debt. See “Risk Factors—Your right to receive payments on these notes is junior to our existing senior indebtedness and possibly all of our future borrowings. Further, the guarantees of these notes are junior to all of our guarantors’ existing senior indebtedness and possibly to all of their future borrowings.”

 

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Optional Redemption

 

At any time prior to February 1, 2005, TSI may on any one or more occasions redeem up to 35% of the aggregate principal amount of notes issued under the indenture (including additional notes, if any) at a redemption price of 112.750% of the principal amount, plus accrued and unpaid interest and Liquidated Damages, if any, to the redemption date, with the net cash proceeds of one or more Equity Offerings by TSI or a contribution to TSI’s common equity capital made with the net cash proceeds of a concurrent Equity Offering by the Parent or the Ultimate Parent (but excluding any Excluded Capital Contribution and any Reserved Contribution); provided that:

 

(1) at least 65% of the aggregate principal amount of notes issued under the indenture (including additional notes, if any) remains outstanding immediately after the occurrence of such redemption; and

 

(2) the redemption occurs within 60 days of the date of the closing of such Equity Offering.

 

Except pursuant to the preceding paragraph, the notes will not be redeemable at TSI’s option prior to February 1, 2006. TSI is not prohibited, however, from acquiring the notes by means other than a redemption, whether pursuant to a tender offer or otherwise, assuming such acquisition does not otherwise violate the terms of the indenture.

 

After February 1, 2006, TSI may redeem all or a part of the notes upon not less than 30 nor more than 60 days’ notice, at the redemption prices (expressed as percentages of principal amount), set forth below plus accrued and unpaid interest and Liquidated Damages, if any, on the notes redeemed, to the applicable redemption date, if redeemed during the twelve-month period beginning on February 1 of the years indicated below:

 

Year


   Percentage

 

2006

   106.375 %

2007

   103.188 %

2008 and thereafter

   100.000 %

 

Mandatory Redemption

 

TSI is not required to make mandatory redemption or sinking fund payments with respect to the notes.

 

Repurchase at the Option of Holders

 

Change of Control

 

If a Change of Control occurs, each Holder of notes will have the right to require TSI to repurchase all or any part (equal to $1,000 or an integral multiple of $1,000), of that Holder’s notes pursuant to a Change of Control Offer on the terms set forth in the indenture. In the Change of Control Offer, TSI will offer a Change of Control Payment in cash equal to 101% of the aggregate principal amount of notes repurchased plus accrued and unpaid interest and Liquidated Damages, if any, on the notes repurchased, to the date of purchase. Within ten days following any Change of Control, TSI will mail a notice to each Holder describing the transaction or transactions that constitute the Change of Control and offering to repurchase notes on the Change of Control Payment Date specified in the notice, which date will be no earlier than 30 days and no later than 60 days from the date such notice is mailed, pursuant to the procedures required by the indenture and described in such notice. TSI will comply with the requirements of Rule 14e-1 under the Exchange Act and any other securities laws and regulations thereunder to the extent those laws and regulations are applicable in connection with the repurchase of the notes as a result of a Change of Control. To the extent that the provisions of any securities laws or regulations conflict with the Change of Control provisions of the indenture, TSI will comply with the applicable securities laws and regulations and will not be deemed to have breached its obligations under the Change of Control provisions of the indenture by virtue of such conflict.

 

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On the Change of Control Payment Date, TSI will, to the extent lawful:

 

(1) accept for payment all notes or portions of notes properly tendered pursuant to the Change of Control Offer;

 

(2) deposit with the paying agent an amount equal to the Change of Control Payment in respect of all notes or portions of notes properly tendered; and

 

(3) deliver or cause to be delivered to the trustee the notes properly accepted together with an officers’ certificate stating the aggregate principal amount of notes or portions of notes being purchased by TSI.

 

The paying agent will promptly mail to each Holder of notes properly tendered the Change of Control Payment for such notes, and the trustee will promptly authenticate and mail (or cause to be transferred by book entry), to each Holder a new note equal in principal amount to any unpurchased portion of the notes surrendered, if any; provided that each new note will be in a principal amount of $1,000 or an integral multiple of $1,000.

 

Prior to complying with any of the provisions of this “Change of Control” covenant, but in any event within 90 days following a Change of Control, TSI will either repay all outstanding Senior Debt or obtain the requisite consents, if any, under all agreements governing outstanding Senior Debt to permit the repurchase of notes required by this covenant. TSI will publicly announce the results of the Change of Control Offer on or as soon as practicable after the Change of Control Payment Date.

 

The provisions described above that require TSI to make a Change of Control Offer following a Change of Control will be applicable whether or not any other provisions of the indenture are applicable. Except as described above with respect to a Change of Control, the indenture does not contain provisions that permit the Holders of the notes to require that TSI repurchase or redeem the notes in the event of a takeover, recapitalization or similar transaction.

 

TSI will not be required to make a Change of Control Offer upon a Change of Control if a third party makes the Change of Control Offer in the manner, at the times and otherwise in compliance with the requirements set forth in the indenture applicable to a Change of Control Offer made by TSI and purchases all notes properly tendered and not withdrawn under the Change of Control Offer.

 

The definition of Change of Control includes a phrase relating to the direct or indirect sale, lease, transfer, conveyance or other disposition of “all or substantially all” of the properties or assets of TSI and its Subsidiaries taken as a whole. Although there is a limited body of case law interpreting the phrase “substantially all,” there is no precise established definition of the phrase under applicable law. Accordingly, the ability of a Holder of notes to require TSI to repurchase its notes as a result of a sale, lease, transfer, conveyance or other disposition of less than all of the assets of TSI and its Subsidiaries taken as a whole to another Person or group may be uncertain.

 

Asset Sales

 

TSI will not, and will not permit any of its Restricted Subsidiaries to, consummate an Asset Sale unless:

 

(1) TSI (or the Restricted Subsidiary, as the case may be) receives consideration at the time of the Asset Sale at least equal to the fair market value of the assets or Equity Interests issued or sold or otherwise disposed of;

 

(2) the fair market value is determined by TSI’s Board of Directors and evidenced by a resolution of the Board of Directors set forth in an officers’ certificate delivered to the trustee; and

 

(3) at least 75% of the consideration received in the Asset Sale by TSI or such Restricted Subsidiary is in the form of cash or Cash Equivalents. For purposes of this provision, each of the following (and any combination thereof) will be deemed to be cash:

 

(a) any liabilities, as shown on TSI’s most recent consolidated balance sheet, of TSI or any Restricted Subsidiary (other than contingent liabilities and liabilities that are by their terms subordinated to the notes or any Guarantee), that are expressly assumed by the transferee of any such assets;

 

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(b) any securities, notes or other obligations received by TSI or any such Restricted Subsidiary from such transferee that are converted by TSI or such Restricted Subsidiary into cash within 90 days following the closing of such Asset Sale, to the extent of the cash received in that conversion; and

 

(c) any Designated Noncash Consideration received by TSI or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries in any Asset Sale having a fair market value, taken together with all other Designated Noncash Consideration received pursuant to this clause (c) that is at the time outstanding, not to exceed 5% of Total Assets at the time of the receipt of such Designated Noncash Consideration.

 

Within 365 days after the receipt of any Net Proceeds from an Asset Sale, TSI may apply those Net Proceeds, at its option:

 

  (1) to repay Senior Debt and, if the Senior Debt repaid is revolving credit Indebtedness, to correspondingly reduce commitments with respect thereto;

 

  (2) to acquire all or substantially all of the assets of, or a majority of the Voting Stock of, another Permitted Business;

 

  (3) to make a capital expenditure; or

 

  (4) to acquire other long-term assets that are used or useful in a Permitted Business.

 

Any cash received by TSI from an Excluded Capital Contribution will be treated as Net Proceeds from an Asset Sale for all purposes under the indenture. Pending the final application of any Net Proceeds, TSI may temporarily reduce revolving credit borrowings or otherwise invest the Net Proceeds in any manner that is not prohibited by the indenture.

 

Any Net Proceeds from Asset Sales that are not applied or invested as provided in the preceding paragraph will constitute “Excess Proceeds.” When the aggregate amount of Excess Proceeds exceeds $15.0 million, TSI will make an Asset Sale Offer to all Holders of notes and all holders of other Indebtedness that is pari passu with the notes containing provisions similar to those set forth in the indenture with respect to offers to purchase or redeem with the proceeds of sales of assets to purchase the maximum principal amount of notes and such other pari passu Indebtedness that may be purchased out of the Excess Proceeds. The offer price in any Asset Sale Offer will be equal to 100% of principal amount plus accrued and unpaid interest and Liquidated Damages, if any, to the date of purchase, and will be payable in cash. If any Excess Proceeds remain after consummation of an Asset Sale Offer, TSI may use those Excess Proceeds for any purpose not otherwise prohibited by the indenture. If the aggregate principal amount of notes and other pari passu Indebtedness tendered into such Asset Sale Offer exceeds the amount of Excess Proceeds, the trustee will select the notes and such other pari passu Indebtedness to be purchased on a pro rata basis. Upon completion of each Asset Sale Offer, the amount of Excess Proceeds will be reset at zero.

 

TSI will comply with the requirements of Rule 14e-1 under the Exchange Act and any other securities laws and regulations thereunder to the extent those laws and regulations are applicable in connection with each repurchase of notes pursuant to an Asset Sale Offer. To the extent that the provisions of any securities laws or regulations conflict with the Asset Sale provisions of the indenture, TSI will comply with the applicable securities laws and regulations and will not be deemed to have breached its obligations under the Asset Sale provisions of the indenture by virtue of such conflict.

 

The agreements governing TSI’s outstanding Senior Debt currently prohibit TSI from purchasing any notes, and also provides that certain change of control or asset sale events with respect to TSI would constitute a default under these agreements. Any future credit agreements or other agreements relating to Senior Debt to which TSI becomes a party may contain similar restrictions and provisions. In the event a Change of Control or Asset Sale occurs at a time when TSI is prohibited from purchasing notes, TSI could seek the consent of its senior lenders to the purchase of notes or could attempt to refinance the borrowings that contain such prohibition. If TSI does not obtain such a consent or repay such borrowings, TSI will remain prohibited from purchasing notes. In such case,

 

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TSI’s failure to purchase tendered notes would constitute an Event of Default under the indenture which would, in turn, constitute a default under such Senior Debt. In such circumstances, the subordination provisions in the indenture would likely restrict payments to the Holders of notes.

 

Selection and Notice

 

If less than all of the notes are to be redeemed at any time, the trustee will select notes for redemption as follows:

 

(1) if the notes are listed on any national securities exchange, in compliance with the requirements of the principal national securities exchange on which the notes are listed; or

 

(2) if the notes are not listed on any national securities exchange, on a pro rata basis, by lot or by such method as the trustee deems fair and appropriate.

 

No notes of $1,000 or less can be redeemed in part. Notices of redemption will be mailed by first class mail at least 30 but not more than 60 days before the redemption date to each Holder of notes to be redeemed at its registered address, except that redemption notices may be mailed more than 60 days prior to a redemption date if the notice is issued in connection with a defeasance of the notes or a satisfaction and discharge of the indenture. Notices of redemption may not be conditional.

 

If any note is to be redeemed in part only, the notice of redemption that relates to that note will state the portion of the principal amount of that note that is to be redeemed. A new note in principal amount equal to the unredeemed portion of the original note will be issued in the name of the Holder of notes upon cancellation of the original note. Notes called for redemption become due on the date fixed for redemption. On and after the redemption date, interest ceases to accrue on notes or portions of them called for redemption.

 

Certain Covenants

 

Restricted Payments

 

TSI will not, and will not permit any of its Restricted Subsidiaries to, directly or indirectly:

 

(1) declare or pay any dividend or make any other payment or distribution on account of TSI’s or such Restricted Subsidiary’s Equity Interests (including, without limitation, any payment in connection with any merger or consolidation involving TSI or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries), or to the direct or indirect holders of TSI’s or such Restricted Subsidiary’s Equity Interests in their capacity as such (other than dividends or distributions payable in Equity Interests (other than Disqualified Stock) of TSI or to TSI or another Restricted Subsidiary of TSI);

 

(2) purchase, redeem or otherwise acquire or retire for value (including, without limitation, in connection with any merger or consolidation involving TSI or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries) (a) any Equity Interests of TSI, (b) any Equity Interests of any direct or indirect parent of TSI or (c) any Equity Interests of any Restricted Subsidiary of TSI that are owned by an Affiliate of TSI that is not a Restricted Subsidiary of TSI;

 

(3) make any payment on or with respect to, or purchase, redeem, defease or otherwise acquire or retire for value any Indebtedness that is subordinated to the notes or the Guarantees, except a payment of interest or principal at the Stated Maturity thereof; or

 

(4) make any Restricted Investment (all such payments and other actions set forth in these clauses (1) through (4) above being collectively referred to as “Restricted Payments”),

 

unless, at the time of and after giving effect to such Restricted Payment:

 

(1) no Default or Event of Default has occurred and is continuing or would occur as a consequence of such Restricted Payment;

 

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(2) TSI would, at the time of such Restricted Payment and after giving pro forma effect thereto as if such Restricted Payment had been made at the beginning of the applicable four-quarter period, have been permitted to incur at least $1.00 of additional Indebtedness pursuant to the Fixed Charge Coverage Ratio test set forth in the first paragraph of the covenant described below under the caption “—Incurrence of Indebtedness and Issuance of Preferred Stock;” and

 

(3) such Restricted Payment, together with the aggregate amount of all other Restricted Payments made by TSI and its Restricted Subsidiaries after the date of the indenture (excluding Restricted Payments permitted by clauses (2), (3), (4), (5), (6) and (7) of the next succeeding paragraph), is less than the sum, without duplication, of:

 

(a) 50% of the Consolidated Net Income of TSI for the period (taken as one accounting period), from January 1, 2002 to the end of TSI’s most recently ended fiscal quarter for which internal financial statements are available at the time of such Restricted Payment (or, if such Consolidated Net Income for such period is a deficit, less 100% of such deficit), plus

 

(b) 100% of the aggregate net cash proceeds received by TSI since the date of the indenture as a contribution to its common equity capital or from the issue or sale of Equity Interests of TSI (other than Disqualified Stock), or the amount by which Indebtedness is reduced on TSI’s balance sheet upon the conversion or exchange of any Indebtedness of TSI or its Restricted Subsidiaries into Equity Interests of TSI (other than Disqualified Stock or Equity Interests (or debt securities), sold to a Subsidiary of TSI); provided that any proceeds received from the Excluded Capital Contribution or any Reserved Contribution will be disregarded for purposes of this clause (3)(b); plus

 

(c) an amount equal to the sum of (i) the net reduction in Restricted Investments that were made by TSI or any Restricted Subsidiary since the date of the indenture in any Person resulting from repurchases, repayments or redemptions of such Investments by such Person, proceeds realized on the sale of such Investments and proceeds representing the return of capital (excluding dividends and distributions), in each case received by TSI or any Restricted Subsidiary, and (ii) to the extent such Person is an Unrestricted Subsidiary, the portion (proportionate to TSI’s equity interest in such Subsidiary) of the fair market value of the net assets of an Unrestricted Subsidiary at the time such Unrestricted Subsidiary is designated a Restricted Subsidiary; provided, however, that the foregoing sum shall not exceed, in the case of any Person or Unrestricted Subsidiary, the amount of Restricted Investments previously made (and treated as a Restricted Payment) by TSI or any Restricted Subsidiary in such Person or Unrestricted Subsidiary.

 

The preceding provisions will not prohibit:

 

(1) the payment of any dividend within 60 days after the date of declaration of the dividend, if at the date of declaration the dividend payment would have complied with the provisions of the indenture;

 

(2) so long as no Default has occurred and is continuing or would be caused thereby, the redemption, repurchase, retirement, defeasance or other acquisition of any subordinated Indebtedness of TSI or any Restricted Subsidiary of any Equity Interests of TSI in exchange for, or out of the net cash proceeds of the substantially concurrent sale (other than to a Restricted Subsidiary of TSI), of, Equity Interests of TSI (other than Disqualified Stock); provided that the amount of any such net cash proceeds that are utilized for any such redemption, repurchase, retirement, defeasance or other acquisition will be excluded from clause (3)(b) of the preceding paragraph; and provided, further that the Excluded Capital Contribution and any Reserved Contribution will be disregarded for purposes of this clause (2);

 

(3) so long as no Default has occurred and is continuing or would be caused thereby, the defeasance, redemption, repurchase or other acquisition of subordinated Indebtedness of TSI or any Restricted Subsidiary with the net cash proceeds from an incurrence of Permitted Refinancing Indebtedness;

 

(4) the payment of any dividend by a Restricted Subsidiary of TSI to TSI or to another Restricted Subsidiary of TSI;

 

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(5) so long as no Default has occurred and is continuing or would be caused thereby, the repurchase, redemption or other acquisition or retirement for value of any Equity Interests of TSI or any distribution, loan or advance to the Parent or the Ultimate Parent for the repurchase, redemption or other acquisition or retirement for value of any Equity Interests of the Parent or Ultimate Parent, in each case held by any former or current employees, officers, directors or consultants of TSI or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries or their respective estates, spouses or family members under any management equity plan or stock option or other management or employee benefit plan, in an aggregate amount not to exceed $2.0 million in any calendar year pursuant to this clause (5); provided that TSI may carry forward and make in a subsequent calendar year, in addition to the amounts permitted for such calendar year, the amount of such purchases, redemptions or other acquisitions or retirements for value permitted to have been made but not made in any preceding calendar year up to a maximum of $6.0 million in any calendar year pursuant to this clause (5); and provided further, that such amount in any calendar year may be increased by the cash proceeds of key man life insurance policies received by TSI and its Restricted Subsidiaries after the date of the indenture less any amount previously applied to the payment of Restricted Payments pursuant to this clause (5); provided further, that cancellation of the Indebtedness owing to TSI from employees, officers, directors and consultants of TSI or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries in connection with a repurchase of Equity Interests of TSI from such Persons will not be deemed to constitute a Restricted Payment for purposes of this covenant or any other provisions of the indenture;

 

(6) the payment of dividends or other distributions or the making of loans or advances to the Parent or the Ultimate Parent in amounts required for the Parent or the Ultimate Parent, as the case may be, to pay franchise taxes and other fees required to maintain their existence and to provide for all other operating costs of the Parent and the Ultimate Parent, including, without limitation, in respect of director fees and expenses, administrative, legal and accounting services provided by third parties and other costs and expenses (including all costs and expenses with respect to filings with the SEC), up to an aggregate under this clause (6) of $500,000 per fiscal year plus any bona fide indemnification claims made by directors or officers of the Parent or the Ultimate Parent;

 

(7) the payment of dividends or other distributions by TSI to the Parent in amounts required to pay the tax obligations of the Parent and the Ultimate Parent attributable to TSI and its Subsidiaries determined as if TSI and its Subsidiaries had filed a separate consolidated, combined or unitary return for the relevant taxing jurisdiction; provided that in no event may the amount of dividends paid pursuant to this clause (7) to enable the Parent or Ultimate Parent to pay Federal, state and local taxes (and franchise taxes based on income) exceed the amount of such Federal, state and local taxes (and franchise taxes based on income) actually owing by the Parent or the Ultimate Parent at such time and any refunds received by the Parent or the Ultimate Parent attributable to TSI or any of its Subsidiaries shall promptly be returned by the Parent to TSI;

 

(8) repurchases of Capital Stock of TSI deemed to occur upon the cashless exercise of stock options and warrants;

 

(9) Restricted Payments made pursuant to the Merger Agreement in connection with the acquisition of TSI from Verizon (including any post-closing payments);

 

(10) so long as no Default has occurred and is continuing or would be caused thereby, Investments that are made with Reserved Contributions; and

 

(11) so long as no Default has occurred and is continuing or would be caused thereby, other Restricted Payments not otherwise permitted pursuant to this covenant in an aggregate amount not to exceed $10.0 million since the date of the indenture.

 

The amount of all Restricted Payments (other than cash), will be the fair market value on the date of the Restricted Payment of the asset(s) or securities proposed to be transferred or issued by TSI or such Restricted Subsidiary, as the case may be, pursuant to the Restricted Payment. The fair market value of any assets or securities that are required to be valued by this covenant will be determined by the Board of Directors whose resolution with respect thereto will be delivered to the trustee. The Board of Directors’ determination must be

 

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based upon an opinion or appraisal issued by an accounting, appraisal or investment banking firm of national standing if the fair market value exceeds $5.0 million. Not later than the date of making any Restricted Payment, TSI will deliver to the trustee an officers’ certificate stating that such Restricted Payment is permitted and setting forth the basis upon which the calculations required by this “Restricted Payments” covenant were computed, together with a copy of any fairness opinion or appraisal required by the indenture.

 

Incurrence of Indebtedness and Issuance of Preferred Stock

 

TSI will not, and will not permit any of its Restricted Subsidiaries to, directly or indirectly, create, incur, issue, assume, guarantee or otherwise become directly or indirectly liable, contingently or otherwise, with respect to (collectively, “incur”) any Indebtedness (including Acquired Debt), and TSI will not issue any Disqualified Stock and will not permit any of its Restricted Subsidiaries to issue any shares of preferred stock; provided, however, that TSI and any Guarantor may incur Indebtedness (including Acquired Debt) or issue Disqualified Stock and any Guarantor may issue preferred stock, if the Fixed Charge Coverage Ratio for TSI’s most recently ended four full fiscal quarters for which internal financial statements are available immediately preceding the date on which such additional Indebtedness is incurred or such Disqualified Stock or preferred stock is issued would have been at least:

 

(a) 2.25 to 1, in the case of any incurrence or issuance on or before December 31, 2002;

 

(b) 2.50 to 1, in the case of any incurrence or issuance after December 31, 2002 and on or prior to December 31, 2003; and

 

(c) 2.75 to 1, in the case of any incurrence or issuance after December 31, 2003;

 

in each case, determined on a pro forma basis (including a pro forma application of the net proceeds therefrom), as if the additional Indebtedness had been incurred or the preferred stock or Disqualified Stock had been issued, as the case may be, at the beginning of such four-quarter period.

 

The first paragraph of this covenant will not prohibit the incurrence of any of the following items of Indebtedness (collectively, “Permitted Debt”):

 

(1) the incurrence by TSI and any Restricted Subsidiary of Indebtedness and letters of credit under Credit Facilities in an aggregate principal amount at any one time outstanding under this clause (1) (with letters of credit being deemed to have a principal amount equal to the maximum potential liability of TSI and its Restricted Subsidiaries thereunder), not to exceed $328.4 million less the aggregate amount of all Excluded Capital Contributions and Net Proceeds of Asset Sales applied by TSI or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries since the date of the indenture to repay any term Indebtedness under a Credit Facility or to repay any revolving credit Indebtedness under a Credit Facility and effect a corresponding commitment reduction thereunder pursuant to the covenant described above under the caption “—Repurchase at the Option of Holders—Asset Sales;”

 

(2) the incurrence by TSI and its Restricted Subsidiaries of the Existing Indebtedness;

 

(3) the incurrence by TSI or any of its Restricted Subsidiary of Indebtedness represented by the notes and the related Guarantees to be issued on the date of the indenture and the Exchange Notes and the related Guarantees to be issued pursuant to the registration rights agreement;

 

(4) the incurrence by TSI or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries of Indebtedness represented by Capital Lease Obligations, mortgage financings or purchase money obligations, in each case, incurred for the purpose of financing all or any part of the purchase price or cost of construction or improvement of property (real or personal), plant or equipment used in the business of TSI or such Restricted Subsidiary, in an aggregate principal amount, including all Permitted Refinancing Indebtedness incurred to refund, refinance or replace any Indebtedness incurred pursuant to this clause (4), not to exceed $15.0 million at any time outstanding;

 

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(5) the incurrence by TSI or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries of Permitted Refinancing Indebtedness in exchange for, or the net proceeds of which are used to refund, refinance or replace Indebtedness (other than intercompany Indebtedness), that was permitted by the indenture to be incurred under the first paragraph of this covenant or clauses (2), (3), (4), (5), (10), (11) or (16) of this paragraph;

 

(6) the incurrence by TSI or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries of intercompany Indebtedness between or among TSI and any of its Restricted Subsidiaries; provided, however, that:

 

(a) if TSI or any Guarantor is the obligor on such Indebtedness, such Indebtedness must be expressly subordinated to the prior payment in full in cash of all Obligations with respect to the notes, in the case of TSI, or the Guarantee, in the case of a Guarantor; and

 

(b) (i) any subsequent issuance or transfer of Equity Interests that results in any such Indebtedness being held by a Person other than TSI or a Restricted Subsidiary of TSI and (ii) any sale or other transfer of any such Indebtedness to a Person that is not either TSI or a Restricted Subsidiary of TSI; will be deemed, in each case, to constitute an incurrence of such Indebtedness by TSI or such Restricted Subsidiary, as the case may be, that was not permitted by this clause (6);

 

(7) the incurrence by TSI or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries of Hedging Obligations that are incurred for the purpose of fixing or hedging interest rate risk with respect to any floating rate Indebtedness that is permitted by the terms of the indenture to be outstanding or for the purpose of fixing or hedging currency exchange rate risk arising in the ordinary course of business;

 

(8) the guarantee by TSI or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries of Indebtedness of TSI or a Restricted Subsidiary of TSI that was permitted to be incurred by another provision of this covenant;

 

(9) the accrual of interest, the accretion or amortization of original issue discount, the payment of interest on any Indebtedness in the form of additional Indebtedness with the same terms, and the payment of dividends on Disqualified Stock in the form of additional shares of the same class of Disqualified Stock will not be deemed to be an incurrence of Indebtedness or an issuance of Disqualified Stock for purposes of this covenant; provided, in each such case, that the amount thereof is included in Fixed Charges of TSI as accrued;

 

(10) the incurrence by TSI or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries of Indebtedness constituting reimbursement obligations with respect to letters of credit issued in the ordinary course of business, including, without limitation, letters of credit in respect of workers’ compensation claims or self-insurance, or other Indebtedness with respect to reimbursement type obligations regarding workers’ compensation claims or self insurance; provided, however, that, in each case, upon the drawing of such letters of credit or the incurrence of such Indebtedness, such obligations are reimbursed within 30 days following such drawing or incurrence;

 

(11) the incurrence by TSI or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries of Indebtedness arising from agreements of TSI or such Restricted Subsidiary providing for indemnification, adjustment of purchase price or similar obligations, in each case, incurred or assumed in connection with the disposition of any business, assets or Capital Stock by TSI or a Restricted Subsidiary, other than guarantees of Indebtedness incurred by any Person acquiring all or any portion of such business, assets or Capital Stock for the purpose of financing such acquisition; provided that:

 

(a) that Indebtedness is not reflected on the balance sheet of TSI or any Restricted Subsidiary (contingent obligations referred to in a footnote or footnotes to financial statements and not otherwise reflected on the balance sheet will not be deemed to be reflected on that balance sheet for purposes of this clause (a)); and

 

(b) the maximum assumable liability in respect of that Indebtedness shall at no time exceed the gross proceeds including noncash proceeds (the fair market value of those noncash proceeds being measured at the time received and without giving effect to any subsequent changes in value) actually received by TSI and/or that Restricted Subsidiary in connection with that disposition;

 

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(12) the issuance of preferred stock by any of TSI’s Restricted Subsidiaries to TSI or another Restricted Subsidiary; provided that any subsequent issuance or transfer of any Equity Interests or any other event that results in any such Restricted Subsidiary ceasing to be a Restricted Subsidiary or any other subsequent transfer of any such shares of preferred stock (except to TSI or another Restricted Subsidiary) shall be deemed in each case to be an issuance of such shares of preferred stock that was not permitted by this clause (12);

 

(13) the incurrence by TSI or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries of obligations in respect of performance and surety bonds and completion guarantees provided by TSI or such Restricted Subsidiary in the ordinary course of business;

 

(14) the incurrence of any Subordinated Indebtedness by TSI pursuant to the terms of the Revenue Guaranty Agreement as the same is in effect on the date of the indenture;

 

(15) Indebtedness of TSI that may be deemed to exist under the Merger Agreement as in effect on the date of the Indenture as a result of TSI’s obligation to pay purchase price adjustments thereunder; and

 

(16) the incurrence by TSI or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries of additional Indebtedness in an aggregate principal amount (or accreted value, as applicable), at any time outstanding, including all Permitted Refinancing Indebtedness incurred to refund, refinance or replace any Indebtedness incurred pursuant to this clause (16), not to exceed $30.0 million.

 

For purposes of determining compliance with this “Incurrence of Indebtedness and Issuance of Preferred Stock” covenant, in the event that an item of proposed Indebtedness meets the criteria of more than one of the categories of Permitted Debt described in clauses (1) through (16) above, or is entitled to be incurred pursuant to the first paragraph of this covenant, TSI will be permitted to classify such item of Indebtedness on the date of its incurrence, or later reclassify such item of Indebtedness, in any manner that complies with this covenant. Indebtedness under Credit Facilities outstanding on the date on which notes are first issued and authenticated under the indenture will be deemed to have been incurred on such date in reliance on the exception provided by clause (1) of the definition of Permitted Debt.

 

Antilayering

 

TSI will not incur, create, issue, assume, guarantee or otherwise become liable for any Indebtedness that is subordinate or junior in right of payment to any Senior Debt of TSI and senior in any respect in right of payment to the notes. No Guarantor will incur, create, issue, assume, guarantee or otherwise become liable for any Indebtedness that is subordinate or junior in right of payment to the Senior Debt of such Guarantor and senior in any respect in right of payment to such Guarantor’s Guarantee.

 

Liens

 

TSI will not, and will not permit any of its Subsidiaries to, directly or indirectly, create, incur, assume or suffer to exist any Lien of any kind securing Indebtedness, Attributable Debt or trade payables (other than Permitted Liens) on any asset now owned or hereafter acquired.

 

Dividend and Other Payment Restrictions Affecting Restricted Subsidiaries

 

TSI will not, and will not permit any of its Restricted Subsidiaries to, directly or indirectly, create or permit to exist or become effective any consensual encumbrance or restriction on the ability of any Restricted Subsidiary to:

 

(1) pay dividends or make any other distributions on its Capital Stock to TSI or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries, or with respect to any other interest or participation in, or measured by, its profits, or pay any indebtedness owed to TSI or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries;

 

(2) make loans or advances to TSI or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries; or

 

(3) transfer any of its properties or assets to TSI or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries.

 

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However, the preceding restrictions will not apply to encumbrances or restrictions existing under or by reason of:

 

(1) agreements governing Existing Indebtedness and Credit Facilities as in effect on the date of the indenture and any amendments, modifications, restatements, renewals, increases, supplements, refundings, replacements or refinancings of those agreements, provided that the amendments, modifications, restatements, renewals, increases, supplements, refundings, replacement or refinancings are no more restrictive, taken as a whole, with respect to such dividend and other payment restrictions than those contained in those agreements on the date of the indenture;

 

(2) the indenture, the notes and the Guarantees;

 

(3) applicable law or rules and regulations promulgated thereunder;

 

(4) any instrument governing Indebtedness or Capital Stock of a Person acquired by TSI or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries as in effect at the time of such acquisition (except to the extent such Indebtedness or Capital Stock was incurred in connection with or in contemplation of such acquisition), which encumbrance or restriction is not applicable to any Person, or the properties or assets of any Person, other than the Person, or the property or assets of the Person, so acquired, provided that, in the case of Indebtedness, such Indebtedness was permitted by the terms of the indenture to be incurred;

 

(5) customary non-assignment provisions in leases, licenses and other similar agreements entered into in the ordinary course of business and consistent with past practices;

 

(6) purchase money obligations for property acquired in the ordinary course of business that impose restrictions on that property of the nature described in clause (3) of the preceding paragraph;

 

(7) any agreement for the sale or other disposition of Capital Stock or assets of a Restricted Subsidiary or an agreement entered into for the sale of specified assets that restricts distributions by that Restricted Subsidiary pending the sale or other disposition;

 

(8) Permitted Refinancing Indebtedness, provided that the restrictions contained in the agreements governing such Permitted Refinancing Indebtedness are no more restrictive, taken as a whole, than those contained in the agreements governing the Indebtedness being refinanced;

 

(9) Liens securing Indebtedness otherwise permitted to be incurred under the provisions of the covenant described above under the caption “—Liens” that limit the right of the debtor to dispose of the assets subject to such Liens;

 

(10) provisions with respect to the disposition or distribution of assets or property in joint venture agreements, assets sale agreements, stock sale agreements and other similar agreements entered into in the ordinary course of business;

 

(11) restrictions on cash or other deposits or net worth imposed by customers under contracts entered into in the ordinary course of business;

 

(12) restrictions on the transfer of assets subject to any Lien permitted under the Indenture imposed by the holder of such Lien;

 

(13) Indebtedness incurred after the date of the indenture in accordance with the terms of the indenture; provided that the restrictions contained in the agreements governing the new Indebtedness are, in the good faith judgment of the Board of Directors of TSI, not materially less favorable, taken as a whole, to the Holders of the notes than those contained in the agreements governing Indebtedness that were in effect on the date of the indenture; and

 

(14) any encumbrances or restrictions imposed by any amendments, modifications, restatements, renewals, increases, supplements, refundings, replacements or refinancings of the contracts, instruments or obligations referred to in clauses (1) through (13) above; provided that such amendments, modifications, restatements, renewals, increases, supplements, refundings, replacements or refinancings are, in the good

 

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faith judgment of the Board of Directors of TSI, not materially less favorable, taken as a whole, to the Holders of notes than those contained in the applicable contracts, instruments or obligations prior to such amendment, modification, restatement, renewal, increase, supplement, refunding, replacement or refinancing.

 

Merger, Consolidation or Sale of Assets

 

TSI may not, directly or indirectly: (1) consolidate or merge with or into another Person (whether or not TSI is the surviving corporation); or (2) sell, assign, transfer, convey or otherwise dispose of all or substantially all of the properties or assets of TSI and its Restricted Subsidiaries taken as a whole, in one or more related transactions, to another Person; unless:

 

(1) either: (a) TSI is the surviving corporation; or (b) the Person formed by or surviving any such consolidation or merger (if other than TSI), or to which such sale, assignment, transfer, conveyance or other disposition has been made is either (i) a corporation organized or existing under the laws of the United States, any state of the United States or the District of Columbia or (ii) is a partnership or limited liability company organized or existing under the laws of the United States, any state thereof or the District of Columbia that has at least one Restricted Subsidiary that is a corporation organized or existing under the laws of the United States, any state thereof or the District of Columbia which corporation becomes a co-issuer of the notes pursuant to a supplemental indenture duly and validly executed by the trustee;

 

(2) the Person formed by or surviving any such consolidation or merger (if other than TSI), or the Person to which such sale, assignment, transfer, conveyance or other disposition has been made assumes all the obligations of TSI under the notes, the indenture and the registration rights agreement pursuant to agreements reasonably satisfactory to the trustee;

 

(3) immediately after such transaction, no Default or Event of Default exists; and

 

(4) except in the case of a merger or consolidation of TSI with or into a Guarantor and except in the case of the Merger, either:

 

(a) TSI or the Person formed by or surviving any such consolidation or merger (if other than TSI), or to which such sale, assignment, transfer, conveyance or other disposition has been made will, on the date of such transaction after giving pro forma effect thereto and any related financing transactions as if the same had occurred at the beginning of the applicable four-quarter period, be permitted to incur at least $1.00 of additional Indebtedness pursuant to the Fixed Charge Coverage Ratio test set forth in the first paragraph of the covenant described above under the caption “—Incurrence of Indebtedness and Issuance of Preferred Stock;” or

 

(b) on the date of such transaction after giving pro forma effect thereto and any related financing transaction, as if the same had occurred at the beginning of the applicable four-quarter period, the pro forma Fixed Charge Coverage Ratio of TSI will exceed the actual Fixed Charge Coverage Ratio of TSI on such date.

 

In addition, TSI may not, directly or indirectly, lease all or substantially all of its properties or assets, in one or more related transactions, to any other Person. This “Merger, Consolidation or Sale of Assets” covenant will not apply to a sale, assignment, transfer, conveyance or other disposition of assets between or among TSI and any of its Restricted Subsidiaries.

 

Designation of Restricted and Unrestricted Subsidiaries

 

The Board of Directors may designate any Restricted Subsidiary to be an Unrestricted Subsidiary if that designation would not cause a Default; provided that in no event will any Subsidiary that owns or operates the SS7 network be designated as an Unrestricted Subsidiary. If a Restricted Subsidiary is designated as an Unrestricted Subsidiary, the aggregate fair market value of all outstanding Investments owned by TSI and its Restricted Subsidiaries in the Subsidiary properly designated will be deemed to be an Investment made as of the

 

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time of the designation and will reduce the amount available for Restricted Payments under the first paragraph of the covenant described above under the caption “—Restricted Payments” or Permitted Investments, as determined by TSI. That designation will only be permitted if the Investment would be permitted at that time and if the Restricted Subsidiary otherwise meets the definition of an Unrestricted Subsidiary. The Board of Directors may redesignate any Unrestricted Subsidiary to be a Restricted Subsidiary if the redesignation would not cause a Default.

 

Transactions with Affiliates

 

TSI will not, and will not permit any of its Restricted Subsidiaries to, make any payment to, or sell, lease, transfer or otherwise dispose of any of its properties or assets to, or purchase any property or assets from, or enter into or make or amend any transaction, contract, agreement, understanding, loan, advance or guarantee with, or for the benefit of, any Affiliate (each, an “Affiliate Transaction”), unless:

 

(1) the Affiliate Transaction is on terms that are no less favorable to TSI or the relevant Restricted Subsidiary than those that would have been obtained in a comparable transaction by TSI or such Restricted Subsidiary with an unrelated Person; and

 

(2) TSI delivers to the trustee:

 

(a) with respect to any Affiliate Transaction or series of related Affiliate Transactions involving aggregate consideration in excess of $5.0 million, a resolution of the Board of Directors set forth in an officers’ certificate certifying that such Affiliate Transaction complies with this covenant and that such Affiliate Transaction has been approved by a majority of the disinterested members of the Board of Directors; and

 

(b) with respect to any Affiliate Transaction or series of related Affiliate Transactions involving aggregate consideration in excess of $10.0 million, an opinion as to the fairness to TSI of such Affiliate Transaction from a financial point of view issued by an accounting, appraisal or investment banking firm of national standing.

 

The following items will not be deemed to be Affiliate Transactions and, therefore, will not be subject to the provisions of the prior paragraph:

 

(1) any employment agreement or other compensation arrangements or agreements entered into by TSI or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries in the ordinary course of business of TSI or such Restricted Subsidiary;

 

(2) transactions between or among TSI and/or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries;

 

(3) transactions with a Person that is an Affiliate of TSI solely because TSI or one or more of its Restricted Subsidiaries owns an Equity Interest in, or controls, such Person;

 

(4) transactions pursuant to the Professional Services Agreement as in effect on the date of the indenture;

 

(5) payment of reasonable directors fees to directors of TSI or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries and the provision and payment of customary indemnification to directors and officers of TSI;

 

(6) issuances of Equity Interests of TSI (other than Disqualified Stock) to Affiliates of TSI;

 

(7) Restricted Payments that are permitted by the provisions of the indenture described above under the caption “—Restricted Payments;”

 

(8) loans or advances by TSI and its Restricted Subsidiaries to employees of TSI and its Restricted Subsidiaries that are entered into in the ordinary course of business and that are approved by the Board of Directors of TSI in good faith; provided that the aggregate principal amount of all such loans or advances do not exceed $5.0 million at any one time outstanding;

 

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(9) transactions with Transaction Network Services Inc. or any of its Subsidiaries in the ordinary course of business and consistent with past practices; and

 

(10) transactions effected pursuant to the agreements described in the section of this prospectus entitled “Certain Relationships and Related Transactions” as the same were in effect on the date of the indenture or any amendment, modification or replacement to such agreement (so long as the amendment, modification or replacement is not disadvantageous to the Holders of the notes in any respect).

 

Additional Guarantees

 

If TSI or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries acquires or creates another Domestic Subsidiary after the date of the indenture, then that newly acquired or created Domestic Subsidiary will become a Guarantor and execute a supplemental indenture and deliver an opinion of counsel satisfactory to the trustee within 20 Business Days of the date on which it was acquired or created, except for Domestic Subsidiaries that have properly been designated as Unrestricted Subsidiaries in accordance with the indenture for so long as they continue to constitute Unrestricted Subsidiaries.

 

Sale and Leaseback Transactions

 

TSI will not, and will not permit any of its Restricted Subsidiaries to, enter into any sale and leaseback transaction; provided that TSI or any Restricted Subsidiary may enter into a sale and leaseback transaction if:

 

(1) TSI or that Restricted Subsidiary, as applicable, could have (a) incurred Indebtedness in an amount equal to the Attributable Debt relating to such sale and leaseback transaction under the Fixed Charge Coverage Ratio test in the first paragraph of the covenant described above under the caption “—Incurrence of Indebtedness and Issuance of Preferred Stock” and (b) incurred a Lien to secure such Indebtedness pursuant to the covenant described above under the caption “—Liens;”

 

(2) the gross cash proceeds of that sale and leaseback transaction are at least equal to the fair market value, as determined in good faith by the Board of Directors and set forth in an officers’ certificate delivered to the trustee, of the property that is the subject of that sale and leaseback transaction; and

 

(3) the transfer of assets in that sale and leaseback transaction is permitted by, and TSI applies the proceeds of such transaction in compliance with, the covenant described above under the caption “—Repurchase at the Option of Holders—Asset Sales.”

 

Business Activities

 

TSI will not, and will not permit any Restricted Subsidiary to, engage in any business other than Permitted Businesses, except to such extent as would not be material to TSI and its Subsidiaries taken as a whole.

 

Restrictions on Activities of the Parent and the Ultimate Parent

 

The Parent and the Ultimate Parent will not engage in any business activities other than, in the case of the Parent, holding the Capital Stock of TSI, and in the case of the Ultimate Parent, holding the Capital Stock of the Parent and Capital Stock of the Subsidiary that owns the SS7 network, and activities directly related or necessary in connection with the holding of such Capital Stock. Neither the Parent nor the Ultimate Parent will hold any Equity Interests or other Investments in any other Person other than U.S. government securities having an aggregate fair market value of not more than $1.0 million at any one time outstanding. The Parent and the Ultimate Parent will comply in all respects with their agreements set forth in the Equity Contribution Agreement as the same is in effect on the date of the indenture.

 

The Parent and the Ultimate Parent will not make any Restricted Payment (except a Restricted Payment that would be permitted under the indenture if made by TSI) or engage in any Affiliate Transactions (except Affiliate Transactions that would be permitted under the indenture if engaged in by TSI). Further, neither the Parent nor the Ultimate Parent will directly or indirectly, create, incur, issue, assume, guarantee or otherwise become

 

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directly or indirectly liable, contingently or otherwise, with respect to any Indebtedness (other than the Guarantee of Obligations under Credit Facilities or the Indenture). Additionally, the Ultimate Parent will not sell any of its interests in the Subsidiary that owns the SS7 network unless the sale would comply with the “Asset Sale” provisions of the indenture if made by TSI.

 

The indenture will provide that the Parent and the Ultimate Parent will no longer be subject to the provisions described above under this caption “ —Restrictions on Activities of the Parent and the Ultimate Parent” in the event that the Guarantees of the Parent and the Ultimate Parent are released in accordance with the terms of the indenture.

 

Maintenance of Financial Condition

 

TSI will not permit its Consolidated Leverage Ratio as of any of the dates set forth in the table below to exceed the ratio set forth opposite such dates in the table below for two consecutive quarterly periods unless the Equity Investors purchase Equity Interests of the Ultimate Parent (other than Disqualified Stock) for cash and the Ultimate Parent contributes the net proceeds from such sale to TSI as common equity capital and TSI applies the net proceeds therefrom to the repayment of Indebtedness such that the Consolidated Leverage Ratio as of the latter such date (calculated on a pro forma basis as if such issuance of Equity Interests and the application of the net proceeds therefrom had occurred on such date) would be below the amount set forth in the table below opposite such date.

 

Fiscal Quarter


  

Consolidated

Leverage
Ratio


March 31, 2002

   5.00:1.00

June 30, 2002

   5.00:1.00

September 30, 2002

   5.00:1.00

December 31, 2002

   5.00:1.00

March 31, 2003

   4.75:1.00

June 30, 2003

   4.75:1.00

September 30, 2003

   4.75:1.00

December 31, 2003

   4.75:1.00

March 31, 2004, and thereafter

   4.25:1.00

 

This covenant will cease to have any force and effect upon the first to occur of (i) the first fiscal quarter end at which TSI’s Consolidated Leverage Ratio is below 3.00:1.00 or (ii) the date on which the Equity Investors, in connection with this covenant, have purchased Equity Interests (other than Disqualified Stock) from the Ultimate Parent for net cash proceeds aggregating $25 million and the Ultimate Parent has contributed the net proceeds from such sale to TSI as common equity capital. Should the net proceeds from any single such issuance of Equity Interests be less than $25 million, then this covenant will continue to be in force and effect until such time as the net cash proceeds of Equity Interests purchased by the Equity Investors during all periods of non-compliance (or in contemplation of non-compliance as evidenced by an officers’ certificate delivered to the trustee) total in the aggregate $25 million.

 

Payments for Consent

 

TSI will not, and will not permit any of its Restricted Subsidiaries to, directly or indirectly, pay or cause to be paid any consideration to or for the benefit of any Holder of notes for or as an inducement to any consent, waiver or amendment of any of the terms or provisions of the indenture or the notes unless such consideration is offered to be paid and is paid to all Holders of the notes that consent, waive or agree to amend in the time frame set forth in the solicitation documents relating to such consent, waiver or agreement.

 

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Reports

 

Whether or not required by the Commission, so long as any notes are outstanding, TSI will furnish to the Holders of notes, within the time periods specified in the Commission’s rules and regulations:

 

(1) all quarterly and annual financial information that would be required to be contained in a filing with the Commission on Forms 10-Q and 10-K if TSI were required to file such Forms, including a “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” and, with respect to the annual information only, a report on the annual financial statements by TSI’s certified independent accountants; and

 

(2) all current reports that would be required to be filed with the Commission on Form 8-K if TSI were required to file such reports.

 

In addition, following the consummation of the exchange offer contemplated by the registration rights agreement, whether or not required by the Commission, TSI will file a copy of all of the information and reports referred to in clauses (1) and (2) above with the Commission for public availability within the time periods specified in the Commission’s rules and regulations (unless the Commission will not accept such a filing), and make such information available to securities analysts and prospective investors upon request. In addition, TSI and the Guarantors have agreed that, for so long as any notes, remain outstanding, they will furnish to the Holders and to securities analysts and prospective investors, upon their request, the information required to be delivered pursuant to Rule 144A(d)(4) under the Securities Act, if any such information is required to be delivered.

 

If TSI has designated any of its Subsidiaries as Unrestricted Subsidiaries, then the quarterly and annual financial information required by the preceding paragraph will include a reasonably detailed presentation, either on the face of the financial statements or in the footnotes thereto, and in “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations,” of the financial condition and results of operations of TSI and its Restricted Subsidiaries separate from the financial condition and results of operations of the Unrestricted Subsidiaries of TSI. TSI’s reporting obligations with respect to the information and reports referred to in clause (1) and (2) above will be deemed satisfied in the event that the Parent or the Ultimate Parent continues to be a Guarantor of the notes and files such reports and other information referred to therein in accordance with Rule 3-10 of Regulation S-X.

 

Events of Default and Remedies

 

Each of the following is an Event of Default:

 

(1) default for 30 days in the payment when due of interest on, or Liquidated Damages with respect to, the notes whether or not prohibited by the subordination provisions of the indenture;

 

(2) default in payment when due of the principal of, or premium, if any, on the notes, whether or not prohibited by the subordination provisions of the indenture;

 

(3) failure by TSI or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries to comply with the provisions described under the captions “—Repurchase at the Option of Holders—Change of Control” or “—Repurchase at the Option of Holders—Asset Sales;”

 

(4) failure by TSI or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries for 60 days after notice by the trustee or by Holders of at least 25% in aggregate principal amount of notes then outstanding to comply with any of the other agreements in the indenture;

 

(5) default under any mortgage, indenture or instrument under which there may be issued or by which there may be secured or evidenced any Indebtedness for money borrowed by TSI or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries (or the payment of which is guaranteed by TSI or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries), whether such Indebtedness or guarantee now exists, or is created after the date of the indenture, if that default:

 

(a) is caused by a failure to pay principal on such Indebtedness at the Stated Maturity thereof (a “Payment Default”); or

 

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(b) results in the acceleration of such Indebtedness prior to its express maturity,

 

and, in each case, the principal amount of any such Indebtedness, together with the principal amount of

 

any other such Indebtedness or the maturity of which has been so accelerated, aggregates $15.0 million or more;

 

(6) failure by TSI or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries to pay final judgments aggregating in excess of $15.0 million, which judgments are not paid, discharged or stayed for a period of 60 days after such judgment becomes final and non-appealable;

 

(7) except as permitted by the indenture, any Guarantee (other than a Guarantee issued by a Subsidiary that is not a Significant Subsidiary) shall be held in any judicial proceeding to be unenforceable or invalid or shall cease for any reason to be in full force and effect or any Guarantor, or any Person acting on behalf of any Guarantor, shall deny or disaffirm its obligations under its Guarantee (other than a Guarantee issued by a Subsidiary that is not a Significant Subsidiary);

 

(8) certain events of bankruptcy or insolvency described in the indenture with respect to TSI or any of its Significant Subsidiaries or any group of Restricted Subsidiaries that, taken together, would constitute a Significant Subsidiary;

 

(9) failure by the Parent or the Ultimate Parent to comply with any of the provisions described above under the caption “—Certain Covenants—Restrictions on Activities of the Parent and the Ultimate Parent;”

 

(10) the Merger is not consummated on or prior to 5:00 p.m. New York time on the business day immediately succeeding the date of the indenture; and

 

(11) failure by TSI to comply with any of the provisions described above under the caption “—Maintenance of Financial Condition,” which default remains uncured for 120 days; provided, however, that should the Equity Investors have purchased Equity Interests (other than Disqualified Stock) of the Ultimate Parent in connection with the covenant entitled “—Maintenance of Financial Condition” for net cash proceeds aggregating $25 million during all periods of non-compliance (or in contemplation of non-compliance as evidenced by an officers’ certificate delivered to the Trustee) and such proceeds have been contributed to TSI as common equity capital, then the covenant will cease to be in force and effect and any Default or Event of Default arising therefrom shall be deemed to have been cured.

 

In the case of an Event of Default arising from certain events of bankruptcy or insolvency, with respect to TSI, any Restricted Subsidiary that is a Significant Subsidiary or any group of Restricted Subsidiaries that, taken together, would constitute a Significant Subsidiary, all outstanding notes will become due and payable immediately without further action or notice. If any other Event of Default occurs and is continuing, the trustee or the Holders of at least 25% in principal amount of the then outstanding notes may declare all the notes to be due and payable immediately; provided, that so long as any Obligations pursuant to the Credit Agreement shall be outstanding or the commitments thereunder shall not have expired or been terminated, such acceleration shall not be effective until the earlier of:

 

(1) an acceleration of any such Indebtedness under the Credit Agreement; or

 

(2) five business days after receipt by TSI and the Credit Agent of written notice of such acceleration.

 

Holders of the notes may not enforce the indenture or the notes except as provided in the indenture. Subject to certain limitations, Holders of a majority in principal amount of the then outstanding notes may direct the trustee in its exercise of any trust or power. The trustee may withhold from Holders of the notes notice of any continuing Default or Event of Default if it determines that withholding notes is in their interest, except a Default or Event of Default relating to the payment of principal or interest or Liquidated Damages.

 

The Holders of a majority in aggregate principal amount of the notes then outstanding by notice to the trustee may on behalf of the Holders of all of the notes waive any existing Default or Event of Default and its consequences under the indenture except a continuing Default or Event of Default in the payment of interest or Liquidated Damages on, or the principal of, the notes.

 

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In the case of any Event of Default occurring by reason of any willful action or inaction taken or not taken by or on behalf of TSI with the intention of avoiding payment of the premium that TSI would have had to pay if TSI then had elected to redeem the notes pursuant to the optional redemption provisions of the indenture, an equivalent premium will also become and be immediately due and payable to the extent permitted by law upon the acceleration of the notes. If an Event of Default occurs prior to February 1, 2006, by reason of any willful action (or inaction), taken (or not taken), by or on behalf of TSI with the intention of avoiding the prohibition on redemption of the notes prior to February 1, 2006, then the premium specified in the indenture will also become immediately due and payable to the extent permitted by law upon the acceleration of the notes.

 

TSI is required to deliver to the trustee annually a statement regarding compliance with the indenture. Upon becoming aware of any Default or Event of Default, TSI is required to deliver to the trustee a statement specifying such Default or Event of Default.

 

No Personal Liability of Directors, Officers, Employees and Equityholders

 

No director, officer, employee, incorporator, stockholder, member or managing member of TSI or any Guarantor, as such, will have any liability for any obligations of TSI or the Guarantors under the notes, the indenture, the Guarantees, or for any claim based on, in respect of, or by reason of, such obligations or their creation. Each Holder of notes by accepting a note waives and releases all such liability. The waiver and release are part of the consideration for issuance of the notes. The waiver may not be effective to waive liabilities under the federal securities laws.

 

Legal Defeasance and Covenant Defeasance

 

TSI may, at its option and at any time, elect to have all of its obligations discharged with respect to the outstanding notes and all obligations of the Guarantors discharged with respect to their Guarantees (“Legal Defeasance”) except for:

 

(1) the rights of Holders of outstanding notes to receive payments in respect of the principal of, or interest or premium and Liquidated Damages, if any, on such notes when such payments are due from the trust referred to below;

 

(2) TSI’s obligations with respect to the notes concerning issuing temporary notes, registration of notes, mutilated, destroyed, lost or stolen notes and the maintenance of an office or agency for payment and money for security payments held in trust;

 

(3) the rights, powers, trusts, duties and immunities of the trustee, and TSI’s and the Guarantor’s obligations in connection therewith; and

 

(4) the Legal Defeasance provisions of the indenture.

 

In addition, TSI may, at its option and at any time, elect to have the obligations of TSI and the Guarantors released with respect to certain covenants that are described in the indenture (“Covenant Defeasance”) and thereafter any omission to comply with those covenants will not constitute a Default or Event of Default with respect to the notes. In the event Covenant Defeasance occurs, certain events (not including non-payment, bankruptcy, receivership, rehabilitation and insolvency events), described under “ —Events of Default and Remedies” will no longer constitute an Event of Default with respect to the notes.

 

In order to exercise either Legal Defeasance or Covenant Defeasance:

 

(1) TSI must irrevocably deposit with the trustee, in trust, for the benefit of the Holders of the notes, cash in U.S. dollars, non-callable Government Securities, or a combination of cash in U.S. dollars and non-callable Government Securities, in amounts as will be sufficient, in the opinion of a nationally recognized firm of independent public accountants, to pay the principal of, or interest and premium and Liquidated Damages, if any, on the outstanding notes on the stated maturity or on the applicable redemption date, as the case may be, and TSI must specify whether the notes are being defeased to maturity or to a particular redemption date;

 

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(2) in the case of Legal Defeasance, TSI has delivered to the trustee an opinion of counsel reasonably acceptable to the trustee confirming that (a) TSI has received from, or there has been published by, the Internal Revenue Service a ruling or (b) since the date of the indenture, there has been a change in the applicable federal income tax law, in either case to the effect that, and based thereon such opinion of counsel will confirm that, the Holders of the outstanding notes will not recognize income, gain or loss for federal income tax purposes as a result of such Legal Defeasance and will be subject to federal income tax on the same amounts, in the same manner and at the same times as would have been the case if such Legal Defeasance had not occurred;

 

(3) in the case of Covenant Defeasance, TSI has delivered to the trustee an opinion of counsel reasonably acceptable to the trustee confirming that the Holders of the outstanding notes will not recognize income, gain or loss for federal income tax purposes as a result of such Covenant Defeasance and will be subject to federal income tax on the same amounts, in the same manner and at the same times as would have been the case if such Covenant Defeasance had not occurred;

 

(4) no Default or Event of Default has occurred and is continuing on the date of such deposit (other than a Default or Event of Default resulting from the borrowing of funds to be applied to such deposit);

 

(5) such Legal Defeasance or Covenant Defeasance will not result in a breach or violation of, or constitute a default under any material agreement or instrument (other than the indenture), to which TSI or any of its Subsidiaries is a party or by which TSI or any of its Subsidiaries is bound;

 

(6) TSI must deliver to the trustee an officers’ certificate stating that the deposit was not made by TSI with the intent of preferring the Holders of notes over the other creditors of TSI with the intent of defeating, hindering, delaying or defrauding creditors of TSI or others; and

 

(7) TSI must deliver to the trustee an officers’ certificate and an opinion of counsel, each stating that all conditions precedent relating to the Legal Defeasance or the Covenant Defeasance have been complied with.

 

Amendment, Supplement and Waiver

 

Except as provided in the next two succeeding paragraphs, the indenture or the notes may be amended or supplemented with the consent of the Holders of at least a majority in principal amount of the notes then outstanding (including, without limitation, consents obtained in connection with a purchase of, or tender offer or exchange offer for, notes), and any existing default or compliance with any provision of the indenture or the notes may be waived with the consent of the Holders of a majority in principal amount of the then outstanding notes (including, without limitation, consents obtained in connection with a purchase of, or tender offer or exchange offer for, notes).

 

Without the consent of each Holder affected, an amendment or waiver may not (with respect to any notes held by a non-consenting Holder):

 

(1) reduce the principal amount of notes whose Holders must consent to an amendment, supplement or waiver;

 

(2) reduce the principal of or change the fixed maturity of any note or alter the provisions with respect to the redemption of the notes (other than provisions relating to the covenants described above under the caption “—Repurchase at the Option of Holders”);

 

(3) reduce the rate of or change the time for payment of interest on any note;

 

(4) waive a Default or Event of Default in the payment of principal of, or interest or premium, or Liquidated Damages, if any, on the notes (except a rescission of acceleration of the notes by the Holders of at least a majority in aggregate principal amount of the notes and a waiver of the payment default that resulted from such acceleration);

 

(5) make any note payable in money other than that stated in the notes;

 

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(6) make any change in the provisions of the indenture relating to waivers of past Defaults or the rights of Holders of notes to receive payments of principal of, or interest or premium or Liquidated Damages, if any, on the notes;

 

(7) waive a redemption payment with respect to any note (other than a payment required by one of the covenants described above under the caption “—Repurchase at the Option of Holders”);

 

(8) release any Guarantor from any of its obligations under its Guarantee or the indenture, except in accordance with the terms of the indenture; or

 

(9) make any change in the preceding amendment and waiver provisions.

 

Notwithstanding the preceding, without the consent of any Holder of notes, TSI, the Guarantors and the trustee may amend or supplement the indenture or the notes:

 

(1) to cure any ambiguity, defect or inconsistency;

 

(2) to provide for uncertificated notes in addition to or in place of certificated notes;

 

(3) to provide for the assumption of TSI’s obligations to Holders of notes in the case of a merger or consolidation or sale of all or substantially all of TSI’s assets;

 

(4) to make any change that would provide any additional rights or benefits to the Holders of notes or that does not adversely affect the legal rights under the indenture of any such Holder; or

 

(5) to comply with requirements of the Commission in order to effect or maintain the qualification of the indenture under the Trust Indenture Act.

 

Satisfaction and Discharge

 

The indenture will be discharged and will cease to be of further effect as to all notes issued thereunder, when:

 

(1) either:

 

(a) all notes that have been authenticated, except lost, stolen or destroyed notes that have been replaced or paid and notes for whose payment money has been deposited in trust and thereafter repaid to TSI, have been delivered to the trustee for cancellation; or

 

(b) all notes that have not been delivered to the trustee for cancellation have become due and payable by reason of the mailing of a notice of redemption or otherwise or will become due and payable within one year and TSI or any Guarantor has irrevocably deposited or caused to be deposited with the trustee as trust funds in trust solely for the benefit of the Holders, cash in U.S. dollars, non-callable Government Securities, or a combination of cash in U.S. dollars and non-callable Government Securities, in amounts as will be sufficient without consideration of any reinvestment of interest, to pay and discharge the entire indebtedness on the notes not delivered to the trustee for cancellation for principal, premium and Liquidated Damages, if any, and accrued interest to the date of maturity or redemption;

 

(2) no Default or Event of Default has occurred and is continuing on the date of the deposit or will occur as a result of the deposit and the deposit will not result in a breach or violation of, or constitute a default under, any other instrument to which TSI or any Guarantor is a party or by which TSI or any Guarantor is bound;

 

(3) TSI or any Guarantor has paid or caused to be paid all sums payable by it under the indenture; and

 

(4) TSI has delivered irrevocable instructions to the trustee under the indenture to apply the deposited money toward the payment of the notes at maturity or the redemption date, as the case may be.

 

In addition, TSI must deliver an officers’ certificate and an opinion of counsel to the trustee stating that all conditions precedent to satisfaction and discharge have been satisfied.

 

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Concerning the Trustee

 

If the trustee becomes a creditor of TSI or any Guarantor, the indenture limits its right to obtain payment of claims in certain cases, or to realize on certain property received in respect of any such claim as security or otherwise. The trustee will be permitted to engage in other transactions; however, if it acquires any conflicting interest it must eliminate such conflict within 90 days, apply to the Commission for permission to continue or resign.

 

The Holders of a majority in principal amount of the then outstanding notes will have the right to direct the time, method and place of conducting any proceeding for exercising any remedy available to the trustee, subject to certain exceptions. The indenture provides that in case an Event of Default occurs and is continuing, the trustee will be required, in the exercise of its power, to use the degree of care of a prudent man in the conduct of his own affairs. Subject to such provisions, the trustee will be under no obligation to exercise any of its rights or powers under the indenture at the request of any Holder of notes, unless such Holder has offered to the trustee security and indemnity satisfactory to it against any loss, liability or expense.

 

Additional Information

 

Anyone who receives this offering memorandum may obtain a copy of the indenture and registration rights agreement without charge by writing to TSI Telecommunication Services Inc., 201 N. Franklin Street, Suite 700, Tampa, Florida 33602, Attention: Robert Garcia, Jr.

 

Book-Entry, Delivery and Form

 

The notes will be issued only in fully registered form, without exception. TSI will initially appoint the trustee at its corporate trust office as paying agent, transfer agent and registrar for the notes. In such capacities, the trustee will be responsible for, among other things, (i) maintaining a record of the aggregate holdings of notes represented by the Temporary Regulation S Global Notes, the Regulation S Global Notes and the Restricted Global Notes (each as defined below), and accepting Notes for exchange and registration of transfer, (ii) ensuring that payments of principal and interest in respect of the notes received by the trustee from TSI are duly paid to DTC or its nominees and (iii) transmitting to TSI any notices from Holders.

 

TSI will cause the transfer agent to act as registrar and will cause to be kept at the office of the transfer agent a register in which, subject to such reasonable regulations as it may prescribe, TSI will provide for the registration of the notes and registration of transfers of the notes. TSI may vary or terminate the appointment of the paying agent or the transfer agent, or appoint additional or other such agents or approve any change in the office through which any such agent acts, provided that there shall at all times be a paying agent and a transfer agent in the Borough of Manhattan, The City of New York, New York. TSI will cause notice of any resignation, termination or appointment of the trustee or any paying agent or transfer agent, and of any change in the office through which any such agent will act, to be provided to Holders of the notes.

 

Rule 144A and Regulation S Notes

 

Rule 144A notes will be initially represented by global notes in definitive, fully registered form without interest coupons (collectively, the “Restricted Global Notes”) and will be deposited with the trustee as custodian for DTC and registered in the name of a nominee of DTC. The Restricted Global Notes (and any notes issued in exchange therefor), including beneficial interests in the Restricted Global Notes, will be subject to certain restrictions on transfer set forth therein and in the indenture and will bear the legend regarding such restrictions set forth under “Notice to Investors.”

 

Regulation S Notes will be initially represented by global notes in fully registered form without interest coupons (collectively the “Temporary Regulation S Global Notes”) registered in the name of a nominee of DTC and deposited with the trustee, for the accounts of the Euroclear System (“Euroclear”) and Clearstream (formerly known as Cedelbank) (“Clearstream”). When the Restricted Period (as defined below), terminates and the trustee

 

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receives written certification (in the form provided in the indenture), from Euroclear or Clearstream, as the case may be, and Euroclear or Clearstream receives written certification (in the form provided in the indenture), from beneficial owners of the Temporary Regulation S Global Notes that the note or notes with respect to which such certifications are made are not owned by or for persons who are U.S. Persons or for purposes of resale directly or indirectly to a U.S. Person or to a person within the United States or its possessions, the trustee will exchange the portion of the Temporary Regulation S Global Notes covered by such certifications for interests in Regulation S Global Notes (the “Regulation S Global Notes” and, together with the Restricted Global Notes, the “Global Notes” or each individually, a “Global Note”). Such certifications are required because TSI is not a reporting issuer under the Exchange Act. Until the 40th day after the latest of the commencement of the offering and the original issue date of the notes (such period, the “Restricted Period”), beneficial interests in the Temporary Regulation S Global Notes may be held only through Euroclear or Clearstream, unless delivery is made through the Restricted Global Notes in accordance with the certification requirements described below. After the Restricted Period, beneficial interests in the Regulation S Global Notes may be held through other organizations participating in the DTC system. After the Restricted Period, an appropriate certification will be required in order to transfer beneficial interests in the Temporary Regulation S Global Notes, but such transfer certifications shall not be required in respect of the Regulation S Global Notes.

 

Except as set forth below, the Global Notes may be transferred, in whole and not in part, only to another nominee of DTC or to a successor of DTC or its nominee. Beneficial interests in the Global Notes may not be exchanged for notes in certificated form except in the limited circumstances described below. See “—Exchanges of Book-Entry Notes for Certificated Notes.” In addition, beneficial interests in Restricted Global Notes may not be exchanged for beneficial interests in the Regulation S Global Note or vice versa except in accordance with the transfer and certification requirements described below under “—Exchanges Between the Restricted Global Notes and the Regulation S Global Notes.”

 

Exchanges Between the Restricted Global Notes and the Regulation S Global Notes.

 

Beneficial interests in the Restricted Global Notes may be exchanged for beneficial interests in the Regulation S Global Notes and vice versa only in connection with a transfer of such interest. Such transfers are subject to compliance with the certification requirements described below.

 

Prior to the expiration of the Restricted Period, a beneficial interest in a Temporary Regulation S Global Note may be transferred to a person who takes delivery in the form of an interest in the Restricted Global Notes only upon receipt by the trustee of a written certification from the transferor (in the form provided in the indenture), to the effect that such transfer is being made to a person who the transferor reasonably believes is purchasing for its own account or accounts as to which it exercises sole investment discretion and that such person and each such account is a “qualified institutional buyer” or QIB, in each case in a transaction meeting the requirements of Rule 144A and in accordance with any applicable securities laws of any state of the United States or any other jurisdiction (a “Restricted Global Note Certificate”). After the expiration of the Restricted Period, such certification requirements will not apply to such transfers of beneficial interests in the Regulation S Global Notes.

 

Beneficial interests in the Restricted Global Note may be transferred to a person who takes delivery in the form of an interest in a Temporary Regulation S Global Note or a Regulation S Global Note only upon receipt by the trustee of a written certification from the transferor (in the form provided in the indenture), to the effect that such transfer is being made in accordance with Rule 903 or Rule 904 of Regulation S, in the case of an exchange for an interest in the Temporary Regulation S Global Note, or in accordance with Rule 903 or 904 of Regulation S, or, if available, Rule 144, in the case of an exchange for an interest in the Regulation S Global Note (a “Regulation S Global Note Certificate”) and that, if such transfer occurs prior to the expiration of the Restricted Period, the interest transferred will be held immediately thereafter through Euroclear or Clearstream.

 

Any beneficial interest in one of the Global Notes that is transferred to a person who takes delivery in the form of an interest in another Global Note will, upon transfer, cease to be an interest in such Global Note and will

 

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become an interest in another Global Note and, accordingly, will thereafter be subject to all transfer restrictions and other procedures applicable to beneficial interests in such other Global Note for as long as it remains such an interest.

 

Any exchange of a beneficial interest in a Regulation S Global Note or a Temporary Regulation S Global Note for a beneficial interest in the Restricted Global Note will be effected in DTC by means of an instruction originated by the Trustee through the DTC Deposit/Withdraw at Custodian (“DWAC”) system. Accordingly, in connection with any such exchange, appropriate adjustments will be made in the records of the Security Register to reflect an increase in the principal amount of such Restricted Global Note or vice versa, as applicable.

 

Exchanges of Book-Entry Notes for Certificated Notes

 

A beneficial interest in a Global Note may not be exchanged for a note in certificated form unless:

 

  DTC (x) notifies TSI that it is unwilling or unable to continue as Depository for such Global Note or (y) has ceased to be a clearing agency registered under the Exchange Act;

 

  in the case of a Global Note held for an account of Euroclear or Clearstream, Euroclear or Clearstream, as the case may be, (A) is closed for business for a continuous period of 14 days (other than by reason of statutory or other holidays), or (B) announces an intention permanently to cease business or does in fact do so;

 

  there shall have occurred and be continuing an Event of Default with respect to the Notes; or

 

  a request for certificates has been made upon 60 days’ prior written notice given to the trustee in accordance with DTC’s customary procedures and a copy of such notice has been received by TSI from the trustee.

 

Further, in no event will Temporary Regulation S Global Notes be exchanged for notes in certificated form prior to the expiration of the Restricted Period and receipt by the registrar of any certificates required pursuant to Regulation S. In all cases, certificated notes delivered in exchange for any Global Note or beneficial interests therein will be registered in the names, and issued in approved denominations, requested by or on behalf of DTC (in accordance with its customary procedures). Any certificated notes issued in exchange for an interest in a Global Note will bear the legend restricting transfers that is borne by such Global Note. Any such exchange will be effected only through the DWAC System and an appropriate adjustment will be made in the records of the Security Register to reflect a decrease in the principal amount of the relevant Global Note.

 

Exchanges of Certificated Notes for Book-Entry Notes

 

Notes in certificated form may not be exchanged for beneficial interests in any Global Note unless such exchange complies with Rule 144A, in the case of an exchange for an interest in the Restricted Global Note, or Regulation S or (if available), Rule 144, in the case of an exchange for an interest in the Regulation S Global Note. In addition, in connection with any such exchange and transfer, the trustee must have received on behalf of the transferor a Restricted Global Note Certificate or a Regulation S Global Note Certificate, as applicable. Any such exchange will be effected through the DWAC System and an appropriate adjustment will be made in the records of the Security Register to reflect an increase in the principal amount of the relevant Global Note.

 

Global Notes

 

The following description of the operations and procedures of DTC, Euroclear and Clearstream is provided solely as a matter of convenience. These operations and procedures are solely within the control of the respective settlement systems and are subject to changes by them from time to time. TSI and the guarantors take no responsibility for these operations and procedures and urge investors to contact the system or their participants directly to discuss these matters.

 

Upon the issuance of the Temporary Regulation S Global Notes, the Regulation S Global Notes and the Restricted Global Notes, DTC will credit, on its internal system, the respective principal amount of the individual

 

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beneficial interests represented by such Global Notes to the accounts with DTC (“participants”) or persons who hold interests through participants. Ownership of beneficial interests in the Global Notes will be shown on, and the transfer of that ownership will be effected only through, records maintained by DTC or its nominee (with respect to interests of participants), and the records of participants (with respect to interest of persons other than participants).

 

As long as DTC, or its nominee, is the registered Holder of a Global Note, DTC or such nominee, as the case may be, will be considered the sole owner and Holder of the notes represented by such Global Note for all purposes under the indenture and the notes. Except in the limited circumstances described above under “—Exchanges of Book-Entry Notes for Certificated Notes,” owners of beneficial interests in a Global Note will not be entitled to have any portions of such Global Note registered in their names, will not receive or be entitled to receive physical delivery of notes in definitive form and will not be considered the owners or Holders of the Global Note (or any notes presented thereby), under the indenture or the notes. In addition, no beneficial owner of an interest in a Global Note will be able to transfer that interest except in accordance with DTC’s applicable procedures (in addition to those under the Indenture referred to herein and, if applicable, those of Euroclear and Clearstream). In the event that owners of beneficial interests in a Global Note become entitled to receive notes in definitive form, such notes will be issued only in registered form in denominations of U.S. and integral multiples thereof.

 

Investors may hold their interests in the Temporary Regulation S Global Notes and the Regulation S Global Notes through Clearstream or Euroclear, if they are participants in such systems, or indirectly through organizations which are participants in such systems. After the expiration of the Restricted Period (but not earlier), investors may also hold their interests in the Regulation S Global Notes through organizations other than Clearstream and Euroclear that are participants in the DTC system. Clearstream and Euroclear will hold interests in the Temporary Regulation S Global Notes and the Regulation S Global Notes on behalf of their participants through customers’ securities accounts in their respective names on the books of their respective depositaries, which, in turn, will hold such interests in the Temporary Regulation S Global Notes and the Regulation S Global Notes in customers’ securities accounts in the depositaries’ names on the books of DTC. Investors may hold their interests in the Restricted Global Notes directly through DTC, if they are participants in such system, or indirectly through organizations (including Euroclear and Clearstream), which are participants in such system. All interests in a Global Note, including those held through Euroclear or Clearstream, may be subject to the procedures and requirements of DTC. Those interests held through Euroclear and Clearstream may also be subject to the procedures and requirements of such system.

 

The laws of some states require that certain persons take physical delivery in definitive form of securities that they own. Consequently, the ability to transfer beneficial interests in a Global Note to such persons may be limited to that extent. Because DTC can act only on behalf of participants, which in turn act on behalf of indirect participants and certain banks, the ability of a person having beneficial interests in a Global Note to pledge such interests to persons or entities that do not participate in the DTC system, or otherwise take action in respect of such interests, may be affected by the lack of a physical certificate evidencing such interests.

 

Payments of the principal of and interest on Global Notes will be made to DTC or its nominee as the registered owner thereof. Neither TSI, the trustee nor any of their respective agents will have any responsibility or liability for any aspect of the records relating to or payments made on account of beneficial ownership interests in the Global Notes or for maintaining, supervising or reviewing any records relating to such beneficial ownership interests.

 

Except for trades involving only Euroclear or Clearstream, beneficial interests in the Global Notes will trade in DTC’s Same-Day Funds Settlement System, and secondary market trading activity in such interests will therefore settle in immediately available funds. TSI expects that DTC or its nominee, upon receipt of any payment of principal or interest in respect of a Global Note representing any notes held by it or its nominee, will immediately credit participants’ accounts with payment in amounts proportionate to their respective beneficial interests in the principal amount of such Global Notes for such notes as shown on the records of DTC or its

 

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nominee. TSI also expects that payments by participants to owners of beneficial interests in such Global Notes held through such participants will be governed by standing instructions and customary practices, as is now the case with securities held for the accounts of customers registered in “street name”. Such payments will be the responsibility of such participants.

 

Transfers between participants in DTC will be effected in accordance with DTC’s procedures, and will be settled in same-day funds. Transfers between participants in Euroclear and Clearstream will be effected in the ordinary way in accordance with their respective rules and operating procedures.

 

Subject to compliance with the transfer restrictions applicable to the notes described above, cross-market transfers between DTC participants, on the one hand, and Euroclear or Clearstream participants, on the other hand, will be effected by DTC in accordance with DTC rules on behalf of Euroclear or Clearstream, as the case may be, by its respective depositary; however, such cross-market transactions will require delivery of instructions to Euroclear or Clearstream, as the case may be, by the counterparty in such system in accordance with the rules and procedures and within the established deadlines (Brussels time), of such system. Euroclear or Clearstream, as the case may be, will, if the transaction meets its settlement requirements, deliver instructions to its respective depositary to take action to effect final settlement on its behalf by delivering or receiving interests in the relevant Global Note in DTC, and making or receiving payment in accordance with normal procedures for same-day funds settlement applicable to DTC. Euroclear participants and Clearstream participants may not deliver instructions directly to the depositaries for Euroclear or Clearstream.

 

Because of time zone differences, the securities account of a Euroclear or Clearstream participant purchasing an interest in a Global Note from a DTC participant will be credited, and any such crediting will be reported to the relevant Euroclear or Clearstream participant, during the securities settlement processing day (which must be a business day for Euroclear and Clearstream), immediately following the DTC settlement date. Cash received on Euroclear or Clearstream as a result of sales of interests in a Global Note by or through a Euroclear or Clearstream participant to a DTC participant will be received with value on the DTC settlement date but will be available in the relevant Euroclear or Clearstream cash account only as of the business day for Euroclear or Clearstream following the DTC settlement date.

 

DTC has advised TSI that it will take any action permitted to be taken by a Holder of notes (including the presentation of notes for exchange as described below), only at the direction of one or more participants to whose account with DTC interests in the Global Notes are credited and only in respect of such portion of the aggregate principal amount of the notes as to which such participant or participants has or have given such direction. However, if there is an Event of Default (as defined below), under the notes, DTC reserves the right to exchange the Global notes for legended notes in certificated form, and to distribute such notes to its participants.

 

DTC has advised TSI as follows: DTC is a limited purpose trust company organized under the laws of the State of New York, a member of the Federal Reserve System, a “clearing corporation” within the meaning of the Uniform Commercial Code, as amended, and a “Clearing Agency” registered pursuant to the provisions of Section 17A of the Exchange Act. DTC was created to hold securities for its participants and facilitate the clearance and settlement of securities transactions between participants through electronic book-entry changes in accounts of its participants, thereby eliminating the need for physical transfer and delivery of certificates. Participants include securities brokers and dealers, banks, trust companies and clearing corporations and may include certain other organizations. Indirect access to the DTC system is available to other entities such as banks, brokers, dealers and trust companies that clear through or maintain a custodial relationship with a participant, either directly or indirectly (“indirect participants”).

 

Although DTC, Euroclear and Clearstream have agreed to the foregoing procedures in order to facilitate transfers of beneficial ownership interests in the Global Notes among participants of DTC, Euroclear and Clearstream, they are under no obligation to perform or continue to perform such procedures, and such procedures may be discontinued at any time. Neither TSI, the trustee nor any of their respective agents will have any responsibility for the performance by DTC, Euroclear and Clearstream, their participants or indirect

 

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participants of their respective obligations under the rules and procedures governing their operations, including maintaining, supervising or reviewing the records relating to, or payments made on account of, beneficial ownership interests in Global Notes.

 

Same-Day Settlement and Payment

 

TSI will make payments in respect of the notes represented by the Global Notes (including principal, premium, if any, interest and Liquidated Damages, if any), by wire transfer of immediately available funds to the accounts specified by the Global Note Holder. TSI will make all payments of principal, interest and premium and Liquidated Damages, if any, with respect to Certificated Notes by wire transfer of immediately available funds to the accounts specified by the Holders of Certificated Notes or, if no such account is specified, by mailing a check to each such Holder’s registered address. The notes represented by the Global Notes are expected to be eligible to trade in the PORTAL market and to trade in DTC’s Same-Day Funds Settlement System, and any permitted secondary market trading activity in such notes will, therefore, be required by DTC to be settled in immediately available funds. TSI expects that secondary trading in any Certificated Notes will also be settled in immediately available funds.

 

Registration Rights; Liquidated Damages

 

The following description is a summary of the material provisions of the registration rights agreement. It does not restate that agreement in its entirety. We urge you to read the proposed form of registration rights agreement in its entirety because it, and not this description, defines your registration rights as Holders of these notes. See “—Additional Information.”

 

TSI, the Guarantors and the Initial Purchaser will enter into the registration rights agreement on or prior to the closing of this offering. Pursuant to the registration rights agreement, TSI and the Guarantors will agree to file with the Commission the Exchange Offer Registration Statement on the appropriate form under the Securities Act with respect to the Exchange Notes. Upon the effectiveness of the Exchange Offer Registration Statement, TSI and the Guarantors will offer to the Holders of Transfer Restricted Securities pursuant to the Exchange Offer who are able to make certain representations the opportunity to exchange their Transfer Restricted Securities for Exchange Notes.

 

If:

 

(1) TSI and the Guarantors are not

 

(a) required to file the Exchange Offer Registration Statement; or

 

(b) permitted to consummate the Exchange Offer because the Exchange Offer is not permitted by applicable law or Commission policy; or

 

(2) any Holder of Transfer Restricted Securities notifies TSI prior to the 20th day following consummation of the Exchange Offer that:

 

(a) it is prohibited by law or Commission policy from participating in the Exchange Offer; or

 

(b) that it may not resell the Exchange Notes acquired by it in the Exchange Offer to the public without delivering a prospectus and the prospectus contained in the Exchange Offer Registration Statement is not appropriate or available for such resales; or

 

(c) that it is a broker-dealer and owns notes acquired directly from TSI or an affiliate of TSI,

 

TSI and the Guarantors will file with the Commission a Shelf Registration Statement to cover resales of the notes by the Holders of the notes who satisfy certain conditions relating to the provision of information in connection with the Shelf Registration Statement.

 

TSI and the Guarantors will use all commercially reasonable efforts to cause the applicable registration statement to be declared effective as promptly as possible by the Commission.

 

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For purposes of the preceding, “Transfer Restricted Securities” means each note until:

 

(1) the date on which such note has been exchanged by a Person other than a broker-dealer for an Exchange Note in the Exchange Offer;

 

(2) following the exchange by a broker-dealer in the Exchange Offer of a note for an Exchange Note, the date on which such Exchange Note is sold to a purchaser who receives from such broker-dealer on or prior to the date of such sale a copy of the prospectus contained in the Exchange Offer Registration Statement;

 

(3) the date on which such note has been effectively registered under the Securities Act and disposed of in accordance with the Shelf Registration Statement; or

 

(4) the date on which such note is distributed to the public pursuant to Rule 144 under the Securities Act.

 

The registration rights agreement will provide that:

 

(1) TSI and the Guarantors will file an Exchange Offer Registration Statement with the Commission on or prior to 90 days after the closing of this offering;

 

(2) TSI and the Guarantors will use all commercially reasonable efforts to have the Exchange Offer Registration Statement declared effective by the Commission on or prior to 180 days after the closing of this offering;

 

(3) unless the Exchange Offer would not be permitted by applicable law or Commission policy, TSI and the Guarantors will:

 

(a) commence the Exchange Offer; and

 

(b) use all commercially reasonable efforts to issue on or prior to 45 business days, or longer, if required by the federal securities laws, after the date on which the Exchange Offer Registration Statement was declared effective by the Commission, Exchange Notes in exchange for all notes tendered prior thereto in the Exchange Offer; and

 

(4) if obligated to file the Shelf Registration Statement, TSI and the Guarantors will use all commercially reasonable efforts to file the Shelf Registration Statement with the Commission on or prior to 30 days after such filing obligation arises and to cause the Shelf Registration to be declared effective by the Commission on or prior to 90 days after such obligation arises.

 

If:

 

(1) TSI and the Guarantors fail to file any of the registration statements required by the registration rights agreement on or before the date specified for such filing; or

 

(2) any of such registration statements is not declared effective by the Commission on or prior to the date specified for such effectiveness (the “Effectiveness Target Date”); or

 

(3) TSI and the Guarantors fail to consummate the Exchange Offer within 30 business days of the Effectiveness Target Date with respect to the Exchange Offer Registration Statement; or

 

(4) the Shelf Registration Statement or the Exchange Offer Registration Statement is declared effective but thereafter ceases to be effective or usable in connection with resales of Transfer Restricted Securities during the periods specified in the registration rights agreement (each such event referred to in clauses (1) through (4) above, a “Registration Default”),

 

then TSI and the Guarantors will pay Liquidated Damages to each Holder of notes, with respect to the first 90-day period immediately following the occurrence of the first Registration Default in an amount equal to $.05 per week per $1,000 principal amount of notes held by such Holder.

 

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The amount of the Liquidated Damages will increase by an additional $.05 per week per $1,000 principal amount of notes with respect to each subsequent 90-day period until all Registration Defaults have been cured, up to a maximum amount of Liquidated Damages for all Registration Defaults of $.50 per week per $1,000 principal amount of notes.

 

All accrued Liquidated Damages will be paid by TSI and the Guarantors on each interest payment date to the Global Note Holder by wire transfer of immediately available funds or by federal funds check and to Holders of Certificated Notes by wire transfer to the accounts specified by them or by mailing checks to their registered addresses if no such accounts have been specified.

 

Following the cure of all Registration Defaults, the accrual of Liquidated Damages will cease.

 

Holders of notes will be required to make certain representations to TSI (as described in the registration rights agreement), in order to participate in the Exchange Offer and will be required to deliver certain information to be used in connection with the Shelf Registration Statement and to provide comments on the Shelf Registration Statement within the time periods set forth in the registration rights agreement in order to have their notes included in the Shelf Registration Statement and benefit from the provisions regarding Liquidated Damages set forth above. By acquiring Transfer Restricted Securities, a Holder will be deemed to have agreed to indemnify TSI and the Guarantors against certain losses arising out of information furnished by such Holder in writing for inclusion in any Shelf Registration Statement. Holders of notes will also be required to suspend their use of the prospectus included in the Shelf Registration Statement under certain circumstances upon receipt of written notice to that effect from TSI.

 

Certain Definitions

 

Set forth below are certain defined terms used in the indenture. Reference is made to the indenture for a full disclosure of all such terms, as well as any other capitalized terms used herein for which no definition is provided.

 

Acquired Debt” means, with respect to any specified Person:

 

(1) Indebtedness of any other Person existing at the time such other Person is merged with or into or became a Subsidiary of such specified Person, whether or not such Indebtedness is incurred in connection with, or in contemplation of, such other Person merging with or into, or becoming a Subsidiary of, such specified Person; and

 

(2) Indebtedness secured by a Lien encumbering any asset acquired by such specified Person.

 

Acquisition” means the transaction in which the Parent agreed to acquire TSI by merging the Parent’s wholly-owned subsidiary, TSI Merger Sub, Inc., with TSI pursuant to the Merger Agreement.

 

Administrative Agent” means Lehman Commercial Paper Inc.

 

Affiliate” of any specified Person means any other Person directly or indirectly controlling or controlled by or under direct or indirect common control with such specified Person. For purposes of this definition, “control,” as used with respect to any Person, means the possession, directly or indirectly, of the power to direct or cause the direction of the management or policies of such Person, whether through the ownership of voting securities, by agreement or otherwise; provided that beneficial ownership of 10% or more of the Voting Stock of a Person will be deemed to be control. For purposes of this definition, the terms “controlling,” “controlled by” and “under common control with” have correlative meanings.

 

Asset Sale” means:

 

(1) the sale, lease, conveyance or other disposition of any assets or rights, other than sales of inventory in the ordinary course of business consistent with past practices; provided that the sale, conveyance or other

 

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disposition of all or substantially all of the assets of TSI and its Subsidiaries taken as a whole will be governed by the provisions of the indenture described above under the caption “—Repurchase at the Option of Holders—Change of Control” and/or the provisions described above under the caption “—Certain Covenants—Merger, Consolidation or Sale of Assets” and not by the provisions of the Asset Sale covenant; and

 

(2) the issuance of Equity Interests in any of TSI’s Restricted Subsidiaries or the sale of Equity Interests in any of its Subsidiaries.

 

Notwithstanding the preceding, none of the following items will be deemed to be an Asset Sale:

 

(3) any single transaction or series of related transactions that involves assets having a fair market value of less than $5.0 million;

 

(4) a transfer of assets between or among TSI and its Restricted Subsidiaries;

 

(5) an issuance of Equity Interests by a Restricted Subsidiary to TSI or to another Restricted Subsidiary or the issuance of Equity Interests by the Subsidiary that owns TSI’s SS7 network to the Ultimate Parent in the manner described elsewhere in this offering memorandum;

 

(6) the sale or lease of equipment, inventory, accounts receivable or other assets in the ordinary course of business;

 

(7) the sale or other disposition of cash or Cash Equivalents;

 

(8) a Restricted Payment or Permitted Investment that is permitted by the covenant described above under the caption “—Certain Covenants—Restricted Payments;” and

 

(9) the licensing of intellectual property to third Persons on customary terms as determined by the Board of Directors in good faith.

 

Attributable Debt” in respect of a sale and leaseback transaction means, at the time of determination, the present value of the obligation of the lessee for net rental payments during the remaining term of the lease included in such sale and leaseback transaction including any period for which such lease has been extended or may, at the option of the lessor, be extended. Such present value shall be calculated using a discount rate equal to the rate of interest implicit in such transaction, determined in accordance with GAAP.

 

Beneficial Owner” has the meaning assigned to such term in Rule 13d-3 and Rule 13d-5 under the Exchange Act, except that in calculating the beneficial ownership of any particular “person” (as that term is used in Section 13(d)(3) of the Exchange Act), such “person” will be deemed to have beneficial ownership of all securities that such “person” has the right to acquire by conversion or exercise of other securities, whether such right is currently exercisable or is exercisable only upon the occurrence of a subsequent condition. The terms “Beneficially Owns” and “Beneficially Owned” have a corresponding meaning.

 

Board of Directors” means:

 

(1) with respect to a corporation, the board of directors of the corporation;

 

(2) with respect to a partnership, the Board of Directors of the general partner of the partnership; and

 

(3) with respect to any other Person, the board or committee of such Person serving a similar function.

 

Borrower” means TSI Merger Sub, Inc.

 

Capital Lease Obligation” means, at the time any determination is to be made, the amount of the liability in respect of a capital lease that would at that time be required to be capitalized on a balance sheet in accordance with GAAP.

 

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Capital Stock” means:

 

(1) in the case of a corporation, corporate stock;

 

(2) in the case of an association or business entity, any and all shares, interests, participations, rights or other equivalents (however designated), of corporate stock;

 

(3) in the case of a partnership or limited liability company, partnership or membership interests (whether general or limited); and

 

(4) any other interest or participation that confers on a Person the right to receive a share of the profits and losses of, or distributions of assets of, the issuing Person.

 

Cash Equivalents” means:

 

(1) United States dollars;

 

(2) securities issued or directly and fully guaranteed or insured by the United States government or any agency or instrumentality of the United States government (provided that the full faith and credit of the United States is pledged in support of those securities), having maturities of not more than 12 months from the date of acquisition;

 

(3) certificates of deposit and eurodollar time deposits with maturities of six months or less from the date of acquisition, bankers’ acceptances (or in the case of foreign Subsidiaries, the foreign equivalent) with maturities not exceeding six months and overnight bank deposits, in each case, with any lender party to the Credit Agreement or with any domestic commercial bank having capital and surplus in excess of $500.0 million and a Thomson Bank Watch Rating of “B” or better or in the case of foreign Subsidiaries, any local office of any commercial bank organized under the laws of the relevant jurisdiction or any political subdivision thereof which has a combined capital and surplus and undivided profits in excess of $500.0 million;

 

(4) marketable direct obligations issued by any state of the United States of America or any political subdivision of any such state or any public instrumentality thereof maturing within one year from the date of acquisition thereof and, at the time of acquisition, having one of the two highest ratings obtainable from either Standard & Poor’s Rating Services or Moody’s Investors Services, Inc.;

 

(5) repurchase obligations with a term of not more than seven days for underlying securities of the types described in clauses (2), (3) and (4) above entered into with any financial institution meeting the qualifications specified in clause (3) or (4) above;

 

(6) commercial paper having the highest rating obtainable from Moody’s Investors Service, Inc. or Standard & Poor’s Rating Services and in each case maturing within 12 months after the date of acquisition; and

 

(7) money market funds at least 95% of the assets of which constitute Cash Equivalents of the kinds described in clauses (1) through (6) of this definition.

 

Change of Control” means the occurrence of any of the following:

 

(1) the direct or indirect sale, transfer, conveyance or other disposition (other than by way of merger or consolidation), in one or a series of related transactions, of all or substantially all of the properties or assets of TSI and its Restricted Subsidiaries taken as a whole to any “person” (as that term is used in Section 13(d)(3) of the Exchange Act, other than a Principal or a Related Party of a Principal), it being understood that as of the date of the indenture, TSI’s SS7 network does not by itself constitute substantially all of the assets of TSI and its Restricted Subsidiaries taken as a whole;

 

(2) the adoption of a plan relating to the liquidation or dissolution of TSI;

 

(3) the consummation of any transaction (including, without limitation, any merger or consolidation), the result of which is that any “person” (as defined above), other than the Principals and their Related Parties, becomes the Beneficial Owner, directly or indirectly, of more than 50% of the Voting Stock of the Parent or TSI, measured by voting power rather than number of shares; or

 

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(4) the first day on which a majority of the members of the Board of Directors of the Parent or TSI are not Continuing Directors.

 

Consolidated Cash Flow” means, with respect to any specified Person for any period, the Consolidated Net Income of such Person for such period plus:

 

(1) provision for taxes based on income or profits of such Person and its Restricted Subsidiaries for such period, to the extent that such provision for taxes was deducted in computing such Consolidated Net Income; plus

 

(2) consolidated interest expense of such Person and its Restricted Subsidiaries for such period, whether paid or accrued and whether or not capitalized (including, without limitation, amortization of debt issuance costs and original issue discount, non-cash interest payments, the interest component of any deferred payment obligations, the interest component of all payments associated with Capital Lease Obligations, imputed interest with respect to Attributable Debt, commissions, discounts and other fees and charges incurred in respect of letter of credit or bankers’ acceptance financings, and net of the effect of all payments made or received pursuant to Hedging Obligations), to the extent that any such expense was deducted in computing such Consolidated Net Income; plus

 

(3) depreciation, amortization (including amortization of goodwill and other intangibles but excluding amortization of prepaid cash expenses that were paid in a prior period), and other non-cash expenses (excluding any such non-cash expense to the extent that it represents an accrual of or reserve for cash expenses in any future period or amortization of a prepaid cash expense that was paid in a prior period), of such Person and its Restricted Subsidiaries for such period to the extent that such depreciation, amortization and other non-cash expenses were deducted in computing such Consolidated Net Income; plus

 

(4) all nonrecurring costs and expenses of TSI and its Restricted Subsidiaries incurred in connection with the Acquisition and the related financing transactions; minus

 

(5) all non-cash items increasing such Consolidated Net Income for such period, other than the accrual of revenue in the ordinary course of business,

 

in each case, on a consolidated basis and determined in accordance with GAAP.

 

Consolidated Leverage Ratio” will have the meaning assigned to it in the Credit Agreement in effect on the date of the indenture.

 

Consolidated Net Income” means, with respect to any specified Person for any period, the aggregate of the Net Income of such Person and its Restricted Subsidiaries for such period, on a consolidated basis, determined in accordance with GAAP; provided that:

 

(1) the Net Income, of any Person that is not a Restricted Subsidiary or that is accounted for by the equity method of accounting will be included only to the extent of the amount of dividends or distributions paid in cash to the specified Person or a Restricted Subsidiary of the Person;

 

(2) the Net Income of any Restricted Subsidiary will be excluded to the extent that the declaration or payment of dividends or similar distributions by that Restricted Subsidiary of that Net Income is not at the date of determination permitted without any prior governmental approval (that has not been obtained), or, directly or indirectly, by operation of the terms of its charter or any agreement, instrument, judgment, decree, order, statute, rule or governmental regulation applicable to that Restricted Subsidiary or its stockholders (except to the extent of the amount of dividends or distributions that have actually been paid in cash to TSI or one or more of its Restricted Subsidiaries that is not subject to any such restrictions);

 

(3) the Net Income (or loss) of any Person acquired in a pooling of interests transaction for any period prior to the date of such acquisition will be excluded;

 

(4) the cumulative effect of a change in accounting principles will be excluded;

 

(5) the net loss of any Person, other than a Restricted Subsidiary of TSI, will be excluded;

 

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(6) non-cash charges relating to employee benefit or other management compensation plans of TSI or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries or any non-cash compensation charge arising from any grant of stock, stock options or other equity-based awards of TSI or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries (excluding in each case any non-cash charge to the extent that it represents an accrual of or reserve for cash expenses in any future period or amortization of a prepaid cash expense incurred in a prior period) in each case, to the extent that such non-cash charges are deducted in computing such Consolidated Net Income will be excluded;

 

(7) items classified as extraordinary, unusual or nonrecurring losses or charges (including, without limitation, severance, relocation and other restructuring costs), and related tax effects according to GAAP, will be excluded; and

 

(8) any cash received by TSI from Verizon under the Revenue Guaranty Agreement in any period will be included in Net Income for that period, net of any payment made by TSI or any Restricted Subsidiary during that period on or with respect to any Indebtedness incurred by TSI under the Revenue Guaranty Agreement.

 

Continuing Directors” means, as of any date of determination, any member of the Board of Directors of TSI who:

 

(1) was a member of such Board of Directors on the date of the indenture; or

 

(2) was nominated for election or elected to such Board of Directors with the approval of a majority of the Continuing Directors who were members of such Board at the time of such nomination or election.

 

Credit Agent” means Lehman Commercial Paper Inc., in its capacity as administrative agent for the lenders party to the Credit Agreement, or any successor thereto or any person otherwise appointed.

 

Credit Agreement” means that certain Credit Agreement, dated as of the Closing Date, by and among TSI Merger Sub, Inc., the Guarantors, Lehman Commercial Paper Inc., as administrative agent and Lehman Brothers Inc., as book manager and lead arranger and the other lenders party thereto, providing for up to $328.4 million of revolving credit and term loan borrowings, including any related notes, guarantees, collateral documents, instruments and agreements executed in connection therewith, and in each case as amended, modified, renewed, refunded, replaced or refinanced from time to time.

 

Credit Facilities” means, one or more debt facilities (including, without limitation, the Credit Agreement), or commercial paper facilities, in each case with banks or other institutional lenders providing for revolving credit loans, term loans, receivables financing (including through the sale of receivables to such lenders or to special purpose entities formed to borrow from such lenders against such receivables), or letters of credit, in each case, as amended, restated, modified, renewed, refunded, replaced or refinanced in whole or in part from time to time.

 

Default” means any event that is, or with the passage of time or the giving of notice or both would be, an Event of Default.

 

Designated Noncash Consideration” means any noncash consideration received by TSI or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries in connection with an Asset Sale that is designated as Designated Noncash Consideration pursuant to an Officers’ Certificate setting forth the fair market value of such noncash consideration and the basis of the valuation.

 

Designated Senior Debt” means:

 

(1) any Indebtedness or other amounts outstanding under the Credit Agreement; and

 

(2) after payment in full of all Obligations under the Credit Agreement, any other Senior Debt permitted under the indenture the principal amount of which is $25.0 million or more.

 

Disqualified Stock” means any Capital Stock that, by its terms (or by the terms of any security into which it is convertible, or for which it is exchangeable, in each case at the option of the holder of the Capital Stock), or

 

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upon the happening of any event, matures or is mandatorily redeemable, pursuant to a sinking fund obligation or otherwise, or redeemable at the option of the holder of the Capital Stock, in whole or in part, on or prior to the date that is 91 days after the date on which the notes mature. Notwithstanding the preceding sentence, any Capital Stock that would constitute Disqualified Stock solely because the holders of the Capital Stock have the right to require TSI to repurchase such Capital Stock upon the occurrence of a change of control or an asset sale will not constitute Disqualified Stock if the terms of such Capital Stock provide that TSI may not repurchase or redeem any such Capital Stock pursuant to such provisions unless such repurchase or redemption complies with the covenant described above under the caption “—Certain Covenants—Restricted Payments.”

 

Domestic Subsidiary” means any Restricted Subsidiary of TSI that was formed under the laws of the United States or any state of the United States or the District of Columbia or that guarantees or otherwise provides direct credit support for any Indebtedness of TSI.

 

Equity Contribution Agreement” means that certain agreement, dated as of the Closing Date, by and among TSI, the Parent and the Ultimate Parent, whereby the Parent and the Ultimate Parent have agreed to contribute all Net Proceeds to the Parent and then to TSI in the form of common equity capital or as a capital contribution.

 

Equity Interests” means Capital Stock and all warrants, options or other rights to acquire Capital Stock (but excluding any debt security that is convertible into, or exchangeable for, Capital Stock).

 

Equity Investors” means one or more of the investors that own Capital Stock of the Ultimate Parent as of the date of the indenture.

 

Equity Offering” means (1) a public offering of common equity securities or (2) a private placement of common equity securities yielding gross proceeds to the issuer of at least $25.0 million.

 

Excluded Capital Contributions” means any capital contributed to TSI by the Parent or any other direct or indirect equity investor in TSI either (1) in connection with the covenant described above under the caption “Certain Covenants—Maintenance of Financial Condition,” or (2) directly or indirectly from the net proceeds from the sale o f TSI’s SS7 network or the Capital Stock of the entity that owns the network.

 

Existing Indebtedness” means the amount of Indebtedness of TSI and its Subsidiaries (other than Indebtedness under the Credit Agreement), in existence on the date of the indenture, until such amounts are repaid.

 

Fixed Charges” means, with respect to any specified Person for any period, the sum, without duplication, of:

 

(1) the consolidated interest expense of such Person and its Restricted Subsidiaries for such period, whether paid or accrued, including, without limitation, amortization of debt issuance costs and original issue discount, non-cash interest payments, the interest component of any deferred payment obligations, the interest component of all payments associated with Capital Lease Obligations, imputed interest with respect to Attributable Debt, commissions, discounts and other fees and charges incurred in respect of letter of credit or bankers’ acceptance financings, and net of the effect of all payments made or received pursuant to Hedging Obligations (excluding amortization of debt issuance costs associated with the Acquisition); plus

 

(2) the consolidated interest of such Person and its Restricted Subsidiaries that was capitalized during such period; plus

 

(3) any interest expense on Indebtedness of another Person that is Guaranteed by such Person or one of its Restricted Subsidiaries or secured by a Lien on assets of such Person or one of its Restricted Subsidiaries, whether or not such Guarantee or Lien is called upon; plus

 

(4) the product of (a) all dividends, whether paid or accrued and whether or not in cash, on any series of preferred stock of such Person or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries, other than dividends on Equity Interests payable solely in Equity Interests of TSI (other than Disqualified Stock), or to TSI or a Subsidiary

 

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of TSI, times (b) a fraction, the numerator of which is one and the denominator of which is one minus the then current combined federal, state and local statutory tax rate of such Person, expressed as a decimal, in each case, on a consolidated basis and in accordance with GAAP.

 

Fixed Charge Coverage Ratio” means with respect to any specified Person for any period, the ratio of the Consolidated Cash Flow of such Person and its Restricted Subsidiaries for such period to the Fixed Charges of such Person and its Restricted Subsidiaries for such period. In the event that the specified Person or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries incurs, assumes, Guarantees, repays, repurchases or redeems any Indebtedness (other than ordinary working capital borrowings), or issues, repurchases or redeems preferred stock subsequent to the commencement of the period for which the Fixed Charge Coverage Ratio is being calculated and on or prior to the date on which the event for which the calculation of the Fixed Charge Coverage Ratio is made (the”Calculation Date”), then the Fixed Charge Coverage Ratio will be calculated giving pro forma effect to such incurrence, assumption, Guarantee, repayment, repurchase or redemption of Indebtedness, or such issuance, repurchase or redemption of preferred stock, and the use of the proceeds therefrom as if the same had occurred at the beginning of the applicable four-quarter reference period.

 

In addition, for purposes of calculating the Fixed Charge Coverage Ratio:

 

(1) acquisitions (including the Acquisition) that have been made by the specified Person or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries, including through mergers or consolidations and including any related financing transactions, during the four-quarter reference period or subsequent to such reference period and on or prior to the Calculation Date will be given pro forma effect as if they had occurred on the first day of the four-quarter reference period and Consolidated Cash Flow for such reference period will be calculated on a pro forma basis in accordance with Regulation S-X under the Securities Act, but including Pro Forma Cost Savings, but without giving effect to clause (3) of the proviso set forth in the definition of Consolidated Net Income;

 

(2) the Consolidated Cash Flow attributable to discontinued operations, as determined in accordance with GAAP, and operations or businesses disposed of prior to the Calculation Date, will be excluded from the four-quarter reference period on a pro forma basis (as provided above);

 

(3) the Fixed Charges attributable to discontinued operations, as determined in accordance with GAAP, and operations or businesses disposed of prior to the Calculation Date, will be excluded from the four-quarter reference period on a pro forma basis (as provided above), but only to the extent that the obligations giving rise to such Fixed Charges will not be obligations of the specified Person or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries following the Calculation Date; and

 

(4) the Fixed Charges attributable to any Indebtedness incurred under the Revenue Guaranty Agreement will be excluded.

 

GAAP” means generally accepted accounting principles set forth in the opinions and pronouncements of the Accounting Principles Board of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and statements and pronouncements of the Financial Accounting Standards Board or in such other statements by such other entity as have been approved by a significant segment of the accounting profession, which are in effect on the date of the indenture.

 

GTCR” means GTCR Golder Rauner, L.L.C.

 

Guarantee” means a guarantee other than by endorsement of negotiable instruments for collection in the ordinary course of business, direct or indirect, in any manner including, without limitation, by way of a pledge of assets or through letters of credit or reimbursement agreements in respect thereof, of all or any part of any Indebtedness.

 

Guarantee and Collateral Agreement” means the Guarantee and Collateral Agreement to be executed and delivered by the Parent, the Ultimate Parent, the Borrower and each subsidiary guarantor to the Credit

 

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Agreement, substantially in the form attached as Exhibit A to the Credit Agreement as of the date of the indenture, as the same may be amended, supplemented, replaced or otherwise modified from time to time in accordance with the Credit Agreement.

 

Guarantors” means each of:

 

(1) the Guarantors named under “—Guarantees” above; and

 

(2) any other subsidiary that executes a Guarantee in accordance with the provisions of the indenture;

 

and their respective successors and assigns.

 

Hedge Agreements” means all interest rate swaps, caps or collar agreements or similar arrangements entered into by the Ultimate Parent or any of its Subsidiaries providing for protection against fluctuations in interest rates or currency exchange rates or the exchange of nominal interest obligations, either generally or under specific contingencies.

 

Hedging Obligations” means, with respect to any specified Person, the obligations of such Person under:

 

(1) interest rate swap agreements, interest rate cap agreements and interest rate collar agreements; and

 

(2) other agreements or arrangements designed to protect such Person against fluctuations in interest rates or currency exchange rates.

 

Indebtedness” means, with respect to any specified Person, any indebtedness of such Person, whether or not contingent:

 

(1) in respect of borrowed money;

 

(2) evidenced by bonds, notes, debentures or similar instruments or letters of credit (or reimbursement agreements in respect thereof);

 

(3) in respect of banker’s acceptances;

 

(4) representing Capital Lease Obligations;

 

(5) representing the balance deferred and unpaid of the purchase price of any property, except any such balance that constitutes an accrued expense or trade payable; or

 

(6) representing any Hedging Obligations,

 

if and to the extent any of the preceding items (other than letters of credit and Hedging Obligations), would appear as a liability upon a balance sheet of the specified Person prepared in accordance with GAAP. In addition, the term “Indebtedness” includes all Indebtedness of others secured by a Lien on any asset of the specified Person (whether or not such Indebtedness is assumed by the specified Person), and, to the extent not otherwise included, the Guarantee by the specified Person of any indebtedness of any other Person.

 

The amount of any Indebtedness outstanding as of any date will be:

 

(1) the accreted value of the Indebtedness, in the case of any Indebtedness issued with original issue discount; and

 

(2) the principal amount of the Indebtedness, together with any interest on the Indebtedness that is more than 30 days past due, in the case of any other Indebtedness.

 

Investments” means, with respect to any Person, all direct or indirect investments by such Person in other Persons (including Affiliates), in the forms of loans (including Guarantees or other obligations), advances or capital contributions (excluding commission, travel and similar advances to officers and employees made in the ordinary course of business), purchases or other acquisitions for consideration of Indebtedness, Equity Interests

 

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or other securities, together with all items that are or would be classified as investments on a balance sheet prepared in accordance with GAAP. If TSI or any Subsidiary of TSI sells or otherwise disposes of any Equity Interests of any direct or indirect Subsidiary of TSI such that, after giving effect to any such sale or disposition, such Person is no longer a Subsidiary of TSI, TSI will be deemed to have made an Investment on the date of any such sale or disposition equal to the fair market value of TSI’s Investments in such Subsidiary that were not sold or disposed of in an amount determined as provided in the final paragraph of the covenant described above under the caption “—Certain Covenants—Restricted Payments.” The acquisition by TSI or any Subsidiary of TSI of a Person that holds an Investment in a third Person will be deemed to be an Investment by TSI or such Subsidiary in such third Person in an amount equal to the fair market value of the Investments held by the acquired Person in such third Person in an amount determined as provided in the final paragraph of the covenant described above under the caption “—Certain Covenants—Restricted Payments.”

 

Lender” means the several banks and other financial institutions or entities from time to time party to the Credit Agreement.

 

Lien” means, with respect to any asset, any mortgage, lien, pledge, charge, security interest or encumbrance of any kind in respect of such asset, whether or not filed, recorded or otherwise perfected under applicable law, including any conditional sale or other title retention agreement, any lease in the nature thereof, any option or other agreement to sell or give a security interest in and any filing of or agreement to give any financing statement under the Uniform Commercial Code (or equivalent statutes), of any jurisdiction.

 

Loan Parties” means the Parent, the Ultimate Parent, the Borrower and each Subsidiary of the Ultimate Parent which is a party to a Loan Document (as defined in the Credit Agreement). This term shall include TSI both before and after giving effect to the Merger.

 

Merger” means the merger of TSI Merger Sub, Inc. with and into TSI pursuant to the Merger Agreement.

 

Merger Agreement” means the amended and restated agreement of merger dated January 14, 2002 among the Parent, TSI, Verizon Information Services Inc. and TSI Merger Sub, Inc.

 

Net Income” means, with respect to any specified Person, the net income (loss) of such Person, determined in accordance with GAAP and before any reduction in respect of preferred stock dividends, excluding, however:

 

(1) any gain (or loss), together with any related provision for taxes on such gain (or loss), realized in connection with: (a) any Asset Sale; or (b) the disposition of any securities by such Person or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries or the extinguishment of any Indebtedness of such Person or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries; and

 

(2) any extraordinary gain (or loss), together with any related provision for taxes on such extraordinary gain (or loss).

 

In addition, for so long as the Parent and the Ultimate Parent are Guarantors of the notes, Net Income of TSI will be calculated without regard to any minority interest in the Subsidiary that owns TSI’s SS7 network that is owned by the Ultimate Parent.

 

Net Proceeds” means the aggregate cash proceeds received by TSI or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries in respect of any Asset Sale (including, without limitation, any cash received upon the sale or other disposition of any non-cash consideration received in any Asset Sale), net of the direct costs relating to such Asset Sale, including, without limitation, legal, accounting and investment banking fees, and sales commissions, and any relocation expenses incurred as a result of the Asset Sale, taxes paid or payable as a result of the Asset Sale (including taxes payable by the members of the Ultimate Parent as a result of the sale by the Ultimate Parent of Equity Interests in the Subsidiary of TSI that owns TSI’s SS7 network), in each case, after taking into account any available tax credits or deductions and any tax sharing arrangements, and amounts required to be applied to

 

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the repayment of Indebtedness, other than Senior Debt, secured by a Lien on the asset or assets that were the subject of such Asset Sale and any reserve for adjustment in respect of the sale price of such asset or assets established in accordance with GAAP.

 

Non-Recourse Debt” means Indebtedness:

 

(1) as to which neither TSI nor any of its Restricted Subsidiaries (a) provides credit support of any kind (including any undertaking, agreement or instrument that would constitute Indebtedness), (b) is directly or indirectly liable as a guarantor or otherwise, or (c) constitutes the lender;

 

(2) no default with respect to which (including any rights that the holders of the Indebtedness may have to take enforcement action against an Unrestricted Subsidiary), would permit upon notice, lapse of time or both any holder of any other Indebtedness of TSI or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries to declare a default on such other Indebtedness or cause the payment of the Indebtedness to be accelerated or payable prior to its stated maturity; and

 

(3) as to which the lenders have been notified in writing that they will not have any recourse to the stock or assets of TSI or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries.

 

Obligations” means any principal, interest, penalties, fees, indemnifications, reimbursements, damages and other liabilities payable under the documentation governing any Indebtedness.

 

Permitted Business” means the businesses engaged in by TSI and its Restricted Subsidiaries on the date of original issuance of the notes and/or any activities that are similar, ancillary or related to, or a reasonable extension, development or expansion of, any of those businesses.

 

Permitted Group” means any group of investors that is deemed to be a “person” (as that term is used in Section 13(d)(3) of the Exchange Act), at any time prior to TSI’s initial public offering of common stock, by virtue of the Securityholders Agreement, as the same may be amended, modified or supplemented from time to time, provided that no single Person (other than the Principals and their Related Parties), Beneficially Owns (together with its Affiliates), more of the Voting Stock of TSI that is Beneficially Owned by such group of investors than is then collectively Beneficially Owned by the Principals and their Related Parties in the aggregate.

 

Permitted Investments” means:

 

(1) any Investment in TSI or in a Restricted Subsidiary of TSI;

 

(2) any Investment in Cash Equivalents;

 

(3) any Investment by TSI or any Restricted Subsidiary of TSI in a Person, if as a result of such Investment:

 

(a) such Person becomes a Restricted Subsidiary of TSI; or

 

(b) such Person is merged, consolidated or amalgamated with or into, or transfers or conveys substantially all of its assets to, or is liquidated into, TSI or a Restricted Subsidiary of TSI;

 

(4) any Investment made as a result of the receipt of non-cash consideration from an Asset Sale that was made pursuant to and in compliance with the covenant described above under the caption “—Repurchase at the Option of Holders—Asset Sales;”

 

(5) any acquisition of assets solely in exchange for the issuance of Equity Interests (other than Disqualified Stock), of TSI;

 

(6) any Investments received in compromise of obligations of such persons incurred in the ordinary course of trade creditors or customers that were incurred in the ordinary course of business, including pursuant to any plan of reorganization or similar arrangement upon the bankruptcy or insolvency of any trade creditor or customer;

 

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(7) Hedging Obligations;

 

(8) any Investment existing on the date of the indenture;

 

(9) loans and advances to employees and officers of TSI and its Restricted Subsidiaries in the ordinary course of business having an aggregate principal amount not to exceed $2.0 million at any one time outstanding;

 

(10) loans to management employees of TSI and its Restricted Subsidiaries for the purchase of Equity Interests having an aggregate principal amount not to exceed $3.0 million at any one time outstanding;

 

(11) accounts receivable created or acquired in the ordinary course of business;

 

(12) Guarantees by TSI of Indebtedness otherwise permitted to be incurred by Restricted Subsidiaries of TSI under the indenture;

 

(13) any Investment in a joint venture with one or foreign partners to the extent that, as a result of the Investment, TSI recognizes gross profit from licensing of intellectual property or sales of equipment to that joint venture over the twelve-month period following the Investment that is at least equal to the amount of such Investment; and

 

(14) other Investments in any Person having an aggregate fair market value (measured on the date each such Investment was made and without giving effect to subsequent changes in value), when taken together with all other Investments made pursuant to this clause (14) since the date of the indenture, not to exceed $25.0 million.

 

Permitted Junior Securities” means:

 

(1) common Equity Interests in TSI or any Guarantor; or

 

(2) debt or preferred equity securities of TSI or any Guarantor issued pursuant to a plan of reorganization consented to by each class of Senior Debt; provided that all such securities are subordinated to all Senior Debt and any debt securities issued in exchange for Senior Debt to substantially the same extent as, or to a greater extent than, the notes and the Guarantees are subordinated to Senior Debt under the indenture.

 

Permitted Liens” means:

 

(1) Liens securing Senior Debt and other Obligations with respect thereto;

 

(2) Liens in favor of TSI or the Guarantors;

 

(3) Liens on property of a Person existing at the time such Person is, acquired, merged with or into or consolidated with TSI or any Subsidiary of TSI; provided that such Liens were in existence prior to the contemplation of such merger or consolidation and do not extend to any assets other than those of the Person merged into or consolidated with TSI or the Subsidiary;

 

(4) Liens on property existing at the time of acquisition of the property by TSI or any Subsidiary of TSI, provided that such Liens were in existence prior to the contemplation of such acquisition;

 

(5) Liens to secure the performance of statutory obligations, surety or appeal bonds, performance bonds or other obligations of a like nature incurred in the ordinary course of business;

 

(6) Liens existing on the date of the indenture;

 

(7) Liens for taxes, assessments or governmental charges or claims that are not yet delinquent or that are being contested in good faith by appropriate proceedings promptly instituted and diligently concluded, provided that any reserve or other appropriate provision as is required in conformity with GAAP has been made therefor;

 

(8) Liens incurred in the ordinary course of business of TSI or any Subsidiary of TSI with respect to obligations that do not exceed $10.0 million at any one time outstanding;

 

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(9) Liens on assets of Unrestricted Subsidiaries that secure Non-Recourse Debt of Unrestricted Subsidiaries;

 

(10) Liens incurred or deposits made in the ordinary course of business in connection with worker’s compensation, unemployment insurance and other types of social security, including any Lien securing letters of credit issued in the ordinary course of business consistent with past practice in connection therewith, or to secure the performance of tenders, statutory obligations, surety and appeal bonds, bids, leases, government contracts, performance and return-of-money bonds and other similar obligations (exclusive of obligations for the payment of borrowed money) incurred in the ordinary course of business;

 

(11) judgment Liens not giving rise to an Event of Default;

 

(12) Liens upon specific items of inventory or other goods and proceeds of any Person securing such Person’s obligations in respect of banker’s acceptances issued or created for the account of such Person to facilitate the purchase, shipment, or storage of such inventory or other goods;

 

(13) Liens securing reimbursement obligations with respect to commercial letters of credit which encumber documents and other property relating to such letters of credit and products and proceeds thereof;

 

(14) Liens encumbering deposits made to secure obligations arising from statutory, regulatory, contractual, or warranty requirements of TSI or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries, including rights of offset and set-off;

 

(15) Liens securing Indebtedness incurred in reliance on clause (4) of the second paragraph of the covenant described above under the caption “—Certain Covenants—Incurrence of Indebtedness and Issuance of Preferred Stock” so long as such Lien extends to no assets other than the assets acquired;

 

(16) Leases or subleases granted to others that do not materially interfere with the ordinary course of business of TSI and its Restricted Subsidiaries;

 

(17) Liens arising from filing Uniform Commercial Code financing statements regarding leases;

 

(18) Liens securing the notes and the notes guarantees;

 

(19) Liens securing intercompany Indebtedness of TSI or a Restricted Subsidiary; and

 

(20) Liens securing Hedging Agreements that are permitted by the indenture to be incurred.

 

Permitted Refinancing Indebtedness” means any Indebtedness of TSI or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries issued in exchange for, or the net proceeds of which are used to extend, refinance, renew, replace, defease or refund other Indebtedness of TSI or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries (other than intercompany Indebtedness); provided that:

 

(1) the principal amount (or accreted value, if applicable), of such Permitted Refinancing Indebtedness does not exceed the principal amount (or accreted value, if applicable), of the Indebtedness extended, refinanced, renewed, replaced, defeased or refunded (plus all accrued interest on the Indebtedness and the amount of all expenses and premiums incurred in connection therewith);

 

(2) such Permitted Refinancing Indebtedness has a final maturity date later than the final maturity date of, and has a Weighted Average Life to Maturity equal to or greater than the Weighted Average Life to Maturity of, the Indebtedness being extended, refinanced, renewed, replaced, defeased or refunded;

 

(3) if the Indebtedness being extended, refinanced, renewed, replaced, defeased or refunded is subordinated in right of payment to the notes, such Permitted Refinancing Indebtedness has a final maturity date later than the final maturity date of, and is subordinated in right of payment to, the notes on terms at least as favorable to the Holders of notes as those contained in the documentation governing the Indebtedness being extended, refinanced, renewed, replaced, defeased or refunded; and

 

(4) such Indebtedness is incurred either by TSI or by the Restricted Subsidiary who is the obligor on the Indebtedness being extended, refinanced, renewed, replaced, defeased or refunded.

 

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Person” means any individual, corporation, partnership, joint venture, association, joint-stock company, trust, unincorporated organization, limited liability company or government or other entity.

 

“Principals” means GTCR Fund VII, L.P. and/or GTCR Fund VII/A, L.P.

 

Pro Forma Cost Savings” means, with respect to any period, the reduction in costs and related adjustments associated with the acquisition of a business that are attributable to that period and that (i) are calculated on a basis that is consistent with Regulation S-X under the Securities Act as in effect and applied as of the date of the indenture or (ii) have actually been implemented by the business that was the subject of the acquisition within six months of the date of the acquisition and prior to the Calculation Date and that are supportable and quantifiable by the underlying accounting records of such business and are described, as provided below, in an officer’s certificate, as if, in the case of each of clause (i) and (ii), all such reductions in costs and related adjustments had been effected as of the beginning of such period.

 

Professional Services Agreement” means that certain agreement to be dated as of the Closing Date between TSI and GTCR, whereby GTCR will render to TSI, certain financial and management consulting services.

 

Related Party” means:

 

(1) any direct or indirect controlling stockholder or controlling general partner, 50% (or more) owned Subsidiary, or immediate family member (in the case of an individual), of any Principal; or

 

(2) any trust, corporation, partnership or other entity, the beneficiaries, stockholders, partners, owners or Persons beneficially holding an 50% or more controlling interest of which consist of any one or more Principals and/or such other Persons referred to in the immediately preceding clause (1).

 

Reserved Contributions” means the net cash proceeds received by TSI after the date of the indenture from (a) contributions to its common equity capital and (b) the sale (other than to a Subsidiary or to any management equity plan or stock option plan or any other management or employee benefit plan or agreement of TSI or any of its Subsidiaries) of Capital Stock (other than Disqualified Stock) of TSI, in each case that is designated within 60 days of the receipt of such net cash proceeds as a “Reserved Contribution” pursuant to an Officers’ Certificate; provided that in no event will any proceeds received by TSI directly or indirectly as a result of a sale of some or all of the assets of the Subsidiary that owns TSI’s SS7 network or from the sale of some or all of the Capital Stock of the Subsidiary that owns TSI’s SS7 network be treated as a Reserved Contribution.

 

Restricted Investment” means an Investment other than a Permitted Investment.

 

Restricted Subsidiary” of a Person means any Subsidiary of the referent Person that is not an Unrestricted Subsidiary.

 

Revenue Guaranty Agreement” means that Guaranty of wireless revenue, dated as of the Closing Date, by and between Verizon Information Services, Inc. and TSI as the same is in effect on the date of the indenture.

 

Securityholders Agreement” means that certain agreement to be dated the Closing Date among the Ultimate Parent, GTCR Fund VII, L.P., GTCR Fund VII/A, L.P. and GTCR Co-Invest, L.P.

 

Senior Debt” means:

 

(1) all Indebtedness of TSI or any Guarantor outstanding under Credit Facilities and all obligations under Specified Hedge Agreements;

 

(2) any other Indebtedness of TSI or any Guarantor permitted to be incurred under the terms of the indenture, unless the instrument under which such Indebtedness is incurred expressly provides that it is on a parity with or subordinated in right of payment to the notes or any Guarantee; and

 

(3) all Obligations with respect to the items listed in the preceding clauses (1) and (2).

 

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Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in the preceding, Senior Debt will not include:

 

(1) any liability for federal, state, local or other taxes owed or owing by TSI;

 

(2) any intercompany Indebtedness of TSI or any of its Subsidiaries to TSI;

 

(3) any trade payables; or

 

(4) the portion of any Indebtedness that is incurred in violation of the indenture; provided that Indebtedness under a Credit Facility will not cease to be Senior Debt under this clause (4) if the lenders obtained a certificate from any officer of TSI as of the date of the incurrence of such Indebtedness to the effect that such Indebtedness was permitted to be incurred by the indenture.

 

Significant Subsidiary” means any Subsidiary that would be a “significant subsidiary” as defined in Article 1, Rule 1-02 of Regulation S-X, promulgated pursuant to the Securities Act, as such Regulation is in effect on the date hereof.

 

Specified Hedge Agreement” means any Hedge Agreement (a) entered into by (i) any Loan Party and (ii) any Lender or any affiliate thereof, or any Person that was a Lender or an affiliate thereof when such Hedge Agreement was entered into, as counterparty and (b) which has been designated by such Lender and the Borrower, by notice to the Administrative Agent not later than 90 days after the execution and delivery thereof by any such Loan Party as a Specified Hedge Agreement; provided that the designation of any Hedge Agreement as a Specified Hedge Agreement shall not create in favor of any Lender or affiliate thereof that is a party thereto any rights in connection with the management or release of any Collateral (as defined in the Credit Agreement) or of the obligations of any Credit Agreement guarantor under the Guarantee and Collateral Agreement.

 

Stated Maturity” means, with respect to any installment of interest or principal on any series of Indebtedness, the date on which the payment of interest or principal was scheduled to be paid in the original documentation governing such Indebtedness, and will not include any contingent obligations to repay, redeem or repurchase any such interest or principal prior to the date originally scheduled for the payment thereof.

 

Subordinated Indebtedness” means Indebtedness of TSI as to which the payment of principal of, and premium, if any, and interest and other payment obligations in respect of such Indebtedness is subordinate to the prior payment in full of all Obligations with respect to the notes as provided in the Revenue Guaranty Agreement.

 

Subsidiary” means, with respect to any specified Person:

 

(1) any corporation, association or other business entity of which more than 50% of the total voting power of shares of Capital Stock entitled (without regard to the occurrence of any contingency), to vote in the election of directors, managers or trustees of the corporation, association or other business entity is at the time owned or controlled, directly or indirectly, by that Person or one or more of the other Subsidiaries of that Person (or a combination thereof); and

 

(2) any partnership (a) the sole general partner or the managing general partner of which is such Person or a Subsidiary of such Person or (b) the only general partners of which are that Person or one or more Subsidiaries of that Person (or any combination thereof).

 

Total Assets” means, as of any date, the consolidated assets of TSI and its Restricted Subsidiaries as of such date calculated in accordance with GAAP.

 

Unrestricted Subsidiary” means any Subsidiary of TSI that is designated by the Board of Directors as an Unrestricted Subsidiary pursuant to a Board Resolution, but only to the extent that such Subsidiary:

 

(1) has no Indebtedness other than Non-Recourse Debt;

 

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(2) is not party to any agreement, contract, arrangement or understanding with TSI or any Restricted Subsidiary of TSI unless the terms of any such agreement, contract, arrangement or understanding are no less favorable to TSI or such Restricted Subsidiary than those that might be obtained at the time from Persons who are not Affiliates of TSI;

 

(3) is a Person with respect to which neither TSI nor any of its Restricted Subsidiaries has any direct or indirect obligation (a) to subscribe for additional Equity Interests or (b) to maintain or preserve such Person’s financial condition or to cause such Person to achieve any specified levels of operating results;

 

(4) has not guaranteed or otherwise directly or indirectly provided credit support for any Indebtedness of TSI or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries; and

 

(5) has at least one director on its Board of Directors that is not a director or executive officer of TSI or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries and has at least one executive officer that is not a director or executive officer of TSI or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries.

 

Any designation of a Subsidiary of TSI as an Unrestricted Subsidiary will be evidenced to the trustee by filing with the trustee a certified copy of the Board Resolution giving effect to such designation and an officers’ certificate certifying that such designation complied with the preceding conditions and was permitted by the covenant described above under the caption “—Certain Covenants—Restricted Payments.” If, at any time, any Unrestricted Subsidiary would fail to meet the preceding requirements as an Unrestricted Subsidiary, it will thereafter cease to be an Unrestricted Subsidiary for purposes of the indenture and any Indebtedness of such Subsidiary will be deemed to be incurred by a Restricted Subsidiary of TSI as of such date and, if such Indebtedness is not permitted to be incurred as of such date under the covenant described under the caption “—Certain Covenants—Incurrence of Indebtedness and Issuance of Preferred Stock,” TSI will be in default of such covenant. The Board of Directors of TSI may at any time designate any Unrestricted Subsidiary to be a Restricted Subsidiary; provided that such designation will be deemed to be an incurrence of Indebtedness by a Restricted Subsidiary of TSI of any outstanding Indebtedness of such Unrestricted Subsidiary and such designation will only be permitted if (1) such Indebtedness is permitted under the covenant described under the caption “—Certain Covenants—Incurrence of Indebtedness and Issuance of Preferred Stock,” calculated on a pro forma basis as if such designation had occurred at the beginning of the four-quarter reference period; and (2) no Default or Event of Default would be in existence following such designation.

 

Voting Stock” of any Person as of any date means the Capital Stock of such Person that is at the time entitled to vote in the election of the Board of Directors of such Person.

 

Weighted Average Life to Maturity” means, when applied to any Indebtedness at any date, the number of years obtained by dividing:

 

(1) the sum of the products obtained by multiplying (a) the amount of each then remaining installment, sinking fund, serial maturity or other required payments of principal, including payment at final maturity, in respect of the Indebtedness, by (b) the number of years (calculated to the nearest one-twelfth), that will elapse between such date and the making of such payment; by

 

(2) the then outstanding principal amount of such Indebtedness.

 

Wholly Owned Restricted Subsidiary” of any specified Person means a Restricted Subsidiary of such Person all of the outstanding Capital Stock or other ownership interests of which (other than directors’ qualifying shares), will at the time be owned by such Person or by one or more Wholly Owned Restricted Subsidiaries of such Person and one or more Wholly Owned Restricted Subsidiaries of such Person.

 

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UNITED STATES FEDERAL INCOME TAX CONSEQUENCES

 

The following is a summary of the material United States tax consequences regarding your investment in the notes. The discussion assumes that you are purchasing notes after the original issuance thereof. The summary does not purport to be a comprehensive description of all of the tax considerations that may be relevant to any particular investor, including tax considerations that arise from rules of general application or that are generally assumed to be known to investors. This summary is based upon United States law in effect as of the date of this offering memorandum and may be subject to change. Investors should consult their own advisers regarding the tax consequences of the purchase, ownership and disposition of notes in light of their particular circumstances, including the effect of any state, local or other national laws.

 

General

 

The following is a summary of certain U.S. federal income tax consequences for beneficial owners of the notes under the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”). A “U.S. Holder” means a person who is any of the following:

 

  a citizen or resident of the United States;

 

  a corporation or partnership created or organized in or under the laws of the United States or any political subdivision thereof;

 

  an estate the income of which is subject to U.S. federal income taxation regardless of its source;

 

  an estate the income of which is subject to U.S. federal income taxation regardless of its source; or

 

  a trust (x) that is subject to the supervision of a court within the United States and the control of one or more U.S. persons or (y) that has a valid election in effect under applicable U.S. Treasury regulations to be treated as a U.S. person.

 

A “Non-U.S. Holder” is a holder that is not a U.S. Holder. Certain consequences to Non-U.S. Holders are described under “—Consequences to Non-U.S. Holders” below.

 

This summary is based on current law, which is subject to change (perhaps retroactively), is for general purposes only and should not be considered tax advice. This summary does not represent a detailed description of the federal income tax consequences to you in light of your particular circumstances. In addition, it does not represent a detailed description of the U.S. federal income tax consequences applicable to you if you are subject to special treatment under the U.S. federal income tax laws (including if you are a dealer in securities or currencies, a financial institution, an insurance company, a tax exempt organization, a person holding the notes as part of a hedging, integrated or conversion transaction, constructive sale or straddle, traders in securities that elect to use a mark-to-market method of accounting for their securities holdings, or a U.S. person whose “functional currency” is not the U.S. dollar). For purposes of this discussion, we have assumed that you will hold the notes as a capital asset as defined under the Code. We cannot assure you that a change in law will not alter significantly the tax considerations that we describe in this summary.

 

You should consult your own tax advisor concerning the particular U.S. federal income tax consequences to you of the purchase, ownership and disposition of the notes, as well as the consequences to you arising under the laws of any other taxing jurisdiction.

 

Consequences to U.S. Holders

 

Payment of Stated Interest. A U.S. Holder will be taxed on the stated interest on a note at ordinary income rates at the time at which such interest accrues or is received in accordance with the method of accounting that the U.S. Holder uses for tax purposes.

 

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Original Issue Discount. In addition to stated interest, the notes were issued with original issue discount (“OID”) equal to the difference between their issue price and their stated redemption price at maturity (as defined below). The “issue price” of the notes is the first price at which a substantial amount of the notes were sold for money in the original issuance of the notes, excluding sales to underwriters, placement agents or wholesalers. The “stated redemption price at maturity” of the notes is the amount payable at maturity (other than qualified stated interest). The stated interest on the notes constitutes qualified stated interest.

 

Generally, a U.S. Holder will be required to include the OID in ordinary income for U.S. federal income tax purposes as it accrues. The OID will accrue daily in accordance with a constant yield method based on a compounding of interest. The OID allocable to any accrual period will equal the product of the adjusted issue price of the Notes as of the beginning of such period and the notes’ yield to maturity, less any qualified stated interest allocable to that accrual period. The “adjusted issue price” of the notes as of the beginning of any accrual period will equal the issue price of the notes increased by OID previously includable in income and decreased by any payments under the notes (other than qualified stated interest). Because OID will accrue and be includable in income at least annually and no payments other than qualified stated interest will be made under the notes, the adjusted issue price of the notes will increase throughout their life. OID includable in income will therefore increase during each accrual period.

 

We are required to furnish to the IRS, and will furnish annually to record holders of notes, information with respect to interest and OID accruing during the calendar year. The OID information will be based upon the adjusted issue price of a note instrument as if the holder were the original holder of a note.

 

Market Discount and Acquisition Premium

 

A U.S. Holder who purchases a note at a “market discount” that exceeds a statutorily defined de minimis amount will be subject to the “market discount” rules of the Code. A U.S. Holder who purchases a note at a premium will be subject to the bond premium amortization rules of the Code.

 

In general, because the notes were issued with OID, “market discount” would be calculated as the excess a note’s adjusted issue price over its purchase price. If a U.S. Holder purchases a note at a “market discount,” any gain on sale of that note attributable to the U.S. Holder’s unrecognized accrued market discount would generally be treated as ordinary income to the U.S. Holder. In addition, a U.S. Holder who acquires a debt instrument at a market discount may be required to defer a portion of any interest expense that otherwise may be deductible on any indebtedness incurred or maintained to purchase or carry the debt instrument until the U.S. Holder disposes of the debt instrument in a taxable transaction. Instead of recognizing any market discount upon a disposition of a note and being required to defer any applicable interest expense, a U.S. Holder may elect to include market discount in income currently as the discount accrues. The current income inclusion election, once made, applies to all market discount obligations acquired on or after the first day of the first taxable year in which the election applies, and may not be revoked without the consent of the IRS.

 

In the event that a note is treated as purchased at a premium, that premium will be amortizable by a U.S. Holder as an offset to interest income (with a corresponding reduction in the U.S. Holder’s tax basis) on a constant yield basis if the U.S. Holder elects to do so. This election will also apply to all other debt instruments held by the U.S. Holder during the year in which the election is made and to all debt instruments acquired after that year.

 

Disposition of Notes. Upon the sale, exchange, retirement, or other disposition of a Note, a U.S. Holder generally will recognize taxable gain or loss equal to the difference between (i) the sum of cash plus the fair market value of all other property received on such disposition (except to the extent such cash or property is attributable to accrued but unpaid interest, which is treated as interest as described above) and (ii) such Holder’s adjusted tax basis in a note. A U.S. Holder’s adjusted tax basis in a note generally will equal the cost of the note to such Holder, increased by OID and market discount previously included in income with respect to such note reduced by any bond premium previously amortized and principal payments received by such Holder.

 

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A U.S. Holder’s gain or loss realized on selling, exchanging or retiring a note will generally be treated as United States source income or loss and will be long-term capital gain or loss if, at the time of the sale, exchange or retirement of a note, the U.S. Holder has held the note for more than one year. This gain or loss will be capital gain or loss if the note was held as a capital asset, except for gain representing accrued market discount not previously included in income. Capital gain or loss will be long-term if the note was held by the holder for more than one year and otherwise will be short-term. Any capital losses realized generally may be used by a corporate taxpayer only to offset capital gains, and by an individual taxpayer only to the extent of capital gains plus $3,000 of other income.

 

Information Reporting and Backup Withholding. In general, unless a U.S. Holder is an exempt recipient such as a corporation, information reporting will apply to principal and interest (including OID) payments that we make to you and to the proceeds from the sale of a note. Additionally, if a U.S. Holder fails to provide such U.S. Holder’s taxpayer identification number, or in the case of interest payments, fails either to report in full dividend and interest income or to make certain certifications, the U.S. Holder will be subject to backup withholding at a rate equal to the fourth lowest rate of tax applicable under section 1(c) of the Code.

 

Any amounts withheld under the backup withholding rules will be allowed as a refund or a credit against a U.S. Holder’s U.S. federal income tax liability, provided the U.S. Holder furnishes the required information to the U.S. Internal Revenue Service.

 

Consequences to Non-U.S. Holders

 

General. The following is a summary of certain United States federal income tax consequences that will apply to Non-U.S. Holders of notes.

 

United States federal withholding tax will not apply to any payment of principal or interest (including OID) on notes held by Non-U.S. Holder provided that:

 

  the Non-U.S. Holder does not actually or constructively own 10% or more of the total combined voting power of all classes of our voting stock within the meaning of the Code and United States Treasury Regulations;

 

  the Non-U.S. Holder is not a controlled foreign corporation that is related to us through stock ownership;

 

  the Non-U.S. Holder is not a bank whose receipt of interest on the notes is described in section 881(c) (3) (A) of the Code; and

 

  either (a) the Non-U.S. Holder provides us with its name and address on an IRS Form W-8BEN (or successor form), and certifies, under penalty of perjury, that the Non-U.S. Holder is not a United States person or (b) a financial institution holding the notes on behalf of the Non-U.S. Holder certifies, under penalty of perjury, that it has received an IRS Form W-8BEN (or successor form) from the Non-U.S. Holder as the beneficial owner and provides us with a copy.

 

If a Non-U.S. Holder cannot satisfy the requirements described above, payments of premium, if any, and interest (including OID) will be subject to the 30% United States federal withholding tax, unless the Non-U.S. Holder provides us with a properly executed:

 

  IRS Form W-8BEN (or successor form) claiming an exemption from, or reduction in, withholding under the benefit of a tax treaty; or

 

  IRS Form W-8ECI (or successor form) stating that interest (including OID) paid on the notes is not subject to withholding tax because it is effectively connected with the conduct of a trade or business in the United States.

 

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A Non-U.S. Holder will generally not be subject to United States federal income tax on the disposition of a note unless:

 

  the gain is effectively connected with your conduct of a trade or business in the United States; or

 

  the Non-U.S. Holder is an individual who is present in the United States for 183 days or more in the taxable year of that disposition, and certain other conditions are met.

 

Information Reporting and Backup Withholding. In general, backup withholding and information reporting to the Non-U.S. Holders generally will not be required with respect to payments made by us or any paying agent to Non-U.S. Holders if the statement described above under “—Consequences to Non-U.S. Holders” has been received (and the payor does not have actual knowledge that the beneficial owner is a U.S. person).

 

In addition, backup withholding and information reporting generally will not apply to the proceeds of the sale of a note within the United States or conducted through certain U.S. related financial intermediaries if the payor receives the statement described above under “—Consequences to Non-U.S. Holders” and does not have actual knowledge that the payee is a United States person or the Non-U.S. Holder otherwise establishes an exemption.

 

Any amounts withheld under the backup withholding rules will be allowed as a refund or a credit against a Non-U.S. Holder’s U.S. federal income tax liability, if any, provided the Non-U.S. Holder furnishes the required information to the U.S. Internal Revenue Service.

 

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PLAN OF DISTRIBUTION

 

The selling noteholder may offer and sell the notes from time to time and will act independently of us in deciding the timing, manner and size of any sale. We expect that sales generally will be made at then-prevailing market prices, but prices in negotiated transactions may differ considerably. We cannot predict the extent, if any, to which the selling noteholder may sell the notes.

 

The selling noteholder intends to distribute the resale notes only as follows, if at all. The resale notes may be sold from time to time directly by the undersigned selling noteholder or, alternatively, through underwriters, broker-dealers or agents. The resale notes may be sold in one or more transactions at fixed prices, at prevailing market prices at the time of sale, at varying prices determined at the time of sale, or at negotiated prices. The sales may be effected in transactions (which may involve crosses or block transactions) (i) on any national securities exchange or quotation service on which the notes may be listed or quoted at the time of sale, (ii) in the over-the-counter market, (iii) in transactions otherwise than on such exchanges or services or in the over-the-counter market, or (iv) through the writing of options. In connection with sales of the resale notes or otherwise the selling noteholder may enter into hedging transactions with broker-dealers, which may in turn engage in short sales of the notes in the course of hedging the positions they assume. The selling noteholder may also sell notes short and deliver notes to close out such short positions, or loan or pledge resale notes to broker-dealers that in turn may sell such securities.

 

The selling noteholder has not advised us, as of the date hereof, that it has arranged for the offering or sale of any notes with any broker. Underwriters, brokers, dealers or agents (collectively, “underwriters”) may participate in these transactions as agents and, in that capacity, may (i) be deemed underwriters for purposes of the Act and (ii) receive brokerage commissions from the selling noteholder or their purchasers, which (together with any profit received by the selling noteholder may be deemed underwriting discounts and commissions under the Act.

 

To comply with the securities laws of certain jurisdictions, if applicable, the notes will be offered or sold in those jurisdictions only through registered or licensed brokers or dealers. In addition, in certain jurisdictions, the notes may not be offered or sold unless they have been registered or qualified for sale in those jurisdictions or unless an exemption from that registration or qualification is available and is complied with.

 

We have advised the selling noteholder that, under applicable rules and regulations under the Exchange Act, any person engaged in a distribution of the notes may be limited in its ability to engage in market making activities respecting the notes. In addition and without limiting the foregoing, we have advised the selling noteholder that it is subject to applicable provisions of the Exchange Act and the rules and regulations thereunder, including Rule 10b-2 and Regulation M, which provisions may limit the timing of purchases and sales of any of the notes by the selling noteholder. All of the foregoing may affect the marketability of the notes.

 

We may suspend the use of the prospectus in certain circumstances because of pending corporate developments or a need to file a post-effective amendment. In any such event, we will use our reasonable efforts to ensure that the use of the prospectus is resumed as soon as practicable.

 

We have agreed to pay substantially all the expenses incident to the registration, offering and sale of the notes by the selling noteholder to the public other than any broker’s commission, finder’s fee or underwriter’s discount or commission, which will be borne by the selling noteholder. We have agreed to indemnify the selling noteholder against certain liabilities in connection with certain statements made or omitted herein, or to contribution with respect thereto.

 

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LEGAL MATTERS

 

The validity of the resale notes and the resale guarantees and other legal matters in connection with this offering, will be passed upon for us by Kirkland & Ellis LLP, Chicago, Illinois. Certain partners of Kirkland & Ellis LLP are members of a limited liability company that is an investor in GTCR Fund VII, L.P. and GTCR Fund VII/A, L.P. Certain partners of Kirkland & Ellis LLP are members of a partnership that is an investor in GTCR Co-Invest, L.P. Kirkland & Ellis LLP has from time to time represented, and may continue to represent, GTCR Golder Rauner, LLC and certain of its affiliates, including the selling noteholder, in connection with certain legal matters.

 

WHERE YOU CAN FIND OTHER INFORMATION

 

While any notes remain outstanding, we will make available, upon request, to any holder and any prospective purchaser of notes the information required pursuant to Rule 144A(d)(4) under the Securities Act during any period in which we are not subject to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act. Any such request should be directed to Robert Garcia, Jr., One Tampa City Center, Suite 700, Tampa, Florida 33602, (813) 273-3000.

 

The indenture provides that we will furnish copies of the periodic reports required to be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission under the Exchange Act to the holders of the notes. If we are not subject to the periodic reporting and informational requirements of the Exchange Act, we will, to the extent such filings are accepted by the Securities and Exchange Commission, and whether or not we have a class of securities registered under the Exchange Act, file with the Securities and Exchange Commission, and provide the Trustee and the holders of the notes within 15 days after such filings, annual reports containing the information required to be contained in Form 10-K promulgated under the Exchange Act, quarterly reports containing the information required to be contained in Form 10-Q promulgated under the Exchange Act, and from time to time such other information as is required to be contained in Form 8-K promulgated under the Exchange Act. You can inspect and copy these reports at the Public Reference Room of the SEC, 450 Fifth Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20549. You can obtain copies of these materials from the Public Reference Section of the SEC, 450 Fifth Street, N.W., Washington, D.C., 20549, at prescribed rates. Please call the SEC at 1-800-SEC-0330 for further information on the operation of the public reference room. Our SEC filings will also be available to you on the SEC’s Web site. The address of this site is http://www.sec.gov. We will also make these filings available on our Web site free of charge at http://www.tsiconnections.com. If filing such reports with the Securities and Exchange Commission is not accepted by the Securities and Exchange Commission or prohibited by the Exchange Act, we will also provide copies of such reports, at its cost, to prospective purchasers of the notes promptly upon written request.

 

EXPERTS

 

The consolidated financial statements of TSI Telecommunication Holdings, LLC and predecessor at December 31, 2001 and 2002 and for the two years in the period ended December 31, 2001, the period from January 1, 2002 to February 13, 2002 and the period from February 14, 2002 to December 31, 2002 appearing in this prospectus and Registration Statement have been audited by Ernst & Young LLP, independent certified public accountants, as set forth in their report thereon appearing elsewhere herein, and are included in reliance upon such report given on the authority of such firm as experts in accounting and auditing.

 

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INDEX TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

 

TSI TELECOMMUNICATION HOLDINGS, LLC AND PREDECESSOR

 

     Page

Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets as of September 30, 2003 (unaudited) and December 31, 2002

   F-2

Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations for the nine months ended September 30, 2003 (unaudited), the period from January 1, 2002 to February 13, 2002 and the period from February 14, 2002 to September 30, 2002 (unaudited)

   F-3

Condensed Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows for the nine months ended September 30, 2003 (unaudited), the period from January 1, 2002 to February 13, 2002 and the period from February 14, 2002 to September 30, 2002 (unaudited)

   F-4

Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements—September 30, 2003 (unaudited)

   F-5

Report of Independent Certified Public Accountants

   F-20

Consolidated Balance Sheets at December 31, 2001 (predecessor) and 2002 (successor)

   F-21

Consolidated Statements of Operations for the years ended December 31, 2000 (predecessor) and 2001 (predecessor), the period from January 1, 2002 to February 13, 2002 (predecessor) and the period from February 14, 2002 to December 31, 2002 (successor)

   F-22

Consolidated Statements of Changes in Shareholder’s/Unitholders’ Equity for the years ended December 31, 2000 (predecessor) and 2001 (predecessor), the period from January 1, 2002 to February 13, 2002 (predecessor) and the period from February 14, 2002 to December 31, 2002 (successor)

   F-23

Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows for the years ended December 31, 2000 (predecessor) and 2001 (predecessor), the period from January 1, 2002 to February 13, 2002 (predecessor) and the period from February 14, 2002 to December 31, 2002 (successor)

   F-24

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements

   F-25

 

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TSI TELECOMMUNICATION HOLDINGS, LLC

 

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS

(DOLLARS IN THOUSANDS)

 

     December 31,
2002


    September 30,
2003
(unaudited)


 

ASSETS

                

Current assets:

                

Cash

   $ 42,190     $ 6,306  

Accounts receivable, net of allowances of $2,424 and $3,174, respectively

     55,193       55,991  

Deferred tax assets

     2,110       1,469  

Prepaid and other current assets

     5,811       3,760  
    


 


Total current assets

     105,304       67,526  
    


 


Property and equipment, net

     33,728       32,764  

Capitalized software, net

     73,914       70,549  

Deferred costs, net

     16,015       14,988  

Goodwill

     330,559       330,559  

Identifiable intangibles:

                

Customer contract, net

     13,594       10,287  

Trademark

     51,700       51,700  

Customer base, net

     207,124       198,984  

Other assets

     1,130       —    
    


 


Total assets

   $ 833,068     $ 777,357  
    


 


LIABILITIES AND UNITHOLDERS’/SHAREHOLDERS’ EQUITY

                

Current liabilities:

                

Accounts payable

     8,204     $ 9,816  

Accrued payroll and related benefits

     6,672       4,591  

Accrued interest

     14,608       6,310  

Other accrued liabilities

     15,841       17,296  

Current portion of Term Note B, net of discount

     52,736       26,817  
    


 


Total current liabilities

     98,061       64,830  
    


 


Long-term liabilities:

                

Deferred taxes

     10,983       13,300  

Subordinated Notes, net of discount

     240,257       240,842  

Term Note B, net of discount

     211,607       185,429  

Other liabilities

     1,250       —    
    


 


Total long-term liabilities

     464,097       439,571  

Redeemable preferred stock of Brience

     119       —    

Commitments and contingencies

                

Unitholders’/shareholders’ equity:

                

Class A Preferred Units—an unlimited number authorized, none issued or or outstanding

     —         —    

Class B Preferred Units—an unlimited number authorized, 252,367.50 units issued and outstanding at December 31, 2002 and September 30, 2003; liquidation preference of $252,367

     252,367       252,367  

Common Units—an unlimited number authorized, 89,099,099 and 89,604,505 units issued at December 31, 2002 and September 30, 2003, respectively and 88,828,859 and 89,604,505 outstanding at December 31, 2002 and September 30, 2003, respectively

     2,967       120,321  

Common stock of Brience—$.01 par value, 30,000,000 shares authorized and 72,266 issued and outstanding at December 31, 2002

     1       —    

Additional paid-in capital of Brience

     117,219       —    

Notes receivable from stockholders of Brience

     (312 )     —    

Accumulated deficit

     (101,442 )     (100,220 )

Accumulated other comprehensive income—unrealized gains on investments

     —         488  

Less cost of treasury units (270,270 and 0 common units at December 31, 2002 and September 30, 2003, respectively)

     (9 )     —    
    


 


Total unitholders’/shareholders’ equity

     270,791       272,956  
    


 


Total liabilities and unitholders’/shareholders’ equity

   $ 833,068     $ 777,357  
    


 


 

See Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements

 

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TSI TELECOMMUNICATION HOLDINGS, LLC AND PREDECESSOR

 

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS

(DOLLARS IN THOUSANDS)

 

     Predecessor

    Successor (unaudited)

 
    

Period from
January 1 to

February 13,
2002


    Period from
February 14
to
September 30,
2002


    Nine Months
Ended
September 30,
2003


 

Revenues (including $15,838, $0 and $0 from affiliates, respectively)

   $ 39,996     $ 219,732     $ 201,236  
    


 


 


Costs and expenses:

                        

Cost of operations (including $4,419, $0 and $0 from affiliates, respectively)

     20,655       98,808       80,388  

Sales and marketing

     2,614       17,089       13,659  

General and administrative (including $443, $0 and $0 from affiliates, respectively)

     3,001       30,833       28,237  

Provision for (recovery of) uncollectible accounts

     1,340       (97 )     1,001  

Depreciation and amortization

     1,464       23,846       27,567  

Restructuring

     —         2,845       2,448  
    


 


 


       29,074       173,324       153,300  
    


 


 


Operating income

     10,922       46,408       47,936  

Other income (expense), net:

                        

Interest income (including $221, $0 and $0 from affiliates, respectively)

     432       841       546  

Interest expense

     —         (39,238 )     (44,525 )

Other, net

     (19 )     (271 )     (1 )
    


 


 


       413       (38,668 )     (43,980 )
    


 


 


Income from continuing operations before provision for income taxes

     11,335       7,740       3,956  

Provision for income taxes

     4,418       6,865       2,734  
    


 


 


Income from continuing operations

     6,917       875       1,222  

Discontinued operations:

                        

Loss from discontinued operations (including loss on disposal of $251 net of income taxes of $0)

     —         (2,188 )     —    
    


 


 


Net income (loss)

     6,917       (1,313 )     1,222  

Preferred unit dividends

     —         (16,238 )     (21,168 )
    


 


 


Net income (loss) attributable to common unitholders/shareholders

   $ 6,917     $ (17,551 )   $ (19,946 )
    


 


 


 

See Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements

 

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TSI TELECOMMUNICATION HOLDINGS, LLC AND PREDECESSOR

 

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS

(DOLLARS IN THOUSANDS)

 

     Predecessor

    Successor (unaudited)

 
    

Period from
January 1 to

February 13,
2002


    Period from
February 14
to
September 30,
2002


    Nine Months
Ended
September 30,
2003


 

Cash flows from operating activities

                        

Net income (loss)

   $ 6,917     $ (1,313 )   $ 1,222  

Adjustments to reconcile net income (loss) to net cash provided by operating activities:

                        

Depreciation and amortization

     1,464       30,113       37,213  

Provision for (recovery of) uncollectible accounts

     1,340       (97 )     1,001  

Deferred income tax benefit (expense)

     (586 )     5,119       2,958  

Pension and other employee retirement benefits

     546       —         —    

Deferred charges

     —         —         (1,284 )

Gain on forgiveness of debt

     —         —         (1,250 )

Loss on disposition of property

     —         1,440       —    

Changes in operating assets and liabilities:

                        

Accounts receivable

     14,682       741       (1,487 )

Other current assets

     (1,641 )     1,546       2,541  

Accounts payable

     2,732       (453 )     324  

Other current liabilities

     (24,269 )     2,205       (7,636 )

Other assets

     —         (605 )     1,459  
    


 


 


Net cash provided by operating activities

     1,185       38,696       35,061  
    


 


 


Cash flows from investing activities

                        

Capital expenditures

     (606 )     (8,748 )     (12,121 )

Decrease in note receivable—affiliate

     35,387       —         —    
    


 


 


Net cash provided by (used in) investing activities

     34,781       (8,748 )     (12,121 )
    


 


 


Cash flows from financing activities

                        

Dividends paid

     (11,250 )     —         —    

Excess cash received at purchase date

     —         1,884       —    

Debt issue fees paid

     —         —         (1,683 )

Principal payments on long-term debt

     —         (8,476 )     (57,167 )

Retirement of short-term debt

     —         (30,430 )     —    

Issuance of common units

     —         —         35  

Repurchase of common units

     —         (9 )     (9 )
    


 


 


Net cash used in financing activities

     (11,250 )     (37,031 )     (58,824 )
    


 


 


Net increase (decrease) in cash

     24,716       (7,083 )     (35,884 )

Cash at beginning of period

     284       38,899       42,190  
    


 


 


Cash at end of period

   $ 25,000     $ 31,816     $ 6,306  
    


 


 


Supplemental cash flow information

                        

Interest paid

   $ —       $ 26,089     $ 42,919  

Income taxes paid

     22,554       1,605       —    

Supplemental non-cash transactions

                        

Note receivable of $63,525 and accrued liabilities of $48,261 distributed as dividend to stockholder

     15,264       —         —    

Acquisition of Brience with 100,000 common units of TSI LLC

     —         —         3  

 

See Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements

 

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1. Basis of Presentation and Principles of Consolidation

 

The accompanying condensed consolidated financial statements of TSI Telecommunication Holdings, LLC (the Ultimate Parent or TSI LLC) have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States for interim financial information. Accordingly, they do not include all of the information and footnotes required by generally accepted accounting principles for complete financial statements. In the opinion of management, all adjustments (including normal recurring accruals) considered necessary for a fair presentation have been included. Operating results for the nine months ended September 30, 2003 are not necessarily indicative of the results that may be expected for the year ended December 31, 2003.

 

The financial statements include the accounts of TSI LLC, TSI Telecommunication Holdings Inc. (TSI Inc.), TSI Telecommunication Services Inc. (TSI), TSI Finance Inc. (TSI Finance), TSI Telecommunication Network Services Inc. (TSI Networks), TSI Brience LLC (TSI Brience), and TSI Telecommunication Services BV (TSI BV). All significant intercompany balances and transactions have been eliminated.

 

On February 14, 2002, TSI Inc. acquired all of the outstanding stock of TSI from Verizon Information Services Inc, a subsidiary of Verizon Communications Inc. (collectively, Verizon). A majority of the common and preferred units issued by TSI LLC at the acquisition date and outstanding at September 30, 2003 are owned by certain funds or individuals affiliated with GTCR Golder Rauner, LLC (GTCR), a private equity investment fund.

 

As described more fully in Note 3, TSI acquired Brience, Inc. (Brience) in July 2003. Due to common control of both TSI and Brience since February 14, 2002 by funds associated with GTCR, the acquisition was accounted for in a manner similar to a pooling of interests. Therefore, all historical financial statements of TSI since that date have been restated herein to include Brience’s historical financial results.

 

The term “successor” refers to TSI Telecommunication Holdings, LLC and all of its subsidiaries, including TSI, following the acquisition of TSI on February 14, 2002. The term “predecessor” refers to TSI prior to being acquired by TSI Inc. on February 14, 2002.

 

For further information, refer to the consolidated financial statements and footnotes thereto included in TSI LLC’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2002 and a Form 8-K which we expect to file in November 2003 to restate our 2002 financial statements and footnotes for the Brience acquisition.

 

2. Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

 

Revenue Recognition

 

We derive revenues from four primary categories: Network Services, Technology Interoperability Services, Call Processing Services, and Other Outsourcing Services. The revenue recognition policy for each of these areas is as follows:

 

 

Network Services primarily generate revenue by charging per-transaction processing fees, circuit fees and port fees. The monthly SS7 connection fee is based on the number of links as well as the number of switches to which a customer signals and is recognized in the period when the service is rendered. The per-transaction fees are based on the number of subscriber events and database queries made through our network and are recognized as revenues at the time the transactions are performed. Software revenues are generated through license fees, maintenance agreements and professional services. License fee revenues consist principally of revenue from the licensing of our software and are generally recognized when a contract is executed, all delivery obligations have been met, the fee is fixed or determinable, and collectibility is probable. Generally, these policies have resulted in our recognition of revenue from the software license fee on a straight-line basis over the period beginning with the completion of implementation and customer acceptance and ending with conclusion of the first maintenance period. Maintenance agreements call for us to provide technical support and software

 

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enhancements to customers. Revenue on technical support and software enhancement rights is recognized ratably over the term of the support agreement. Professional services include consulting, training and installation services to our customers. Revenue from such services is generally recognized on a straight-line basis over the same period as the software license fee.

 

  Technology Interoperability Services primarily generate revenues by charging per-transaction processing fees. For our wireless roaming, wireline and short message service (SMS) clearinghouse services, revenues vary based on the number of data/messaging records provided to us by telecommunications carriers for aggregation, translation and distribution among carriers. These revenues are based on the number of wireless roaming subscriber telephone calls and messages that take place on our customers’ networks. We recognize revenues at the time the transactions are performed.

 

  Call Processing Services primarily generate revenue by charging per-transaction processing fees and software licensing fees. The per-transaction fee is based on the number of validation, authorization, and other call processing messages generated by wireless subscribers. These revenues are recognized at the time the transactions are performed. We provide turn-key software solutions for which we charge customers a software licensing fee. For turnkey software, we recognize revenue when accepted by the customer.

 

  Other Outsourcing Services primarily generate revenue by charging per-minute-of use (MOU) fees, hardware maintenance fees and per-subscriber fees. We recognize revenues from the MOU-based services at the time the service is performed. Hardware maintenance fees are recognized over the life of the contract.

 

Stock-Based Compensation

 

We account for our stock options and related grants thereunder using the intrinsic value method prescribed in APB Opinion No. 25, “Accounting for Stock Issued to Employees”. However, pro forma information regarding net income and earnings per share as required by Statement of Financial Accounting Standards No. 123, “Accounting for Stock Based Compensation” (SFAS 123), is provided in our annual financial statements and is determined as if we had accounted for our employee and non-employee director stock options under the fair value method of SFAS 123, as amended by SFAS 148.

 

Outstanding options as of September 30, 2003 had a weighted average remaining contractual life of 8.9 years.

 

Pro forma information regarding net income and earnings per share is required by SFAS 123, which also requires that the information be determined as if we had accounted for our employee stock options granted subsequent to December 31, 1994 under the fair value method set forth in SFAS 123. The fair value for these options was estimated at the date of grant using a Black-Scholes option pricing model with the following weighted-average assumptions:

 

     September 30,
2003


 

Risk-free interest rate

   4.30 %

Volatility factor

   —    

Dividend yield

   —    

Weighted average expected life of options

   5  

 

The Black-Scholes option valuation model was developed for use in estimating the fair value of traded options which have no vesting restrictions and are fully transferable. In addition, option valuation models require the input of highly subjective assumptions including the expected stock price volatility. Since TSI, Inc.’s common stock does not trade on public markets, a volatility of 0% was entered into the Black-Scholes option valuation model. Because our stock options have characteristics significantly different from those of traded options, and because changes in the subjective input assumptions can materially affect the fair value estimate, in

 

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management’s opinion, the existing models do not necessarily provide a reliable single measure of the fair value of our employee stock options. Our pro forma amounts are immaterially different from the reported net income amounts and hence are not disclosed.

 

Accounting for Costs Associated with Exit or Disposal Activities

 

We adopted Financial Accounting Standards Board Statement No. 146, “Accounting for Costs Associated with Exit or Disposal Activities”, on January 1, 2003 and applied this guidance in recording the accrual for costs incurred in connection with the February 2003 restructuring described in Note 5. All costs incurred related to severance of employees who are no longer rendering services. Therefore, there was no difference in the accounting impact under this guidance as compared to prior applicable accounting guidance.

 

Earnings Per Share

 

We do not present earnings per share since TSI LLC’s units are not publicly traded and the calculation would be meaningless due to the small number of units outstanding.

 

Investments and Comprehensive Income

 

We classify our investments in equity securities as available-for-sale, and recognize changes in the fair value (unrealized appreciation or depreciation) as a component of comprehensive income. Comprehensive income (loss) for the nine months ended September 30, 2003, the period from February 14, 2002 to September 30, 2002, and the period from January 1, 2002 to February 13, 2002 is as follows:

 

     Predecessor

   Successor (unaudited)

    

Period from
January 1

to

February 13,
2002


  

Period from
February 14

to

September 30,
2002


   

Nine Months
Ended
September 30,

2003


         

Net income (loss)

   $ 6,917    $ (1,313 )   $ 1,222

Net unrealized gains on investments

     —        —         488
    

  


 

Comprehensive income (loss)

   $ 6,917    $ (1,313 )   $ 1,710
    

  


 

 

Income Taxes

 

We review our deferred tax assets on a regular basis to evaluate their recoverability based on projections of the turnaround timing of our deferred tax liabilities, projections of future taxable income, and tax planning strategies that we might employ to utilize such assets, including net operating loss carryforwards. Unless it is “more likely than not” that we will recover such assets through the above means, we establish a valuation allowance. The effective tax rate differs from the statutory tax rate due primarily to the pooling of Brience’s results and to a lesser extent to state and local taxes. Brience had incurred net operating losses since inception and hence was unable to recognize the benefit of these losses in its financial statements’ tax provision. The associated Brience deferred tax assets are fully offset by a valuation allowance.

 

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

 

In January 2003, the FASB issued FASB Interpretation No. 46 “Consolidation of Variable Interest Entities.” This interpretation of Accounting Research Bulletin No. 51, “Consolidated Financial Statements,” addresses consolidation by business enterprises of variable interest entities. Under current practice, two enterprises generally have been included in consolidated financial statements because one enterprise controls the other through voting interests. This interpretation defines the concept of “variable interests” and requires existing

 

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unconsolidated variable interest entities to be consolidated by their primary beneficiaries if the entities do not effectively disperse the risks among the parties involved. This interpretation applies immediately to variable interest entities created prior to February 1, 2003, and to variable interest entities in which an enterprise obtains an interest after that date. It applies in the first fiscal year or interim period ending after December 15, 2003, to variable interest entities in which an enterprise holds a variable interest that it acquired before February 1, 2003. If it is reasonably possible that an enterprise will consolidate or disclose information about a variable interest entity when this interpretation becomes effective, the enterprise shall disclose information about those entities in all financial statements issued after January 31, 2003. The interpretation may be applied prospectively with a cumulative-effect adjustment as of the date on which it is first applied or by restating previously issued financial statements for one or more years with a cumulative-effect adjustment as of the beginning of the first year restated. We do not believe that FIN 46 has any impact on our financial statements currently. However, if we enter into certain types of transactions in the future, including special purpose entities, then consolidation of that entity with us might be required.

 

In April 2003, the FASB issued Statement No. 149, Accounting for Amendment of Statement 133 on Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities, or FAS 149. The Statement amends and clarifies accounting for derivative instruments, including certain derivative instruments embedded in other contracts, and for hedging activities under Statement 133. This Statement is effective for contracts entered into or modified after June 30, 2003. The adoption of this statement has not had a material impact on our financial statements.

 

In May 2003, the FASB issued Statement No. 150, Accounting for Certain Financial Instruments with Characteristics of both Liabilities and Equity, or FAS 150. This statement establishes standards for how an issuer classifies and measures financial instruments with characteristics of both liabilities and equity. This Statement is effective for financial instruments entered into or modified after May 31, 2003. The adoption of this statement has not had a material impact on our financial statements.

 

3. Acquisition of Brience, Inc.

 

On July 23, 2003, we acquired Brience by merging Brience with and into TSI Brience, a newly formed wholly owned subsidiary of TSI Networks with TSI Brience continuing as the surviving entity and a wholly owned subsidiary of TSI Networks. Historically, Brience developed and sold information access and integration software products to large enterprises. At the time of the merger, however, Brience’s business was limited to selling and servicing its Mobile Processing Server product.

 

As a result of the merger, each share of Series C Preferred Stock of Brience outstanding as of the effective time of the merger was converted into a right to receive a pro rata share of 1.67 shares of Class B Common Stock, par value $.01 per share (the “merger consideration”), of TSI Networks, under the terms and subject to the conditions set forth in the merger agreement. All other outstanding classes of stock of Brience were canceled and retired with no right to payment under the terms of the merger agreement. Concurrent with the merger, the holders of Series C Preferred Stock other than GTCR Fund VII, L.P. and GTCR Co-Invest, L.P. entered into an exchange agreement with TSI LLC pursuant to which such parties (the “exchanging parties”) exchanged all of the merger consideration received by the exchanging parties in the merger in exchange for a pro rata portion of 19,775.01 Common Units of TSI LLC. Also concurrent with the merger, GTCR Fund VII, L.P. and GTCR Co-Invest, L.P. (the “investors”) entered into a contribution agreement pursuant to which the investors agreed to contribute to TSI LLC all of the merger consideration received by the investors in the merger in exchange for a pro rata portion of 80,224.99 Common Units of TSI LLC.

 

At the time of the merger, GTCR Fund VII, L.P. and GTCR Co-Invest, L.P. collectively were majority owners of Brience and owned approximately 64% of the outstanding common stock of Brience on a fully diluted basis. GTCR Fund VII, L.P. and GTCR Co-Invest, L.P. collectively own approximately 52% of the outstanding common units of TSI LLC and their affiliate, GTCR Fund VII/A, L.P., owns approximately 26% of the common units of TSI LLC. Since funds associated with GTCR had a controlling interest in both Brience and TSI LLC at

 

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the time of the merger, the transaction is accounted for as a combination of entities under common control, similar to a pooling of interests, whereby the assets and liabilities of Brience were combined at their historical amounts as of the date that GTCR had control of both entities (February 14, 2002). For historical accounting purposes, the historical financial results of Brience have only been combined for the periods during which TSI LLC and Brience were under common control by funds associated with GTCR. Accordingly, our historical consolidated financial statements have been restated to include the financial results of Brience beginning on the date when funds associated with GTCR had common control of both entities (February 14, 2002). For the minority interest of Brience not owned by GTCR affiliates at the time of the combination, purchase accounting has been applied. However, the effects of the fair value adjustments relating to this purchase accounting were deemed to be insignificant, and therefore, recorded at zero for purposes of these financial statements.

 

The accompanying financial statements for the period beginning February 14, 2002 have been restated to give effect to the combination, accounted for similar to a pooling of interests. The following is a reconciliation of certain amounts in the balance sheet and statement of operations, with restated amounts:

 

     Successor

 
    

Period from
February 14 to

September 30,
2002


  

Nine Months
Ended
September 30,

2003

(unaudited)


 
       

Revenues:

               

TSI LLC

   $ 216,228    $ 198,103 (a)

Brience

     3,504      3,133 (b)
    

  


As restated

   $ 219,732    $ 201,236  
    

  


Net income (loss):

               

TSI LLC

   $ 10,639    $ 3,100  (a)

Brience

     (11,952)      (1,878) (b)
    

  


As restated

   $ (1,313)    $ 1,222  
    

  


Net income (loss) attributable to common unitholders/shareholders:

               

TSI LLC

   $ (5,599)    $ (18,068) (a)

Brience

     (11,952)      (1,878) (b)
    

  


As restated

   $ (17,551)    $ (19,946)  
    

  


    

December 31,

2002


  

September 30,

2003

(unaudited)


 

Accumulated deficit:

               

TSI LLC

   $ 14,418    $ 17,517  (a)

Brience

     (115,860)      (117,737) (b)
    

  


As restated

   $ (101,442)    $ (100,220)  
    

  


Total Equity:

               

TSI LLC

   $ 269,743    $ 273,354  (a)

Brience

     1,048      (398) (b)
    

  


As restated

   $ 270,791    $ 272,956  
    

  


 

(a) Amounts include Brience’s results after July 23, 2003
(b) Amounts include Brience’s results through July 23, 2003

 

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4. Unitholders’ Interests

 

The Class B Preferred Units are entitled to an annual cumulative preferred yield of 10.0%, compounded quarterly. At September 30, 2003, there were 252,367.50 of Class B Preferred Units outstanding. As of September 30, 2003, undeclared and unpaid preferred unit dividends totaled $44,122. These amounts are not recorded as liabilities until declared.

 

In the nine months ended September 30, 2003, 1,045,946 common units were issued for $35 and 270,270 common units were repurchased for $9 from certain executives. The repurchased units were reissued as a part of the acquisition of Brience.

 

5. Restructurings

 

As a part of the TSI acquisition in February 2002, we developed a restructuring plan to react to competitive pressures and to increase operational efficiency. The plan included the termination of approximately 78 employees in Tampa and Dallas, or 6% of our workforce and the closure of the Dallas office. As a result, we accrued $3,333 of expenses in relation to this plan as of February 14, 2002 including $2,948 for severance related to the reduction in workforce and $385 for costs to relocate employees added as a part of the restructuring. All charges were recognized in the purchase accounting.

 

On August 29, 2002, we completed a restructuring plan resulting in the termination of 73 employees or approximately 10% of our workforce. As a result, we accrued $2,845 in severance related costs in August. The payments related to this restructuring were completed in May 2003.

 

On February 28, 2003, we completed a restructuring plan resulting in the termination of 71 employees or approximately 10.6% of our workforce. As a result, we accrued $1,841 in severance related costs in February 2003. The payments related to this restructuring will be incurred through November 2003. We expect this reorganization to result in reduced annual expenses of approximately $5,838.

 

On July 23, 2003, we completed a restructuring plan related to our acquisition of Brience resulting in the termination of 5 employees. As a result, we incurred $607 in severance related costs in July 2003. The payments related to this restructuring were incurred through September 2003. We expect this reorganization to result in reduced annual expenses of approximately $800. Further restructuring may be necessary in light of current economic conditions.

 

In the nine months ended September 30, 2003, we had the following activity in our restructuring accruals:

 

     January 1, 2003
Balance


   Additions

   Payments

    Reductions

    September 30, 2003
Balance


February 2002 Restructuring Termination costs

   $ 467    $ —      $ (373 )   $ (94 )   $   —  

August 2002 Restructuring Termination costs

     1,144      —        (1,011 )     (133 )     —  

February 2003 Restructuring Termination costs

     —        1,841      (1,771 )     —         70

July 2003 Brience Restructuring Termination costs

     —        607      (607 )     —         —  
    

  

  


 


 

Total

   $ 1,611    $ 2,448    $ (3,762 )   $ (227 )   $ 70
    

  

  


 


 

 

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6. Discontinued Operations of Brience, Inc.

 

On July 31, 2001, Brience determined that it would divest itself of its subsidiary Hello Asia, Inc. which operated in several Asian countries. The operations of Hello Asia, Inc. were sold or liquidated following this date and were concluded by December 31, 2002. Hello Asia, Inc. conducted an e-marketing customer rewards program. There were no Hello Asia assets or liabilities remaining at September 30, 2003.

 

Results of operations for the period from February 14, 2002 to September 30, 2002 are as follows:

 

     Period from
February 14, 2002 to
September 30, 2002


 

Revenues

   $ 706  
    


Costs and expenses:

        

Cost of operations

     460  

Sales and marketing

     863  

General and administrative

     1,397  
    


       2,720  
    


Operating loss

     (2,014 )

Other income (expense), net

     (174 )
    


       (174 )
    


Loss before provision for income taxes

     (2,188 )

Provision for income taxes

     —    
    


Net loss

   $ (2,188 )
    


 

7. Redeemable Preferred Stock of Brience, Inc.

 

The following is a summary of Brience’s series of redeemable preferred stock and the amounts authorized and outstanding as of December 31, 2002. All series were canceled as part of TSI’s acquisition of Brience, described in Note 3.

 

Description


   December 31,
2002


Series A redeemable preferred stock-$.01 par value, 8,663,355 shares authorized and 7,463,355 issued and outstanding; liquidation preference of $50,000

   $ 75

Series A-1 redeemable preferred stock-$.01 par value, 676,791 shares authorized and 676,791 issued and outstanding; liquidation preference of $4,029

     7

Series B redeemable preferred stock-$.01 par value, 1,545,414 shares authorized and 1,545,413 issued and outstanding; liquidation preference of $9,200

     15

Series B-1 redeemable preferred stock-$.01 par value, 870,969 shares authorized and 840,192 issued and outstanding; liquidation preference of $5,629

     8

Series C redeemable preferred stock-$.01 par value, 2,700,000 shares authorized and 1,447,205 issued and outstanding; liquidation preference of $9,695

     14
    

Total

   $ 119
    

 

Each holder of outstanding preferred stock was entitled to receive each fiscal year, when, as and if declared by the Board of Directors, out of any assets at the time legally available therefor, a dividend at the rate of 6% per annum on the aggregate liquidation value thereof. Such dividends were payable only when, as and if declared by the Board of Directors and were noncumulative. No dividends were ever declared by the Brience Board of Directors.

 

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In the event that that Brience declared or paid any dividends upon the common stock (whether payable in cash, securities or other property) other than dividends payable solely in shares of common stock, Brience was required to also declare and pay to the holders of the preferred stock at the same time that it declared and paid such dividends to the holders of the common stock, the dividends which would have been declared and paid with respect to its common stock issuable upon conversion of the preferred stock had all of the outstanding preferred stock been converted immediately prior to the record date for such dividend, or if no record date was fixed, the date as of which the record holders of common stock entitled to such dividends were to be determined.

 

Upon any liquidation, dissolution or winding up of Brience (whether voluntary or involuntary), each holder of preferred stock was to be paid in the following order:

 

  First, holders of Series C Preferred Stock were to receive an amount in cash equal to the aggregate liquidation value of all shares of Series C Preferred Stock held by such holders, plus all declared and unpaid dividends thereon;

 

  Second, holders of Series B Preferred Stock and Series B-1 Preferred Stock were to receive an amount in cash equal to the aggregate liquidation value of all shares of Series B Preferred Stock and Series B-1 Preferred Stock held by such holders, plus all declared and unpaid dividends thereon;

 

  Third, holders of Series A Preferred Stock and Series A-1 Preferred Stock were to receive an amount in cash equal to the aggregate liquidation value of all shares of Series A Preferred Stock and Series A-1 Preferred Stock held by such holders, plus all declared and unpaid dividends thereon; and

 

  Thereafter, all of the remaining assets of Brience available for distribution to stockholders were to be distributed among the holders of preferred stock and common stock pro rata based on the number of shares of common stock held by each (assuming full conversion of all such shares of preferred stock).

 

The holders of preferred stock were entitled to vote on all matters submitted to the stockholders for a vote together with the holders of the common stock voting together as a single class with each share of common stock entitled to one vote per share and each share of preferred stock entitled to one vote for each share of common stock issuable upon conversion of such share of preferred stock at the time the vote was taken.

 

At any time after January 1, 2007, the holders of a majority of the outstanding preferred stock (voting together as a single class) could have requested redemption of all of the outstanding shares of preferred stock by delivering written notice of such request to Brience. For each share of preferred stock which was to be redeemed, Brience would have been obligated on each redemption date to pay to the holder an amount in immediately available funds equal to the liquidation value of such share (plus all declared and unpaid dividends).

 

At any time, holders of preferred stock could have converted all or any portion of their preferred stock into a number of shares of Brience common stock computed by multiplying the number of shares to be converted by $6.6994 for Series A, B-1 and C Preferred Stock, and $5.9531 for Series A-1, and B Preferred Stock, and dividing the result by the conversion price then in effect.

 

8. First Amendment to Credit Agreement

 

On September 25, 2003, we entered into a First Amendment to Credit Agreement (the “First Amendment”) with our Term Note B and revolving credit lenders signatory thereto and Lehman Commercial Paper Inc., as administrative agent for the lenders (the “Agent”). The First Amendment amends our senior credit facility financial covenants by (i) increasing the maximum consolidated leverage and consolidated senior debt ratios, (ii) reducing the minimum consolidated interest coverage ratios beginning with the third and fourth fiscal quarters of 2003 and the four fiscal quarters of 2004, 2005 and beyond and (iii) reducing the minimum consolidated fixed charge coverage ratio. In addition, the First Amendment increases the permitted level of capital expenditures for fiscal years 2004 and 2005. The First Amendment also evidences the agreement of the lenders that, notwithstanding any contrary accounting treatment under GAAP necessitated by the acquisition of Brience on

 

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July 23, 2003, the consolidated net income and consolidated EBITDA of Brience prior to July 23, 2003 will be excluded from any determination of consolidated net income or consolidated EBITDA of TSI LLC and its subsidiaries for purposes of the covenants in our senior credit facility.

 

9. Supplemental Consolidating Financial Information

 

TSI’s payment obligations under the senior notes are guaranteed by TSI LLC, TSI Inc., and all domestic subsidiaries of TSI including TSI Finance, TSI Networks, and TSI LLC (collectively, the Guarantors). Such guarantees are full, unconditional and joint and several. The following supplemental financial information sets forth, on an unconsolidated basis, balance sheets, statements of income, and statements of cash flows information for TSI LLC (parent only), TSI Inc., and for the guarantor subsidiaries. The supplemental financial information reflects the investments of TSI LLC and TSI, Inc. using the equity method of accounting.

 

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CONSOLIDATING BALANCE SHEET

AS OF SEPTEMBER 30, 2003

 

   

TSI

LLC


    TSI Inc.

    TSI

    TSI
Networks


    TSI
Brience


    TSI
Finance


    Eliminations

    Consolidated

 
ASSETS                                                                

Current assets:

                                                               

Cash

  $ —       $ —       $ 6,246     $ —       $ 56     $ 4     $ —       $ 6,306  

Accounts receivable, net of allowances

    —         —         30,388       24,660       943       —         —         55,991  

Accounts receivable—affiliates

    13       —         964       15,254       —         60,246       (76,477 )     —    

Deferred tax assets

    —         —         1,310       159       —         —         —         1,469  

Prepaid and other current assets

    —         —         3,209       —         551       —         —         3,760  
   


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


Total current assets

    13       —         42,117       40,073       1,550       60,250       (76,477 )     67,526  
   


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


Property and equipment, net

    —         —         14,321       18,443       —         —         —         32,764  

Capitalized software, net of accumulated amortization

    —         —         60,478       10,071       —         —         —         70,549  

Deferred finance costs

    —         —         14,988       —         —         —         —         14,988  

Goodwill

    —         —         59,157       271,402       —         —         —         330,559  

Identifiable intangibles, net:

                                                               

Customer contract, net

    —         —         6,012       4,275       —         —         —         10,287  

Trademark

    —         —         24,700       27,000       —         —         —         51,700  

Customer base, net

    —         —         109,314       89,670       —         —         —         198,984  

Notes receivable—affiliates

    —         —         —         1,985       —         656,520       (658,505 )     —    

Investment in subsidiary

    272,943       270,958       874,963       (54 )     —         —         (1,418,810 )     —    
   


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


Total assets

  $ 272,956     $ 270,958     $ 1,206,050     $ 462,865     $ 1,550     $ 716,770     $ (2,153,792 )   $ 777,357  
   


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


LIABILITIES AND UNITHOLDERS’/SHAREHOLDERS’ EQUITY

                                                               

Current liabilities:

                                                               

Accounts payable

  $ —       $ —       $ 9,765     $ —       $ 51     $ —       $ —       $ 9,816  

Accounts payable—affiliates

    —         —         39,972       —         447       36,059       (76,478 )     —    

Accrued payroll and related benefits

    —         —         4,581       —         10       —         —         4,591  

Accrued interest

    —         —         6,310       —         —         —         —         6,310  

Other accrued liabilities

    —         —         16,200       —         1,096       —         —         17,296  

Current portion of Term Note B, net of discount

    —         —         26,817       —         —         —         —         26,817  
   


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


Total current liabilities

    —         —         103,645       —         1,604       36,059       (76,478 )     64,830  
   


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


Long-term liabilities:

                                                               

Deferred taxes

    —         —         3,192       10,108       —         —         —         13,300  

Payable to affiliate

    —         —         401,984       256,520       —         —         (658,504 )     —    

Subordinated Notes, net of discount

    —         —         240,842       —         —         —         —         240,842  

Term Note B, net of discount—less current portion

    —         —         185,429       —         —         —         —         185,429  
   


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


Total long-term liabilities

    —         —         831,447       266,628       —         —         (658,504 )     439,571  

Unitholders’/shareholders’ equity:

                                                               

Class A Preferred Units

    —         —         —         —         —         —         —         —    

Class B Preferred Units

    252,367       —         —         —         —         —         —         252,367  

Common Units

    120,321       —         —         —         117,340       —         (117,340 )     120,321  

Common Stock

    —         99       —         —         —         —         (99 )     —    

Preferred Stock

    —         3       —         —         —         —         (3 )     —    

Additional paid-in capital

    —         370,588       370,690       315,820       —         686,436       (1,743,534 )     —    

Retained earnings (accumulated deficit)

    (100,220 )     (100,220 )     (100,220 )     (120,071 )     (117,882 )     (5,725 )     444,118       (100,220 )

Accumulated other comprehensive income

    488       488       488       488       488       —         (1,952 )     488  
   


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


Total unitholders’/shareholders’ equity

    272,956       270,958       270,958       196,237       (54 )     680,711       (1,418,810 )     272,956  
   


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


Total liabilities and unitholders’/shareholders’ equity

  $ 272,956     $ 270,958     $ 1,206,050     $ 462,865     $ 1,550     $ 716,770     $ (2,153,792 )   $ 777,357  
   


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 

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Table of Contents

CONSOLIDATING STATEMENT OF OPERATIONS

NINE MONTHS ENDED SEPTEMBER 30, 2003

 

     TSI
LLC


   

TSI

Inc


    TSI

    TSI
Networks


    TSI
Brience


    TSI
Finance


    Eliminations

    Consolidated

 

Revenues

   $ —       $ —       $ 102,853     $ 94,762     $ 3,621     $ —       $ —       $ 201,236  
    


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


Costs and expenses:

                                                                

Cost of operations

     —         —         30,346       48,977       1,065       —         —         80,388  

Sales and marketing

     —         —         7,817       5,346       496       —         —         13,659  

General and administrative

     —         —         14,255       10,122       3,835       25       —         28,237  

Provision for uncollectible accounts

     —         —         545       369       87       —         —         1,001  

Depreciation and amortization

     —         —         16,893       10,626       48       —         —         27,567  

Restructuring

     —         —         1,298       1,051       99       —         —         2,448  
    


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


       —         —         71,154       76,491       5,630       25       —         153,300  
    


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


Operating income

     —         —         31,699       18,271       (2,009 )     (25 )     —         47,936  

Other income (expense), net

                                                                

Income from equity investment

     1,222       3,956       47,657       —         —         —         (52,835 )     —    

Interest income

     —         —         8,715       197       8       56,640       (65,014 )     546  

Interest expense

     —         —         (84,113 )     (25,403 )     (23 )     —         65,014       (44,525 )

Other, net

     —         —         (2 )     —         1       —         —         (1 )
    


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


       1,222       3,956       (27,743 )     (25,206 )     (14 )     56,640       (52,835 )     (43,980 )
    


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


Income (loss) from continuing operations before provision for income taxes

     1,222       3,956       3,956       (6,935 )     (2,023 )     56,615       (52,835 )     3,956  

Provision (benefit) for income taxes

     —         2,734       2,734       (2,701 )     —         19,815       (19,848 )     2,734  
    


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


Net income (loss)

     1,222       1,222       1,222       (4,234 )     (2,023 )     36,800       (32,987 )     1,222  

Preferred unit dividends

     (21,168 )     (22,814 )     —         (15,666 )     —         —         38,480       (21,168 )
    


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


Net income (loss) attributable to common unitholders/shareholders

   $ (19,946 )   $ (21,592 )   $ 1,222     $ (19,900 )   $ (2,023 )   $ 36,800     $ 5,493     $ (19,946 )
    


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 

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Table of Contents

CONSOLIDATING STATEMENT OF CASH FLOWS

NINE MONTHS ENDED SEPTEMBER 30, 2003

 

    TSI
LLC


    TSI
Inc.


    TSI

    TSI
Networks


    TSI
Brience


    TSI
Finance


    Eliminations

    Consolidated

 

Cash flows from operating activities

                                                               

Net income (loss)

  $ 1,222     $ 1,222     $ 1,222     $ (4,234 )   $ (2,023 )   $ 36,800     $ (32,987 )   $ 1,222  

Adjustments to reconcile net income (loss) to net cash provided by (used in) operating activities:

                                                               

Depreciation and amortization

    —         —         26,539       10,626       48       —         —         37,213  

Provision for uncollectible accounts

    —         —         545       369       87       —         —         1,001  

Deferred income tax benefit

    —         —         (4,402 )     7,360       —         —         —         2,958  

Income from equity investment

    (1,222 )     (3,956 )     (47,657 )     —         —         —         52,835       —    

Deferred charges

    —         —         (1,284 )     —         —         —         —         (1,284 )

Gain on forgiveness of debt

    —         —         —         —         (1,250 )     —         —         (1,250 )

Changes in operating assets and liabilities:

                                                               

Accounts receivable

    —         —         3,365       (4,717 )     (135 )     (17,028 )     17,028       (1,487 )

Other current assets

    —         —         620       —         1,921       —         —         2,541  

Accounts payable

    —         —         14,259       —         383       19,815       (34,133 )     324  

Other current liabilities

    (26 )     2,734       (4,580 )     —         (3,042 )     (1 )     (2,721 )     (7,636 )

Other assets

    —         —         —         —         1,459       —         —         1,459  
   


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


Net cash provided by (used in) operating activities

    (26 )     —         (11,373 )     9,404       (2,552 )     39,586       22       35,061  
   


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


Cash flows from investing activities

                                                               

Capital expenditures

    —         —         (2,717 )     (9,404 )     —         —         —         (12,121 )

Dividends received from equity investment

    —         —         39,610       —         —         —         (39,610 )     —    
   


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


Net cash provided by (used in) investing activities

    —         —         36,893       (9,404 )     —         —         (39,610 )     (12,121 )
   


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


Cash flows from financing activities

                                                               

Dividends paid

    —         —         —         —         —         (39,610 )     39,610       —    

Debt issue fees paid

    —         —         (1,683 )     —         —         —         —         (1,683 )

Principal payments on long-term debt

    —         —         (57,167 )     —         —         —         —         (57,167 )

Issuance of common units

    35       —         —         —         —         —         —         35  

Repurchase of common units

    (9 )     —         —         —         —         —         —         (9 )

Capital contribution

    —         —         —         —         —         22       (22 )     —    
   


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


Net cash provided by (used in) financing activities

    26       —         (58,850 )     —         —         (39,588 )     39,588       (58,824 )
   


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


Net decrease in cash

    —         —         (33,330 )     —         (2,552 )     (2 )     —         (35,884 )

Cash at beginning of period

    —         —         39,576       —         2,608       6       —         42,190  
   


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


Cash at end of period

  $ —       $ —       $ 6,246     $ —       $ 56     $ 4     $ —       $ 6,306  
   


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 

F-16


Table of Contents

CONSOLIDATING BALANCE SHEET

AS OF DECEMBER 31, 2002

 

   

TSI

LLC


   

TSI

Inc.


  TSI

  TSI
Networks


  TSI
Brience


    TSI
Finance


    Eliminations

    Consolidated

 

ASSETS

                                                         

Current assets:

                                                         

Cash

  $ —       $ —     $ 39,576   $ —     $ 2,608     $ 6     $ —       $ 42,190  

Accounts receivable, net of allowances

    —         —       28,808     25,811     583       —         (9 )     55,193  

Accounts receivable - affiliates

    —         —       6,546     9,698     —         —         (16,244 )     —    

Deferred tax assets

    —         —       1,872     238     —         —         —         2,110  

Prepaid and other current assets

    —         —       3,827     —       1,984       —         —         5,811  
   


 

 

 

 


 


 


 


Total current assets

    —         —       80,629     35,747     5,175       6       (16,253 )     105,304  
   


 

 

 

 


 


 


 


Property and equipment, net

    —         —       16,762     16,591     375       —         —         33,728  

Capitalized software, net of accumulated amortization

    —         —       65,722     8,192     —         —         —         73,914  

Deferred finance costs

    —         —       16,015     —       —         —         —         16,015  

Goodwill

    —         —       59,157     271,402     —         —         —         330,559  

Identifiable intangibles, net:

                                                         

Customer contract, net

    —         —       7,969     5,625     —         —         —         13,594  

Trademark

    —         —       24,700     27,000     —         —         —         51,700  

Customer base, net

    —         —       113,794     93,330     —         —         —         207,124  

Notes receivable—affiliates

    —         —       256,520     1,985     —         400,000       (658,505 )     —    

Other assets

    —         —       —       —       1,130       —         —         1,130  

Investment in subsidiary

    269,752       267,768     595,650     —       —         —         (1,133,170 )     —    
   


 

 

 

 


 


 


 


Total assets

  $ 269,752     $ 267,768   $ 1,236,918   $ 459,872   $ 6,680     $ 400,006     $ (1,807,928 )   $ 833,068  
   


 

 

 

 


 


 


 


LIABILITIES AND UNITHOLDERS’/SHAREHOLDERS’ EQUITY

                                                         

Current liabilities:

                                                         

Accounts payable

  $ —       $ —     $ 8,089   $ —     $ 115     $ —       $ —       $ 8,204  

Accounts payable - affiliates

    —         —       —       —       —         2,896       (2,896 )     —    

Accrued payroll and related benefits

    —         —       6,672     —       —         —         —         6,672  

Accrued interest

    —         —       27,956     —       —         —         (13,348 )     14,608  

Other accrued liabilities

    —         —       11,692     —       4,148       1       —         15,841  

Current portion of Term Note B, net of discount

    —         —       52,736     —       —         —         —         52,736  
   


 

 

 

 


 


 


 


Total current liabilities

    —         —       107,145     —       4,263       2,897       (16,244 )     98,061  
   


 

 

 

 


 


 


 


Long-term liabilities:

                                                         

Deferred taxes

    —         —       8,156     2,827     —         —         —         10,983  

Payable to affiliate

    9       —       401,985     256,520     —         —         (658,514 )     —    

Subordinated Notes, net of discount

    —         —       240,257     —       —         —         —         240,257  

Term Note B, net of discount—less current portion

    —         —       211,607     —       —         —         —         211,607  

Other liabilities

    —         —       —       —       1,250       —         —         1,250  
   


 

 

 

 


 


 


 


Total long-term liabilities

    9       —       862,005     259,347     1,250       —         (658,514 )     464,097  

Commitments and contingencies:

                                                         

Redeemable preferred stock

    —         —       —       —       119       —         —         119  

Unitholders’/Shareholders’ equity:

                                                         

Class A Preferred Units

    —         —       —       —       —         —         —         —    

Class B Preferred Units

    252,367       —       —       —       —         —         —         252,367  

Common Units

    2,967       —       —       —       —         —         —         2,967  

Common Stock

    —         99     —       —       1       —         (99 )     1  

Preferred Stock

    —         3     —       —       —         —         (3 )     —    

Additional paid-in capital

    —         253,248     253,350     198,480     117,219       400,025       (1,105,103 )     117,219  

Notes receivable from shareholders

    —         —       —       —       (312 )     —         —         (312 )

Retained earnings (accumulated deficit)

    14,418       14,418     14,418     2,045     (115,860 )     (2,916 )     (27,965 )     (101,442 )

Less cost of treasury units (270,270 common units)

    (9 )     —       —       —       —         —         —         (9 )
   


 

 

 

 


 


 


 


Total unitholders’/shareholders’ equity

    269,743       267,768     267,768     200,525     1,048       397,109       (1,133,170 )     270,791  
   


 

 

 

 


 


 


 


Total liabilities and unitholders’/shareholders’ equity

  $ 269,752     $ 267,768   $ 1,236,918   $ 459,872   $ 6,680     $ 400,006     $ (1,807,928 )   $ 833,068  
   


 

 

 

 


 


 


 


 

F-17


Table of Contents

CONSOLIDATING STATEMENT OF OPERATIONS

PERIOD FROM FEBRUARY 14, 2002 TO SEPTEMBER 30, 2002

 

     TSI
LLC


   

TSI

Inc.


    TSI

    TSI
Networks


    TSI
Brience


    TSI
Finance


    Eliminations

    Consolidated

 

Revenues

   $ —       $ —         149,791     $ 66,437     $ 3,504     $ —       $ —       $ 219,732  
    


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


Costs and expenses:

                                                                

Cost of operations

     —         —         60,183       36,168       2,457       —         —         98,808  

Sales and marketing

     —         —         11,202       2,912       2,975       —         —         17,089  

General and administrative

     —         —         20,901       3,293       6,621       18       —         30,833  

Recovery of uncollectible accounts

     —         —         (51 )     (46 )     —         —         —         (97 )

Depreciation and amortization

     —         —         16,914       5,985       947       —         —         23,846  

Restructuring

     —         —         1,788       1,057       —         —         —         2,845  
    


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


       —         —         110,937       49,369       13,000       18       —         173,324  
    


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


Operating income

     —         —         38,854       17,068       (9,496 )     (18 )     —         46,408  

Other income (expense), net

                                                                

Income from equity investment

     (1,313 )     5,552       25,410       —         —         —         (29,649 )     —    

Interest income

     —         —         13,522       164       89       33,082       (46,016 )     841  

Interest expense

     —         —         (72,227 )     (12,934 )     (93 )     —         46,016       (39,238 )

Other, net

     —         —         (7 )     —         (264 )     —         —         (271 )
    


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


       (1,313 )     5,552       (33,302 )     (12,770 )     (268 )     33,082       (29,649 )     (38,668 )
    


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


Income (loss) from continuing operations before provision for income taxes

     (1,313 )     5,552       5,552       4,298       (9,764 )     33,064       (29,649 )     7,740  

Provision for income taxes

     —         6,865       6,865       1,674       —         11,572       (20,111 )     6,865  
    


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


Income (loss) from continuing operations

     (1,313 )     (1,313 )     (1,313 )     2,624       (9,764 )     21,492       (9,538 )     875  

Discontinued operations:

                                                                

Loss from discontinued operations, net of taxes

     —         —         —         —         (2,188 )     —         —         (2,188 )
    


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


Net income (loss)

     (1,313 )     (1,313 )     (1,313 )     2,624       (11,952 )     21,492       (9,538 )     (1,313 )

Preferred unit dividends

     (16,238 )     (23,443 )     —         (7,478 )     —         —         30,921       (16,238 )
    


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


Net income (loss) attributable to common unitholders/shareholders’

   $ (17,551 )   $ (24,756 )   $ (1,313 )   $ (4,854 )   $ (11,952 )   $ 21,492     $ 21,383     $ (17,551 )
    


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 

F-18


Table of Contents

CONSOLIDATING STATEMENT OF CASH FLOWS

PERIOD FROM FEBRUARY 14, 2002 TO SEPTEMBER 30, 2002

 

     TSI
LLC


    TSI
Inc.


    TSI

    TSI
Networks


    TSI
Brience


    TSI
Finance


    Eliminations

    Consolidated

 

Cash flows from operating activities

                                                                

Net income (loss)

   $ (1,313 )   $ (1,313 )   $ (1,313 )   $ 2,624     $ (11,952 )   $ 21,492     $ (9,538 )   $ (1,313 )

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

                                                                

Depreciation and amortization

     —         —         23,780       5,386       947       —         —         30,113  

Recovery of uncollectible accounts

     —         —         (97 )     —         —         —         —         (97 )

Deferred income tax benefit

     —         —         3,270       1,849       —         —         —         5,119  

Loss on disposition of property

     —         —         —         —         1,440       —         —         1,440  

Income from equity investment

     1,313       (5,552 )     (25,410 )     —         —         —         29,649       —    

Changes in operating assets and liabilities:

                                                                

Accounts receivable

     —         —         5,369       (5,524 )     896       (1,777 )     1,777       741  

Other current assets

     —         —         986       —         560       —         —         1,546  

Accounts payable

     —         —         13,030       —         (134 )     —         (13,349 )     (453 )

Other current liabilities

     —         6,865       2,520       —         1,359       —         (8,539 )     2,205  

Other assets

     —         —         —         —         (605 )     —         —         (605 )
    


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


Net cash provided by (used in) operating activities

     —         —         22,135       4,335       (7,489 )     19,715       —         38,696  
    


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


Cash flows from investing activities

                                                                

Capital expenditures

     —         —         (4,413 )     (4,335 )     —         —         —         (8,748 )

Dividends received from equity investment

     —         —         19,733       —         —         —         (19,733 )     —    
    


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


Net cash provided by (used in) investing activities

     —         —         15,320       (4,335 )     —         —         (19,733 )     (8,748 )
    


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


Cash flows from financing activities

                                                                

Dividends paid

     —         —         —         —         —         (19,733 )     19,733       —    

Excess cash received at purchase date

     —         —         1,859       —         —         25       —         1,884  

Principal payments on long-term debt

     —         —         (7,500 )     —         (976 )     —         —         (8,476 )

Retirement of short-term debt

     —         —         (30,430 )     —         —         —         —         (30,430 )

Other

     —         —         (9 )     —         —         —         —         (9 )
    


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


Net cash used in financing activities

     —         —         (36,080 )     —         (976 )     (19,708 )     19,733       (37,031 )
    


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


Net increase (decrease) in cash

     —         —         1,375       —         (8,465 )     7       —         (7,083 )

Cash at beginning of period

     —         —         25,000       —         13,899       —         —         38,899  
    


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


Cash at end of period

   $ —       $ —       $ 26,375     $ —       $ 5,434     $ 7     $ —       $ 31,816  
    


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 

F-19


Table of Contents

REPORT OF INDEPENDENT CERTIFIED PUBLIC ACCOUNTANTS

 

TSI Telecommunication Holdings, LLC

 

We have audited the accompanying consolidated balance sheets of TSI Telecommunication Holdings, LLC and predecessor as of December 31, 2002 and 2001, and the related consolidated statements of operations, changes in unitholders’/shareholders’ equity and cash flows for each of the two years in the period ended December 31, 2001, the period from January 1, 2002 to February 13, 2002 and the period from February 14, 2002 to December 31, 2002. These financial statements are the responsibility of the Company’s management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on these consolidated financial statements based on our audits.

 

We conducted our audits in accordance with auditing standards generally accepted in the United States. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free of material misstatement. An audit includes examining, on a test basis, evidence supporting the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements. An audit also includes assessing the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall financial statement presentation. We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinion.

 

In our opinion, the consolidated financial statements referred to above present fairly, in all material respects, the consolidated financial position of TSI Telecommunication Holdings, LLC and predecessor as of December 31, 2002 and 2001, and the consolidated results of its operations and its cash flows for each of the two years in the period ended December 31, 2001, the period from January 1, 2002 to February 13, 2002 and the period from February 14, 2002 to December 31, 2002, in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States.

 

/s/ Ernst & Young LLP

 

Tampa, Florida
November 7, 2003

 

F-20


Table of Contents

TSI TELECOMMUNICATION HOLDINGS, LLC AND PREDECESSOR

 

CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS

(DOLLARS IN THOUSANDS)

 

    Predecessor
December 31,
2001


    Successor
December 31,
2002


 

ASSETS

               

Current assets:

               

Cash

  $ 284     $ 42,190  

Accounts receivable, net of allowances of $3,565 and $2,424, respectively

    55,828       55,193  

Accounts receivable—affiliates

    19,495       —    

Notes receivable—affiliates

    98,912       —    

Inventories

    99       —    

Deferred tax assets

    7,122       2,110  

Prepaid and other current assets

    1,386       5,811  
   


 


Total current assets

    183,126       105,304  
   


 


Property and equipment, net

    23,656       33,728  

Capitalized software, net

    7,703       73,914  

Deferred costs, net

    —         16,015  

Goodwill

    —         330,559  

Identifiable intangibles:

               

Customer contract, net

    —         13,594  

Trademark

    —         51,700  

Customer base, net

    —         207,124  

Other assets

    33,382       1,130  
   


 


Total assets

  $ 247,867     $ 833,068  
   


 


LIABILITIES AND UNITHOLDERS’/SHAREHOLDERS’ EQUITY

               

Current liabilities:

               

Accounts payable

  $ 10,989     $ 8,204  

Accounts payable—affiliates

    3,923       —    

Accrued payroll and related benefits

    15,126       6,672  

Accrued interest

    —         14,608  

Accrued taxes

    32,754          

Other accrued liabilities

    13,670       15,841  

Current portion of Term Note B, net of discount

    —         52,736  
   


 


Total current liabilities

    76,462       98,061  
   


 


Long-term liabilities:

               

Pension and other employee benefit obligations

    18,301       —    

Deferred taxes

    —         10,983  

Subordinated Notes, net of discount

    —         240,257  

Term Note B, net of discount

    —         211,607  

Other liabilities

    —         1,250  
   


 


Total long-term liabilities

    18,301       464,097  

Redeemable preferred stock of Brience

    —         119  

Commitments and contingencies

               

Unitholders’/shareholders’ equity:

               

Class A Preferred Units—an unlimited number authorized, none issued or or outstanding

    —         —    

Class B Preferred Units—an unlimited number authorized, 252,367.50 units issued and outstanding at December 31, 2002; liquidation preference of $252,368

    —         252,367  

Common Units—an unlimited number authorized, 89,099,099 units issued and 88,828,859 outstanding at December 31, 2002, respectively

    —         2,967  

Common stock of Brience—$.01 par value, 30,000,000 shares authorized and 72,266 issued and outstanding at December 31, 2002

    —         1  

Common Stock, no par value; 2,000 shares authorized, issued and outstanding at December 31, 2001

    1       —    

Additional paid-in capital of Brience

    100,903       117,219  

Notes receivable from stockholders of Brience

    —         (312 )

(Accumulated deficit) retained earnings

    52,546       (101,442 )

Accumulated other comprehensive income

    (346 )     —    

Less cost of treasury units (270,270 common units at December 31, 2002)

    —         (9 )
   


 


Total unitholders’/shareholders’ equity

    153,104       270,791  
   


 


Total liabilities and unitholders’/shareholders’ equity

  $ 247,867     $ 833,068  
   


 


 

See Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements

 

F-21


Table of Contents

TSI TELECOMMUNICATION HOLDINGS, LLC AND PREDECESSOR

 

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS

(DOLLARS IN THOUSANDS)

 

     Predecessor

    Successor

 
    

December 31,

2000


   

December 31,

2001


   

Period from

January 1

to
February 13,

2002


   

Period from

February 14

to

December 31,

2002


 
          

Revenues (including $104,717, $122,397, $15,838, and $0 from affiliates, respectively)

   $ 315,936     $ 361,358     $ 39,996     $ 296,044  
    


 


 


 


Costs and expenses:

                                

Cost of operations (including $25,719, $34,460, $4,419, and $0 from affiliates, respectively)

     150,156       169,025       20,655       130,364  

Sales and marketing

     24,265       24,348       2,614       22,706  

General and administrative (including $8,771, $4,511, $443, and $0 from affiliates, respectively)

     45,721       41,245       3,001       42,630  

Provision for (recovery of) uncollectible accounts

     2,203       2,207       1,340       (693 )

Depreciation and amortization

     13,061       15,203       1,464       33,285  

Restructuring

     —         —         —         2,845  
    


 


 


 


       235,406       252,028       29,074       231,137  
    


 


 


 


Operating income

     80,530       109,330       10,922       64,907  

Other income (expense), net:

                                

Interest income (including $2,210, $2,472, $221, and $0 from affiliates, respectively)

     3,087       3,903       432       965  

Interest expense

     (22 )     —         —         (54,105 )

Other, net

     4       (80 )     (19 )     (275 )
    


 


 


 


       3,069       3,823       413       (53,415 )
    


 


 


 


Income from continuing operations before provision for income taxes

     83,599       113,153       11,335       11,492  

Provision for income taxes

     32,548       43,895       4,418       9,320  
    


 


 


 


       51,051       69,258       6,917       2,172  

Discontinued operations:

                                

Loss from discontinued operations (including loss on disposal of $312, net of income taxes of $0)

     —         —         —         (1,541 )
    


 


 


 


Net income

     51,051       69,258       6,917       631  

Preferred unit dividends

     —         —         —         (22,952 )
    


 


 


 


Net income (loss) attributable to common unitholders/shareholders

   $ 51,051     $ 69,258     $ 6,917     $ (22,321 )
    


 


 


 


 

See Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements

 

F-22


Table of Contents

TSI TELECOMMUNICATION HOLDINGS, LLC AND PREDECESSOR

 

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CHANGES IN UNITHOLDERS’/SHAREHOLDERS’ EQUITY

(DOLLARS IN THOUSANDS)

 

    

Class A

Preferred

Units


  

Class B

Preferred
Units


  

Common

Units


  

Common

Stock


  

Additional

Paid-In
Capital


  

Retained

Earnings/
(Accumulated
Deficit)


    Treasury
Units


   

Notes Receivable
from

Brience

Stockholders


   

Accumulated

Other

Comprehensive

Loss


    Total

 

PREDECESSOR

                                                                           

Balance at January 1, 2000

   $ —      $ —      $ —      $ 1    $ 12,573    $ 62,273     $ —       $ —       $ (297 )   $ 74,550  

Net income

     —        —        —        —        —        51,051       —         —         —         51,051  

Minimum pension liability adjustment

     —        —        —        —        —        —         —         —         (49 )     (49 )
                                                                       


Comprehensive income

                                                                        51,002  

Dividends declared

     —        —        —        —        —        (42,000 )     —         —         —         (42,000 )

Tax benefit from exercise of stock options

     —        —        —        —        255      —         —         —         —         255  

Special dividend and capital contribution

     —        —        —        —        54,286      (54,286 )     —         —         —         —    

Capital contribution of deferred tax asset

     —        —        —        —        33,500      —         —         —         —         33,500  
    

  

  

  

  

  


 


 


 


 


Balance at December 31, 2000

     —        —        —        1      100,614      17,038       —         —         (346 )     117,307  

Net income

     —        —        —        —        —        69,258       —         —         —         69,258  

Minimum pension liability adjustment

     —        —        —        —        —        —         —         —         —         —    
                                                                       


Comprehensive income

                                                                        69,258  

Dividends declared

     —        —        —        —        —        (33,750 )     —         —         —         (33,750 )

Tax benefit from exercise of stock options

     —        —        —        —        289      —         —         —         —         289  
    

  

  

  

  

  


 


 


 


 


Balance at December 31, 2001

     —        —        —        1      100,903      52,546       —         —         (346 )     153,104  

Net income

     —        —        —        —        —        6,917       —         —         —         6,917  

Minimum pension liability adjustment

     —        —        —        —        —        —         —         —         —         —    
                                                                       


Comprehensive income

                                                                        6,917  

Dividends declared

     —        —        —        —        —        (26,514 )     —         —         —         (26,514 )

Tax benefit from exercise of stock options

     —        —        —        —        3      —         —         —         —         3  
    

  

  

  

  

  


 


 


 


 


Balance at February 13, 2002

   $ —      $ —      $ —      $ 1    $ 100,906    $ 32,949     $ —       $ —       $ (346 )   $ 133,510  
    

  

  

  

  

  


 


 


 


 


SUCCESSOR

                                                                           

Balance at February 14, 2002

   $ —      $ 252,367    $ 2,967    $ 1    $ 117,219    $ (102,073 )   $ —       $ (312 )   $ —       $ 270,169  

Net income

     —        —        —        —        —        631       —         —         —         631  

Cost of treasury units

                                                                        —    

(270,270 common units )

     —        —        —        —        —        —         (9 )     —         —         (9 )
    

  

  

  

  

  


 


 


 


 


Balance, December 31, 2002

   $ —      $ 252,367    $ 2,967    $ 1    $ 117,219    $ (101,442 )   $ (9 )   $ (312 )   $ —       $ 270,791  
    

  

  

  

  

  


 


 


 


 


 

See Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements

 

F-23


Table of Contents

TSI TELECOMMUNICATION HOLDINGS, LLC AND PREDECESSOR

 

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS

(DOLLARS IN THOUSANDS)

 

     Predecessor

    Successor

 
    

Year Ended

December 31,

2000


   

Year Ended

December 31,

2001


   

Period from

January 1

to

February 13,

2002


   

Period from

February 14

to

December 31,

2002


 

Cash flows from operating activities

                                

Net income

   $ 51,051     $ 69,258     $ 6,917     $ 631  

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

                                

Depreciation and amortization

     13,061       15,203       1,464       41,962  

Provision for (recovery of) uncollectible accounts

     2,203       2,207       1,340       (603 )

Deferred income tax benefit (expense)

     (785 )     (4,748 )     (586 )     8,873  

Pension and other employee retirement benefits

     2,968       3,861       546       —    

Loss on disposition of property

     —         —         —         1,472  

Changes in operating assets and liabilities:

                                

Accounts receivable

     (35,300 )     30,498       14,682       7,385  

Other current assets

     (4,225 )     3,912       (1,641 )     (1,814 )

Accounts payable

     9,026       (7,146 )     2,732       (4,350 )

Other current liabilities

     17,219       18,236       (24,269 )     6,602  

Other assets

     —         —         —         (393 )
    


 


 


 


Net cash provided by operating activities

     55,218       131,281       1,185       59,765  
    


 


 


 


Cash flows from investing activities

                                

Capital expenditures

     (12,956 )     (10,406 )     (606 )     (12,278 )

(Increase) decrease in note receivable—affiliate

     2,322       (89,425 )     35,387       —    
    


 


 


 


Net cash provided by (used in) investing activities

     (10,634 )     (99,831 )     34,781       (12,278 )
    


 


 


 


Cash flows from financing activities

                                

Dividends paid

     (96,286 )     (33,750 )     (11,250 )     —    

Capital contribution

     54,286       —         —         —    

Excess cash received at purchase date

     —         —         —         1,884  

Principal payments on long-term debt

     —         —         —         (15,641 )

Retirement of short-term debt

     —         —         —         (30,430 )

Repurchase of common units

     —         —         —         (9 )
    


 


 


 


Net cash used in financing activities

     (42,000 )     (33,750 )     (11,250 )     (44,196 )
    


 


 


 


Net increase (decrease) in cash

     2,584       (2,300 )     24,716       3,291  

Cash at beginning of period

     —         2,584       284       38,899  
    


 


 


 


Cash at end of period

   $ 2,584     $ 284     $ 25,000     $ 42,190  
    


 


 


 


Supplemental cash flow information

                                

Interest paid

   $ —       $ —       $ —       $ 30,187  

Income taxes paid

     28,086       24,019       22,554       1,605  

Supplemental non-cash transactions

                                

Note receivable of $63,525 and accrued liabilities of $48,261 distributed as dividend to stockholder

     —         —         15,264       —    

Contribution of deferred tax asset

     33,500       —         —         —    

Reduction of restructuring reserve accrual and goodwill

   $ —       $ —       $ —       $ 666  

 

See Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements.

 

F-24


Table of Contents

1. Description of Business

 

We are a leading provider of mission-critical transaction-processing services to wireless telecommunication carriers throughout the world. Our transaction-based technology interoperability, network and call processing services simplify the interconnection and management of complex voice and data networks. We address technology interoperability complexities as the largest clearinghouse in the United States for the billing and settlement of wireless roaming telephone calls, with an estimated market share of over 60% in 2000 based on billable wireless roaming telephone call transaction volume. We also own one of the largest unaffiliated Signaling System 7 (“SS7”) networks in the United States. SS7 is the telecommunication industry’s standard network signaling protocol used by substantially all carriers to enable the setup and delivery of wireless and wireline telephone calls. Our network services also allow our customers to access intelligent network services and monitor network performance and subscriber activity on a real-time basis. In addition, we are the industry’s leading developer and provider of call processing solutions that enable seamless regional, national and international wireless roaming telephone service.

 

2. Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

 

Basis of Presentation and Principles of Consolidation

 

The consolidated financial statements include the accounts of TSI Telecommunication Holdings, LLC (TSI LLC), TSI Telecommunication Holdings, Inc. (TSI Inc.), TSI Telecommunication Services Inc. (TSI), TSI Finance, Inc. (TSI Finance), TSI Telecommunication Network Services Inc. (TSI Networks - formerly TSI Networks, Inc.), and for periods beginning on and after February 14, 2002, TSI Brience, LLC (TSI Brience). References to “the Company” or “we” include all of the consolidated companies. All significant intercompany balances and transactions have been eliminated.

 

TSI, previously known as GTE Telecommunication Services, Inc., was incorporated in 1987 as an indirect wholly owned subsidiary of GTE Corporation (GTE). As a result of the merger of Bell Atlantic Corporation (Bell Atlantic) and GTE in June 2000, TSI became an indirect wholly owned subsidiary of Verizon Communications Inc. (Verizon). The merger of Bell Atlantic and GTE was accounted for as a pooling of interests business combination. Accordingly, references to affiliates and related parties include Verizon and its predecessor companies for all periods presented.

 

On February 14, 2002, TSI Inc. acquired all of the outstanding stock of TSI from Verizon Information Services Inc, a subsidiary of Verizon Communications Inc. (collectively, Verizon). A majority of the common and preferred units issued by TSI LLC at the acquisition date and outstanding at December 31, 2002 are owned by certain funds or individuals affiliated with GTCR Golder Rauner, LLC (GTCR), a private equity investment fund. As of February 14, 2002, Verizon is no longer an affiliate or related party.

 

As described more fully in Note 5, TSI LLC acquired Brience, Inc. (Brience) in July 2003. Due to common control of both TSI LLC and Brience since February 14, 2002 by funds associated with GTCR, the acquisition was accounted for in a manner similar to a pooling of interests. Therefore, all historical financial statements of TSI LLC since that date have been restated herein to include Brience’s historical financial results.

 

The term “successor” refers to TSI Telecommunication Holdings, LLC (TSI LLC) and all of its subsidiaries, including TSI, following the acquisition of TSI on February 14, 2002. The term “predecessor” refers to TSI prior to being acquired by TSI Inc. on February 14, 2002.

 

Use of Estimates

 

We prepare our financial statements using accounting principles generally accepted in the United States, which require management to make estimates and assumptions that affect reported amounts and disclosures. Actual results could differ from those estimates

 

F-25


Table of Contents

Revenue Recognition

 

We derive revenues from four primary categories: Network Services, Technology Interoperability Services, Call Processing Services, and Other Outsourcing Services. The revenue recognition policy for each of these areas is as follows:

 

  Network Services primarily generate revenue by charging per-transaction processing fees, circuit fees and port fees. The monthly SS7 connection fee is based on the number of links as well as the number of switches to which a customer signals and is recognized in the period when the service is rendered. The per-transaction fees are based on the number of subscriber events and database queries made through our network and are recognized as revenues at the time the transactions are performed. Software revenues are generated through license fees, maintenance agreements and professional services. License fee revenues consist principally of revenue from the licensing of our software and are generally recognized when a contract is executed, all delivery obligations have been met, the fee is fixed or determinable, and collectibility is probable. Generally, these policies have resulted in our recognition of revenue from the software license fee on a straight-line basis over the period beginning with the completion of implementation and customer acceptance and ending with conclusion of the first maintenance period. Maintenance agreements call for us to provide technical support and software enhancements to customers. Revenue on technical support and software enhancement rights is recognized ratably over the term of the support agreement. Professional services include consulting, training and installation services to our customers. Revenue from such services is generally recognized on a straight-line basis over the same period as the software license fee.

 

  Technology Interoperability Services primarily generate revenues by charging per-transaction processing fees. For our wireless roaming, wireline and SMS clearinghouse services, revenues vary based on the number of data/messaging records provided to us by telecommunications carriers for aggregation, translation and distribution among carriers. These revenues are based on the number of wireless roaming subscriber telephone calls and messages that take place on our customers’ networks. We recognize revenues at the time the transactions are performed.

 

  Call Processing Services primarily generate revenue by charging per-transaction processing fees and software licensing fees. The per-transaction fee is based on the number of validation, authorization, and other call processing messages generated by wireless subscribers. These revenues are recognized at the time the transactions are performed. We provide turn-key software solutions for which we charge customers a software licensing fee. For turnkey software, we recognize revenue when accepted by the customer.

 

  Other Outsourcing Services primarily generate revenue by charging per-minute-of use (MOU) fees, hardware maintenance fees and per-subscriber fees. We recognize revenues from the MOU-based services at the time the service is performed. Hardware maintenance fees are recognized over the life of the contract.

 

Advertising Costs

 

We expense advertising costs as they are incurred. Advertising costs charged to expense amounted to $468, $186, $22 and $217 for the years ended December 31, 2000 and 2001, and the periods from January 1, 2002 to February 13, 2002, and February 14, 2002 to December 31, 2002, respectively.

 

Research and Development

 

Research and development costs are charged to expense as incurred. Research and development costs which are included in general and administrative expense in the consolidated statements of income amounted to $23,786, $26,658, $2,527 and $22,494 for the years ended December 31, 2000 and 2001, and the periods from January 1, 2002 to February 13, 2002, and February 14, 2002 to December 31, 2002, respectively.

 

F-26


Table of Contents

Stock-Based Compensation

 

We participated in stock-based employee compensation plans sponsored by Verizon for the periods ending 2000, 2001 and the period from January 1, 2002 to February 13, 2002. We participated in a stock-based employee compensation plan sponsored by Brience for the period from February 14, 2002 to December 31, 2002.

 

On May 16, 2002, TSI Inc.’s Board of Directors adopted a Founders’ Stock Option Plan for non-employee directors, executives and other key employees of TSI Inc. In addition, the Board of Directors adopted a Directors’ Stock Option Plan on August 2, 2002.

 

We account for these plans and related grants there under using the intrinsic value method prescribed in APB Opinion No. 25, Accounting for Stock Issued to Employees. However, pro forma information regarding net income and earnings per share as required by Statement of Financial Accounting Standards No. 123, Accounting for Stock Based Compensation, (SFAS 123) is determined as if we had accounted for our employee and non-employee director stock options under the fair value method of SFAS 123. Pro forma fair value method amounts are not materially different from the intrinsic value method and hence are not disclosed.

 

Employee Benefit Plans

 

We participated in Verizon benefit plans in 2000, 2001, and the period from January 1, 2002 to February 13, 2002. Under these plans, pension and postretirement health care and life insurance benefits earned during the year as well as interest on projected benefit obligations were accrued currently. Prior service costs and credits resulting from changes in plan benefits were amortized over the average remaining service period of the employees expected to receive benefits.

 

Cash

 

We consider all highly liquid investments of operating cash with original maturities of three months or less to be a cash or cash equivalent. Cash and cash equivalents include money market funds, commercial paper and various deposit accounts and are stated at cost which approximates fair value.

 

Trade Receivables

 

Trade receivables are recorded at net realizable value or the amount that we expect to collect on our gross customer trade receivables. We establish a general reserve based on historical experience, in addition to a reserve for specific receivables with known collection problems due to circumstances such as liquidity or bankruptcy. Collection problems are identified using an aging of receivables analysis based on invoice due dates. Items that are deemed uncollectible are written off against the allowance for collection losses. We do not require deposits or other collateral from our customers and hence we are at risk for all accounts receivable.

 

We charge interest on overdue receivables, but do not recognize interest income until collected. At December 31, 2001 and 2002, accounts receivable includes interest receivable totaling $3,094 and $2,927, respectively, related to finance charges to customers, but the entire amount is offset by a contra account.

 

Inventories

 

We include in inventory items used in the implementation of our products and services. Inventories are stated at cost using the specific identification method. Inventory is generally procured after a sales contract is executed with a customer.

 

Income Taxes

 

TSI LLC is treated as partnership for income tax purposes, and accordingly, partnership income or loss is passed through to the unitholders. However, TSI LLC owns all of the outstanding stock of TSI, Inc. which files a

 

F-27


Table of Contents

consolidated income tax return with its wholly-owned subsidiaries and therefore the accompanying financial statements include a provision for income taxes related to TSI, Inc. and its subsidiaries using Statement of Financial Accounting Standards No. 109, “Accounting for Income Taxes.” Brience, Inc. files a separate consolidated income tax return for periods prior to its acquisition by TSI LLC (see Note 5).

 

Property and Equipment, net

 

Property and equipment consist primarily of hardware and software equipment necessary to operate our SS7 network, leasehold improvements and furniture in our headquarter facilities, which are recorded at cost and depreciated using the straight-line method over the estimated remaining lives.

 

The asset lives used are presented in the following table:

 

    

Average Lives

(In Years)


Equipment

   5-10

Furniture and fixtures

   6

Leasehold improvements

   Shorter of term of
lease or life of asset

 

When the depreciable assets are replaced, retired or otherwise disposed of, the related cost and accumulated depreciation are deducted from the respective accounts and any gains or losses on disposition are recognized in income.

 

Betterments, renewals and extraordinary repairs which increase the value or extend the life of the asset are capitalized. Repairs and maintenance costs are expensed as incurred.

 

Computer Software Costs

 

We capitalize the cost of internal-use software, which has a useful life in excess of one year in accordance with Statement of Position (SOP) No. 98-1, Accounting for the Costs of Computer Software Developed or Obtained for Internal Use. Subsequent additions, modifications or upgrades to internal-use software are capitalized only to the extent that they allow the software to perform a task it previously did not perform. Software maintenance and training costs are expensed in the period in which they are incurred. Capitalized computer software costs are amortized using the straight-line method over a period of three years. Amortization of capitalized software costs included in depreciation and amortization in the consolidated statements of income was $6,287, $7,186, $524 and $9,801 for the periods 2000, 2001, January 1, 2002 to February 13, 2002, and February 14, 2002 to December 31, 2002, respectively.

 

Deferred Financing Costs

 

We amortize deferred financing costs using the effective interest method and record such amortization as interest expense. Amortization of debt discount and annual commitment fees for unused portions of available borrowings are also recorded as interest expense.

 

Identifiable Intangible Assets

 

We amortize identifiable intangible assets with definite lives over their contractual or estimated useful lives using the straight-line method. As of December 31, 2002, accumulated amortization totaled $13,282. There were no identifiable intangible assets prior to February 14, 2002.

 

Impairment

 

We account for long-lived asset impairments under Statement of Financial Accounting Standards No. 144 (SFAS 144), “Accounting for the Impairment or Disposal of Long Lived Assets”. Consistent with prior guidance,

 

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SFAS 144 requires a three-step approach for recognizing and measuring the impairment of assets to be held and used. We recognize impairment losses on long-lived assets used in operations when indicators of impairment are present and the undiscounted cash flows estimated to be generated by those assets are less than the assets’ carrying amounts. The impairment loss is measured by comparing the fair value of the asset to its carrying amount. Fair value is estimated based on discounted future cash flows. Assets to be sold must be stated at the lower of the assets carrying amount or fair value and depreciation is no longer recognized. SFAS 144 was adopted on January 1, 2002. Prior to SFAS 144’s adoption, we accounted for impairments under Statement of Financial Accounting Standards No. 121 (SFAS 121), “Accounting for the Impairment of Long-Lived Assets and for Long-Lived Assets to Be Disposed Of.”

 

Segment Reporting

 

For all periods reported, we operated as a single segment.

 

Earnings Per Share

 

We do not present earnings per share since TSI LLC’s units are not publicly traded and the calculation would be meaningless due to the small number of units outstanding.

 

Reclassifications

 

Certain prior year balances have been reclassified to conform to 2002 presentation.

 

The following summarizes our most significant accounting estimates.

 

Allowance for Doubtful Accounts

 

We maintain allowances for doubtful accounts for estimated losses resulting from the inability of our customers to pay their invoices in full. We regularly review the adequacy of the accounts receivable allowance after considering the size of the accounts receivable balance, each customer’s expected ability to pay and our collection history with each customer. We review significant invoices that are past due to determine if an allowance is necessary based on the risk category using the factors described above. In addition, we maintain a general reserve for doubtful accounts by applying a percentage based on the aging category. If our customers’ financial conditions or the economy in general deteriorates, we may need to increase these allowances for doubtful accounts.

 

Credit Memos

 

We maintain a general reserve based on our historical credit memo activity. In addition, we establish credit memos resulting from specific customer matters. This allowance is recorded as a direct reduction of accounts receivable. If our billing errors or discrepancies are not resolved satisfactorily, or our customers’ disputes over billing are not resolved satisfactorily, increases to the allowance would be required.

 

Impairment

 

We review long-lived assets including intangibles for impairment when events or changes in circumstances indicate the carrying value of such assets may not be recoverable and will review goodwill and intangibles at least annually for impairment. We also evaluate the useful life of assets periodically. The review consists of a comparison of the carrying value of the assets with the assets’ expected future undiscounted cash flows without interest costs. Estimates of expected future cash flows represent management’s best estimate based on reasonable and supportable assumptions and projections. If actual market conditions are less favorable than those projected by management, asset write-downs may be required. Management will continue to evaluate overall industry and company specific circumstances and conditions as necessary.

 

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Restructuring

 

We have made estimates of the costs to be incurred as a part of our initial restructuring plan arising from our acquisition. These amounts were accrued as a part of our purchase accounting adjustments. These estimates include the amount of severance and other costs expected to be paid between April 2002 and the first quarter of 2003. We have also made estimates of the costs to be incurred as a part of our August 29, 2002 restructuring. These estimates relate to severance related costs expected to be incurred between August 2002 and the second quarter of 2003. We will review both of these estimates until fully paid.

 

Purchase Accounting

 

We have made estimates of the fair values of the assets acquired as of February 14, 2002 based on appraisals from third parties and also based on certain internally-generated information. In addition, we have estimated the economic lives of certain of these assets and these lives were used to calculate depreciation and amortization expense.

 

Income Taxes

 

We review our deferred tax assets on a regular basis to evaluate their recoverability based on projections of the turnaround timing of our deferred tax liabilities, projections of future taxable income, and tax planning strategies that we might employ to utilize such assets, including net operating loss carryforwards. Unless it is “more likely than not” that we will recover such assets through the above means, we establish a valuation allowance. The effective tax rate differs from the statutory tax rate due primarily to the pooling of Brience’s results and to a lesser extent to state and local taxes. Brience had incurred net operating losses since inception and hence was unable to recognize the benefit of these losses in its financial statements’ tax provision. The associated Brience deferred tax assets are fully offset by a valuation allowance.

 

3. Recent Accounting Pronouncements

 

In June 2001, the Financial Accounting Standards Board issued Statement No. 143, Accounting for Asset Retirement Costs. This Statement addresses financial accounting and reporting for obligations associated with the retirement of tangible long-lived assets and the associated asset retirement costs. This Statement is required to be applied in fiscal years beginning after June 15, 2002. The adoption of this Statement is not expected to have a material impact on our financial statements since we are not currently planning any significant retirements of tangible long-lived assets.

 

In April 2002, the Financial Accounting Standards Board issued Statement No. 145, Rescission of FASB Statements No. 4, 44, and 64, Amendment of FASB Statement No. 13, and Technical Corrections, or FAS 145. This Statement rescinds FASB Statement No. 4, Reporting Gains and Losses from Extinguishment of Debt, and an amendment of that Statement, FASB Statement No. 64, Extinguishments of Debt Made to Satisfy Sinking Fund Requirements. This Statement also rescinds FASB Statement No. 44, Accounting for Intangible Assets of Motor Carriers. FAS 145 amends FASB Statement No. 13, Accounting for Leases, to eliminate an inconsistency between the required accounting for sale-leaseback transactions and the required accounting for certain lease modifications that have economic effects that are similar to sale-leaseback transactions. FAS 145 also amends other existing authoritative pronouncements to make various technical corrections, clarify meanings, or describe their applicability under changed conditions. Certain provisions of FAS 145 related to Statement 13 are effective for transactions occurring after May 15, 2002. All other provisions of this Statement are effective for financial statements issued on or after May 15, 2002. The adoption of this Statement is not expected to have a material impact on our financial statements since FAS 145 does not change the amount of gain or loss but only the presentation in the income statement. No early extinguishment of debt is currently expected.

 

In June 2002, the Financial Accounting Standards Board issued Statement No. 146, Accounting for Costs Associated with Exit or Disposal Activities, or FAS 146. This Statement addresses financial accounting and

 

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reporting for costs associated with exit or disposal activities and nullifies EITF Issue No. 94-3, “Liability Recognition for Certain Employee Termination Benefits and Other Costs to Exit an Activity (including Certain Costs Incurred in a Restructuring).” The provisions of FAS 146 are effective for exit or disposal activities that are initiated after December 31, 2002. This statement will apply to any future restructurings including the one described in Note 14, related to our February 2003 terminations.

 

In December, 2002, the Financial Accounting Standards Board issued Statement No. 148, Accounting for Stock-Based Compensation—Transition and Disclosure, or FAS 148. This statement amends FASB Statement No. 123, Accounting for Stock-Based Compensation, to provide alternative methods of transition for a voluntary change to the fair valued based method of accounting for stock-based compensation. In addition, this Statement amends the disclosure requirements of Statement 123 to required prominent disclosure in both annual and interim financial statements about the method of accounting for stock-based employee compensation and the effect of the method used on reported results. We have included the disclosures in these financial statements. The remainder of the Statement is not applicable as we are not currently planning to change to fair value based accounting for stock-based compensation.

 

In November 2002, the FASB issued FASB Interpretation No. 45, “Guarantor’s Accounting and Disclosure Requirements for Guarantees, Including Indirect Guarantees of Indebtedness of Others.” This interpretation elaborates on the disclosures to be made by a guarantor in its interim and annual financial statements about it obligations under certain guarantees that it has issued. It also clarifies that a guarantor is required to recognize, at the inception of a guarantee, a liability for the fair value of the obligation undertaken in issuing the guarantee. The disclosure requirements of this interpretation are effective for interim and annual periods after December 15, 2002. The initial recognition and initial measurement requirements of this interpretation are effective prospectively for guarantees issued or modified after December 31, 2002. The interpretation’s expanded disclosures will not have a material impact on our financial position or results of operations. The adoption of this statement has not had a material impact on our financial statements.

 

In January 2003, the FAS issued FASB Interpretation No. 46 “Consolidation of Variable Interest Entities.” This interpretation of Accounting Research Bulletin No. 51, “Consolidated Financial Statements,” addresses consolidation by business enterprises of variable interest entities. Under current practice, two enterprises generally have been included in consolidated financial statements because one enterprise controls the other through voting interests. This interpretation defines the concept of “variable interests” and requires existing unconsolidated variable interest entities to be consolidated by their primary beneficiaries if the entities do not effectively disperse the risks among the parties involved. This interpretation applies immediately to variable interest entities created after January 31, 2003, and to variable interest entities in which an enterprise obtains an interest after that date. It applies in the first fiscal year or interim period beginning after December 15, 2003, to variable interest entities in which an enterprise holds a variable interest that it acquired before February 1, 2003. If it is reasonably possible that an enterprise will consolidate or disclose information about a variable interest entity when this interpretation becomes effective, the enterprise shall disclose information about those entities in all financial statements issued after January 31, 2003. The interpretation may be applied prospectively with a cumulative-effect adjustment as of the date on which it is first applied or by restating previously issued financial statements for one or more years with a cumulative-effect adjustment as of the beginning of the first year restated. We do not believe that FIN 46 has any impact on our financial statements. However, if we enter into certain types of transactions in the future, including special purpose entities, then consolidation of that entity with us might be required.

 

4. Acquisition of TSI

 

On February 14, 2002, TSI Inc. acquired TSI by merging its wholly owned subsidiary, TSI Merger Sub, Inc., with and into TSI (the “acquisition”). Pursuant to the merger agreement, Verizon Information Services Inc. received merger consideration equal to $770,000 in cash. Fees and expenses of approximately $37,300 were paid. A working capital adjustment of $1,400 was paid to Verizon in May 2002. TSI Inc. is a corporation formed by TSI LLC, which

 

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is owned by GTCR Fund VII, L.P., certain of its affiliates and co-investors, G. Edward Evans (TSI’s chief executive officer) and certain other members of TSI’s management. TSI is a leading provider of mission-critical transaction processing services to wireless telecommunications carriers throughout the world. As a result of the acquisition, the ultimate Parent expects to increase market share due to independence from Verizon.

 

The acquisition was funded as follows:

 

Equity contribution

   $ 255,335

Cash held by TSI

     25,000

Working capital adjustment paid in May 2002

     1,400

Acquisition fees and expenses paid after closing using cash generated from operations

     6,948

Senior credit facility

      

Revolving credit facility

     5,430

Term loan, net of discount

     275,000

Senior Notes, net of discount

     239,570
    

     $ 808,683
    

 

The following table summarizes the fair values of the assets acquired and liabilities assumed at February 14, 2002, the date of the acquisition.

 

Cash and other current assets

   $ 92,499  

Property and equipment

     35,049  

Intangible assets not subject to amortization -

        

Trademarks

     51,700  

Intangible assets subject to amortization—(19 year weighted-average useful life)

        

Software (11 year weighted-average useful life)

     78,532  

Contracts (4 year weighted-average useful life)

     17,400  

Customer Base (20 year weighted-average useful life)

     216,600  

Deferred financing costs

     19,269  

Goodwill

     330,559  
    


Total assets acquired

     841,608  

Current liabilities, excluding long-term debt

     (62,940 )

Restructuring

     (3,333 )

Long-term debt

     (520,000 )
    


Total liabilities assumed

     (586,273 )
    


Net assets acquired

   $ 255,335  
    


 

The acquisition was accounted for as a purchase in accordance with Statement of Financial Accounting Standards (SFAS) No. 141, Business Combinations, and EITF 88-16, Basis in Leveraged Buyout Transactions.

 

The purchase accounting adjustments have been recorded in the accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated balance sheet as of February 14, 2002 and are reflected in all periods subsequent to February 13, 2002. The excess purchase price we paid over the preliminary estimates of the fair market value of the tangible assets and liabilities of TSI as of the date of the acquisition was approximately $330,559 and is reflected as goodwill in the accompanying condensed consolidated balance sheet. The purchase price resulted in the recognition of goodwill due to additional value attributable to TSI’s market share, enterprise product development capabilities and management team.

 

In accordance with SFAS No. 142, Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets, the new intangible asset balance has been allocated between identifiable intangible assets and remaining goodwill. Goodwill will not be

 

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amortized, but is subject to an ongoing assessment for impairment. As a part of the transactions, we have elected for income tax purposes to treat the acquisition as an asset purchase resulting in a step-up in tax basis equal to the new book basis. As a result, all deferred taxes were eliminated in purchase accounting. Goodwill is being deducted for tax purposes over a 15-year period beginning February 14, 2002.

 

The unaudited pro forma results presented below include the effects of the acquisition as if it had been consummated at the beginning of year and the period prior to acquisition. Pro forma adjustments arise due to the asset revaluation and debt incurred. The unaudited pro forma financial information below is not necessarily indicative of either future results of operations or results that might have been achieved had the acquisition been consummated at the beginning of the year prior to acquisition.

 

     Predecessor

 
    

Year

Ended

December 31, 2001


  

Period from

January 1 to

February 13, 2002


 

Pro Forma:

               

Revenues

   $ 361,358    $ 39,996  

Net income

     25,464      1,133  

Net income (loss) attributable to common unitholders

   $ 227    $ (1,909 )

 

5. Acquisition of Brience

 

On July 23, 2003, we acquired Brience by merging Brience with and into TSI Brience, a newly formed wholly owned subsidiary of TSI Networks with TSI Brience continuing as the surviving entity and a wholly owned subsidiary of TSI Networks. Historically, Brience developed and sold information access and integration software products to large enterprises. At the time of the merger, however, Brience’s business was limited to selling and servicing its Mobile Processing Server product.

 

As a result of the merger, each share of Series C Preferred Stock of Brience outstanding as of the effective time of the merger was converted into a right to receive a pro rata share of 1.67 shares of Class B Common Stock, par value $.01 per share (the “merger consideration”), of TSI Networks, under the terms and subject to the conditions set forth in the merger agreement. All other outstanding classes of stock of Brience were canceled and retired with no right to payment under the terms of the merger agreement. Concurrent with the merger, the holders of Series C Preferred Stock other than GTCR Fund VII, L.P. and GTCR Co-Invest, L.P. entered into an exchange agreement with TSI LLC pursuant to which such parties (the “exchanging parties”) exchanged all of the merger consideration received by the exchanging parties in the merger in exchange for a pro rata portion of 19,775.01 Common Units of TSI LLC. Also concurrent with the merger, GTCR Fund VII, L.P. and GTCR Co-Invest, L.P. (the “investors”) entered into a contribution agreement pursuant to which the investors agreed to contribute to TSI LLC all of the merger consideration received by the investors in the merger in exchange for a pro rata portion of 80,224.99 Common Units of TSI LLC.

 

At the time of the merger, GTCR Fund VII, L.P. and GTCR Co-Invest, L.P. collectively were majority owners of Brience and owned approximately 64% of the outstanding common stock of Brience on a fully diluted basis. GTCR Fund VII, L.P. and GTCR Co-Invest, L.P. collectively own approximately 52% of the outstanding common units of TSI LLC and their affiliate, GTCR Fund VII/A, L.P., owns approximately 26% of the common units of TSI LLC. Since funds associated with GTCR had a controlling interest in both Brience and TSI LLC at the time of the merger, the transaction is accounted for as a combination of entities under common control, similar to a pooling of interests, whereby the assets and liabilities of Brience were combined at their historical amounts as of the date that GTCR had control of both entities (February 14, 2002). For historical accounting purposes, the historical financial results of Brience have only been combined for the periods during which TSI LLC and Brience were under common control of funds associated with GTCR. Accordingly, our historical consolidated financial statements have been restated to include the financial results of Brience beginning on the

 

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date when funds associated with GTCR had common control of both entities (February 14, 2002). For the minority interest of Brience not owned by GTCR affiliates at the time of the combination, purchase accounting has been applied. However, the effects of the fair value adjustments relating to this purchase accounting were deemed to be insignificant, and therefore, recorded at zero for purposes of these financial statements.

 

The accompanying financial statements for the period beginning February 14, 2002 have been restated to give effect to the combination, accounted for similar to a pooling of interests. The following is a reconciliation of certain amounts in the balance sheet and statement of operations, previously reported for 2002, with restated amounts:

 

    

Period from

February 14 to

December 31,

2002


 

Revenues:

        

As previously reported by TSI LLC

   $ 291,216  

Brience

     4,828  
    


As restated

   $ 296,044  
    


Net income (loss):

        

As previously reported by TSI LLC

   $ 14,418  

Brience

     (13,787 )
    


As restated

   $ 631  
    


Net income (loss) attributable to common unitholders/shareholders:

        

As previously reported by TSI LLC

   $ (8,534 )

Brience

     (13,787 )
    


As restated

   $ (22,321 )
    


Accumulated deficit:

        

As previously reported by TSI LLC

   $ 14,418  

Brience

     (115,860 )
    


As restated

   $ (101,442 )
    


Total Equity:

        

As previously reported by TSI LLC

   $ 269,743  

Brience

     1,048  
    


As restated

   $ 270,791  
    


 

6. Concentration of Business

 

Financial instruments that subject us to concentrations of credit risk are limited to our trade receivables from major customers. We generated revenues from services provided to Verizon and its predecessors of $104,717, $122,397, $15,838, and $87,989 for the year ended December 31, 2000 and 2001, and the periods from January 1, 2002 to February 13, 2002, and February 14, 2002 to December 31, 2002, respectively. No other customer represented more than 10% of revenues in the year ended December 31, 2000 and 2001, and the periods from January 1, 2002 to February 13, 2002, and February 14, 2002 to December 31, 2002, although a significant amount of our remaining revenues was generated from services provided to a small number of other wireless providers.

 

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7. Fair Value of Financial Instruments

 

Cash, receivables, accounts payable and revolving line of credit are reflected in the financial statements at their carrying value, which approximate their fair value due to the short maturity.

 

The estimated fair values of our Term Note B and Subordinated Notes are based on prices prevailing in the market.

 

The carrying amounts and fair values of our long-term debt as of December 31, 2002 are as follows:

 

     December 31, 2002

    

Carrying

Value


  

Fair

Value


Term Note B

   $ 264,343    $ 258,850

Subordinated Notes

     240,257      218,050

 

8. Property and Equipment

 

Property and equipment, net consist of the following:

 

     Predecessor

    Successor

 
    

December 31,

2001


   

December 31,

2002


 

Equipment

   $ 58,589     $ 42,042  

Furniture and fixtures

     6,563       1,630  

Leasehold improvements

     1,949       1,707  
    


 


       67,101       45,379  

Accumulated depreciation and amortization

     (43,445 )     (11,651 )
    


 


Total

   $ 23,656     $ 33,728  
    


 


 

Depreciation expense related to property and equipment was $6,774, $8,017, $940 and $10,201 for the years ended December 31, 2000 and 2001, and the periods from January 1, 2002 to February 13, 2002, and February 14, 2002 to December 31, 2002, respectively.

 

9. Capitalized Software

 

Capitalized software development costs, net consist of the following:

 

     Predecessor

     Successor

 
    

December 31,

2001


    

December 31,

2002


 

Software

   $ 53,786      $ 83,712  

Accumulated depreciation and amortization

     (46,083 )      (9,798 )
    


  


Total

   $ 7,703      $ 73,914  
    


  


 

Amortization expense related to capitalized software was $6,287, $7,186, $524 and $9,801 for the years ended December 31, 2000 and 2001, and the periods from January 1, 2002 to February 13, 2002, and February 14, 2002 to December 31, 2002, respectively.

 

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10. Identifiable Intangible Assets

 

Identifiable intangible assets consist of the following:

 

     Successor

 
    

December 31,

2002


 

Indefinite lived intangible assets

        

Trademark

   $ 51,700  

Definite lived intangible assets

        

Customer (Verizon) contract

     17,400  

Less accumulated amortization

     (3,806 )
    


Customer contract, net

     13,594  

Customer base

     216,600  

Less accumulated amortization

     (9,476 )
    


Customer base, net

     207,124  
    


Total intangibles

   $ 272,418  
    


 

Definite lived intangible assets are amortized over their useful lives, which are 4 years for the Verizon contract and 20 years for customer base. Amortization expense related to identifiable intangibles was $13,282 for the period from February 14, 2002 to December 31, 2002. Expected amortization expenses for each of the next five years are the following: 2003—$15,180, 2004—$15,180, 2005—$15,180, 2006—$11,374 and 2007—$10,830.

 

11. Leasing Arrangements

 

We lease certain facilities, equipment and an aircraft for use in our operations. Total rent expense under operating leases amounted to $2,687 in 2000, $3,087 in 2001, $394 for the period January 1, 2002 to February 13, 2002 and $5,763 for the period February 14, 2002 to December 31, 2002. These leases contain various renewal options that could extend the terms of the leases beyond 2009.

 

Effective March 1, 2002, we entered into an operating lease for the use of an executive aircraft. The lease is for seven years, ending March 1, 2009, and requires monthly payments plus actual expenses for maintenance, fuel and other usage related charges. We have an option to purchase the aircraft 36 months after the commencement date of the lease at a price of $6,650. Our CEO and one of his affiliates is entitled to use the aircraft and an affiliate entity owned by the CEO will pay 25% of the monthly lease and other fixed costs for the aircraft and will reimburse us for all operating costs of the aircraft in connection with such use. As of December 31, 2002, $274 was owed to us under this arrangement. Amounts incurred, net of the $274 estimated amount due from the entity owned by our CEO, are included in rent expense above.

 

As of December 31, 2002, the aggregate future minimum lease commitments under these leases are as follows:

 

Year ended December 31, 2003

   $ 4,271

Year ended December 31, 2004

     4,346

Year ended December 31, 2005

     4,345

Year ended December 31, 2006

     3,778

Year ended December 31, 2007

     925

Thereafter

     876
    

     $ 18,541
    

 

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12. Debt

 

As a part of the financing of the acquisition described in Note 9 above, TSI entered into various debt agreements all of which are guaranteed by TSI LLC, TSI Inc., TSI Finance, TSI Networks and TSI Brience. The following are the amounts outstanding at December 31, 2002:

 

$35,000 revolving line of credit, due December 2006, interest payable quarterly, principal payable upon maturity (a)

   $ —    

$278,333 term note due December 2006, interest payable quarterly, principal payable quarterly beginning September 2002—net of discount of $13,990 (a)

     264,343  

$245,000 Subordinated Notes due February 2009, bearing interest at 12.75%, interest payable semi-annually beginning August 2002, principal payable upon maturity—net of discount of $4,743 (b)

     240,257  
    


Total

     504,600  

Less current portion

     (52,736 )
    


Long-term debt

   $ 451,864  
    



(a) The senior credit facility provides for aggregate borrowings by TSI of up to $328,333 maturing December 2006 (with net proceeds to us on February 14, 2002 of up to $310,000) as follows:

 

    a revolving credit facility of up to $35,000 in revolving credit loans and letters of credit; available for general corporate purposes including working capital, capital expenditures and acquisitions (funding for acquisitions from the revolving credit facility is limited to an aggregate amount of $15,000. The outstanding balance of the revolving line of credit is $0 as of December 31, 2002; and

 

    a term loan B facility of $293,333 in term loans. Principal outstanding as of December 31, 2002 was $278,333.

 

The revolving line of credit and the term note each bear interest at variable rates, at TSI’s option:

 

    a base rate generally defined as the sum of (i) the higher of (x) the prime rate (as quoted on the British Banking Association Telerate Page 5) and (y) the federal fund effective rate, plus one half percent (0.50%) per annum) and (ii) an applicable margin (initially 3.50%); or

 

    a LIBOR rate generally defined as the sum of (i) the rate at which eurodollar deposits for one, two, three or six months and, if available to the lenders under the applicable credit facility, nine or twelve months (as selected by TSI) are offered in the interbank eurodollar market and (ii) an applicable margin (initially 4.50%).

 

In March 2003, we entered into an interest rate protection agreement that effectively caps the LIBOR exposure of $100 million of our senior credit facility at 3.0% for a period of two years. As a result of this interest rate protection agreement, approximately 75% of funded debt now bears interest that is effectively fixed as to rate.

 

The term loan B facilities are subject to equal quarterly installments of principal as set forth in the table below:

 

Year


   Term Loan B

2003

   $ 57,275

2004

     35,000

2005

     45,000

2006

     141,058
    

Total

   $ 278,333
    

 

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Voluntary prepayments of principal outstanding under the revolving loans are permitted at any time without premium or penalty, upon the giving of proper notice. In addition, TSI is required to prepay amounts outstanding under the senior credit facility in an amount equal to:

 

    100% of the net cash proceeds from any sale or issuance of equity by TSI LLC or any of its direct or indirect subsidiaries, subject to certain baskets and exceptions;

 

    100% of the net cash proceeds from any incurrence of additional indebtedness (excluding certain permitted debt);

 

    100% of the net cash proceeds from any sale or other disposition by TSI LLC, or any of its direct or indirect subsidiaries of any assets, subject to certain reinvestment provisions and excluding certain dispositions in the ordinary course; and

 

    100% of excess cash flow, as defined, for each fiscal year. At December 31, 2002, we have classified $37,275 as current representing the excess cash flow prepayment required, as described above

 

In addition, any prepayment of the term loan B facility (other than from excess cash flow) shall be accompanied by a prepayment premium equal to 2.00% of the principal amount of such prepayment (if such prepayment is made on or prior to the first anniversary of the closing date) and 1.00% of the principal amount of such prepayment (if such prepayment is made after the first anniversary of the closing date and through the second anniversary of the closing date).

 

TSI is required to pay a commitment fee on the difference between committed amounts and amounts actually utilized under the revolving credit facility, which is 0.50% per annum. We incurred $149 in commitment fees in the period from February 14, 2002 to December 31, 2002.

 

Under the terms of the senior credit facility at least 45% of our funded debt must bear interest that is effectively fixed. To that extent, we may be required to enter into interest rate protection agreements establishing a fixed maximum interest rate with respect to a portion of our total indebtedness. As of December 31, 2002, we were not required to enter into interest rate protection agreements.

 

The loans and other obligations under the senior credit facility are guaranteed by TSI LLC, TSI Inc. and each of TSI LLC’s direct and indirect subsidiaries (other than certain foreign subsidiaries).

 

Our obligations under the senior credit facility and the guarantees are secured by:

 

    a perfected first priority security interest in all of our tangible and intangible assets and all of the tangible and intangible assets of TSI LLC and each of its direct and indirect subsidiaries, subject to certain customary exceptions, and

 

    a pledge of (i) all of the capital stock of TSI Inc. owned by TSI LLC, all of our capital stock and that of any of TSI LLC’s direct and indirect domestic subsidiaries and (ii) two-thirds of the capital stock of certain first-tier foreign subsidiaries, if any.

 

On September 25, 2003, we entered into a First Amendment to Credit Agreement (the “First Amendment”) with our lenders (Term Note B and Revolving Credit) signatory thereto and Lehman Commercial Paper Inc., as administrative agent for the lenders (the “Agent”). The First Amendment amends our senior credit facility covenants by (i) increasing the maximum consolidated leverage and consolidated senior debt ratios, (ii) reducing the minimum consolidated interest coverage ratios beginning with the third and fourth fiscal quarters of 2003 and the four fiscal quarters of 2004, 2005 and beyond and (iii) reducing the minimum consolidated fixed charge coverage ratio. In addition, the First Amendment increases the permitted level of capital expenditures for fiscal years 2004 and 2005. The First Amendment also evidences the agreement of the lenders that, notwithstanding any contrary accounting treatment under GAAP necessitated by the acquisition of Brience on July 23, 2003, the consolidated net income and consolidated EBITDA of Brience prior to July 23, 2003 will be excluded from any determination of consolidated net income or consolidated EBITDA of TSI LLC and its subsidiaries for purposes of our senior credit facility.

 

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(b) The Subordinated Notes are general unsecured obligations of TSI, and are unconditionally guaranteed by TSI Inc. and TSI LLC, and each of the domestic subsidiaries of TSI. At any time prior to February 1, 2005, TSI may on any one or more occasions redeem up to 35% of the aggregate principal amount of notes issued under the indenture (including additional notes, if any) at a redemption price of 112.75% of the principal amount, plus accrued and unpaid interest and liquidated damages, if any, to the redemption date, with the net cash proceeds of one or more equity offerings by TSI or a contribution to TSI’s common equity capital made with the net cash proceeds of a concurrent equity offering by TSI Inc. or TSI LLC (but excluding any Excluded Capital Contribution, as defined, and any Reserved Contribution, as defined) provided that:

 

    At least 65% of the aggregate principal amount of notes issued under the indenture (including additional notes, if any) remains outstanding immediately after the occurrence of such redemption; and

 

    The redemption occurs within 60 days of the date of the closing of such equity offering.

 

Except pursuant to the preceding paragraph, the notes will not be redeemable at TSI’s option prior to February 1, 2006. After February 1, 2006, TSI may redeem all or a part of the notes upon not less than 30 nor more than 60 days notice, at the redemption prices (expressed as percentages of principal amount), set forth below plus accrued and unpaid interest and liquidated damages, if any, on the notes redeemed, to the applicable redemption date, if redeemed during the twelve-month period beginning on February 1 of the years indicated below:

 

Year


   Percentage

 

2006

   106.375 %

2007

   103.188 %

2008

   100.000 %

 

TSI is not required to make mandatory redemption or sinking fund payments with respect to the notes.

 

The notes contain various other provisions in the event of a change in control or asset sales, and they also contain certain covenants related to dividend payments, equity repurchases, debt repurchases, restrictions on investments, incurrence of indebtedness, issuance of preferred stock, sale and leaseback transactions, and require the maintenance of certain financial conditions related to leverage ratios.

 

13. Unitholders’ Interests

 

The Ultimate Parent is organized as a limited liability company under the laws of Delaware.

 

The ownership interests in TSI LLC consist of Class A Preferred Units, Class B Preferred Units and Common Units. Holders of the Class A Preferred Units and Class B Preferred Units have no voting rights except as required by law. The holders of the Common Units are entitled to one vote per unit on all matters to be voted upon by the unitholders of TSI LLC.

 

The Class A Preferred Units are entitled to a cumulative preferred yield of 10.0% per annum, compounded quarterly. Class A Preferred Units may be used as consideration for the repurchase by TSI LLC of Class B Preferred Units and Common Units held by members of our management team who cease to be employed by TSI LLC, TSI Inc. or their respective subsidiaries. At December 31, 2002, no Class A Preferred Units were outstanding.

 

The Class B Preferred Units are entitled to an annual cumulative preferred yield of 10.0%, compounded quarterly. At December 31, 2002, there were 252,367.50 of Class B Preferred Units outstanding. For the period from February 14, 2002 to December 31, 2002, undeclared and unpaid preferred dividends totaled $22,952. These amounts are not recorded as liabilities until declared.

 

The Common Units represent the common equity of TSI LLC. At December 31, 2002, there were 88,828,859 Common Units outstanding.

 

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Pursuant to the limited liability company agreement, distributions of property of TSI LLC shall be made in the following order:

 

    First, holders of Class A Preferred Units, if any, will receive a preferred yield on their invested capital of 10% per annum, compounded quarterly;

 

    Second, holders of Class A Preferred Units, if any, will receive a return of their invested capital;

 

    Third, holders of Class B Preferred Units will receive a preferred yield on their invested capital of 10% per annum, compounded quarterly;

 

    Fourth, holders of Class B Preferred Units will receive a return of their invested capital; and

 

    Thereafter, holders of the Common Units will receive all remaining distributions.

 

Under the purchase agreements entered into in connection with the acquisition, the GTCR investors and certain co-investors acquired a strip of Class B Preferred Units and Common Units and committed to purchase up to an additional $25,000 of equity securities of TSI LLC. The investment of the additional $25,000 is conditioned upon the GTCR investors and the board of managers of TSI LLC approving the terms of the investment and the proposed use of the proceeds from the investment, as well as the satisfaction of certain other conditions.

 

14. Redeemable Preferred Stock of Brience

 

The following is a summary of Brience’s series of redeemable preferred stock and the amounts authorized and outstanding as of December 31, 2002. All series were canceled as part of TSI’s acquisition of Brience, described in Note 5.

 

Description


  

December 31,

2002


Series A redeemable preferred stock—$.01 par value, 8,663,355 shares authorized and 7,463,355 issued and outstanding; liquidation preference of $50,000

   $ 75

Series A-1 redeemable preferred stock—$.01 par value, 676,791 shares authorized and 676,791 issued and outstanding; liquidation preference of $4,029

     7

Series B redeemable preferred stock—$.01 par value, 1,545,414 shares authorized and 1,545,413 issued and outstanding; liquidation preference of $9,200

     15

Series B-1 redeemable preferred stock—$.01 par value, 870,969 shares authorized and 840,192 issued and outstanding; liquidation preference of $5,629

     8

Series C redeemable preferred stock—$.01 par value, 2,700,000 shares authorized and 1,447,205 issued and outstanding; liquidation preference of $9,695

     14
    

Total

   $ 119
    

 

Each holder of outstanding preferred stock was entitled to receive each fiscal year, when, as and if declared by the Board of Directors, out of any assets at the time legally available therefor, a dividend at the rate of 6% per annum on the aggregate liquidation value thereof. Such dividends were payable only when, as and if declared by the Board of Directors and were noncumulative. No dividends were ever declared by the Brience Board of Directors.

 

In the event that that Brience declared or paid any dividends upon the common stock (whether payable in cash, securities or other property) other than dividends payable solely in shares of common stock, Brience was

 

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required to also declare and pay to the holders of the preferred stock at the same time that it declared and paid such dividends to the holders of the common stock, the dividends which would have been declared and paid with respect to its common stock issuable upon conversion of the preferred stock had all of the outstanding preferred stock been converted immediately prior to the record date for such dividend, or if no record date was fixed, the date as of which the record holders of common stock entitled to such dividends were to be determined.

 

Upon any liquidation, dissolution or winding up of Brience (whether voluntary or involuntary), each holder of preferred stock was to be paid in the following order:

 

    First, holders of Series C Preferred Stock were to receive an amount in cash equal to the aggregate liquidation value of all shares of Series C Preferred Stock held by such holders, plus all declared and unpaid dividends thereon;

 

    Second, holders of Series B Preferred Stock and Series B-1 Preferred Stock were to receive an amount in cash equal to the aggregate liquidation value of all shares of Series B Preferred Stock and Series B-1 Preferred Stock held by such holders, plus all declared and unpaid dividends thereon;

 

    Third, holders of Series A Preferred Stock and Series A-1 Preferred Stock were to receive an amount in cash equal to the aggregate liquidation value of all shares of Series A Preferred Stock and Series A-1 Preferred Stock held by such holders, plus all declared and unpaid dividends thereon; and

 

    Thereafter, all of the remaining assets of Brience available for distribution to stockholders were to be distributed among the holders of preferred stock and common stock pro rata based on the number of shares of common stock held by each (assuming full conversion of all such shares of preferred stock).

 

The holders of preferred stock were entitled to vote on all matters submitted to the stockholders for a vote together with the holders of the common stock voting together as a single class with each share of common stock entitled to one vote per share and each share of preferred stock entitled to one vote for each share of common stock issuable upon conversion of such share of preferred stock at the time the vote was taken.

 

At any time after January 1, 2007, the holders of a majority of the outstanding preferred stock (voting together as a single class) could have requested redemption of all of the outstanding shares of preferred stock by delivering written notice of such request to Brience. For each share of preferred stock which was to be redeemed, Brience would have been obligated on each redemption date to pay to the holder an amount in immediately available funds equal to the liquidation value of such share (plus all declared and unpaid dividends).

 

At any time, holders of preferred stock could have converted all or any portion of their preferred stock into a number of shares of Brience common stock computed by multiplying the number of shares to be converted by $6.6994 for Series A, B-1 and C Preferred Stock, and $5.9531 for Series A-1, and B Preferred Stock, and dividing the result by the conversion price then in effect.

 

15. Stock Options

 

TSI Inc. (Successor)

 

On May 16, 2002, TSI Inc.’s Board of Directors adopted a Founders’ Stock Option Plan for non-employee directors, executives and other key employees of TSI Inc. In addition, the Board of Directors adopted a Directors’ Stock Option Plan on August 2, 2002 which provides for grants to independent directors to purchase 50,000 shares upon election to the board. The plans have a term of five years and provide for the granting of options to purchase shares of TSI Inc.’s non-voting common stock.

 

Under the plans, the options have or will have an initial exercise price based on the fair value of each share, as determined by the Board. The per share exercise price of each stock option is not less than the fair market value of the stock on the date of the grant or, in the case of an equity holder owning more than 10% of the

 

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outstanding stock of TSI Inc., the price for incentive stock options is not less than 110% of such fair market value. The Board of TSI Inc. reserved 1,000,000 shares of non-voting common stock, par value $.001 per share for issuance under the Founders’ plan and 300,000 shares under the Directors’ plan. As of December 31, 2002, there were options to purchase 294,700 shares outstanding under the Founder’s Stock Option Plan and options to purchase 50,000 shares outstanding under the Directors’ Stock Option Plan.

 

All options to be issued under the plans shall be presumed to be nonqualified stock options unless otherwise indicated in the option agreement. Each option will have exercisable life of no more than 10 years from the date of grant for both nonqualified and incentive stock options in the case of grants under the Founders’ Stock Option Plan and under the Directors’ Stock Option Plan. Vesting will vary by grant and will be indicated in the option agreement.

 

The following table summarizes the transactions for the period from February 14, 2002 to December 31, 2002 relating to the combined Founders’ Option Plan and Non-Employee Directors Plan:

 

    

Number of Shares

Subject to Option


   

Per Share

Exercise Price


Outstanding, February 14, 2002

   —          

Granted

   371,300     $ 5.00

Exercised

   —          

Canceled/Forfeited

   (26,600 )   $ 5.00
    

 

Outstanding, December 31, 2002

   344,700     $ 5.00

 

No options were exercisable at December 31, 2002.

 

We account for these plans and related grants thereunder using the intrinsic value method prescribed in APB Opinion No. 25, “Accounting for Stock Issued to Employees”. However, pro forma information regarding net income and earnings per share as required by Statement of Financial Accounting Standards No. 123, “Accounting for Stock Based Compensation”, (SFAS 123) provided in our annual financial statements and is determined as if we had accounted for our employee and non-employee director stock options under the fair value method of SFAS 123.

 

Outstanding options as of December 31, 2002 had a weighted average remaining contractual life of 9.4 years. The per share weighted average fair value of options granted during the years ended December 31, 2002, was negligible.

 

Pro forma information regarding net income and earnings per share is required by SFAS 123, which also requires that the information be determined as if we had accounted for its employee stock options granted subsequent to December 31, 1994 under the fair value method set forth in SFAS 123. The fair value for these options was estimated at the date of grant using a Black-Scholes option pricing model with the following weighted-average assumptions:

 

    

December 31,

2002


 

Risk-free interest rate

   4.93 %

Volatility factor

   —    

Dividend yield

   —    

Weighted average expected life of options

   5  

 

The Black-Scholes option valuation model was developed for use in estimating the fair value of traded options which have no vesting restrictions and are fully transferable. In addition, option valuation models require the input of highly subjective assumptions including the expected stock price volatility. Since TSI, Inc.’s common stock does not trade on public markets, a volatility of 0% was entered into the Black-Scholes option

 

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valuation model. Because our stock options have characteristics significantly different from those of traded options, and because changes in the subjective input assumptions can materially affect the fair value estimate, in management’s opinion, the existing models do not necessarily provide a reliable single measure of the fair value of our employee stock options. Our pro forma amounts are not materially different from the reported net income amounts and hence are not disclosed.

 

Verizon Stock Incentive Plans (Predecessor)

 

We participated in Verizon’s stock-based compensation plans that include a fixed stock option plan. GTE options were granted separately or in conjunction with stock appreciation rights (SARs). The granting of SARs was discontinued prior to 1999. We have recognized no compensation expense for our fixed stock option plans. If we had elected to recognize compensation expense based on the fair value at the grant dates for 1998 and subsequent fixed and performance-based plan awards consistent with the provisions of SFAS No. 123, net income would have been changed to the pro forma amounts indicated below:

 

     Predecessor

    

Year Ended

December 31,

2000


  

Year Ended

December 31,

2001


  

Period from

January 1

to

February 13,
2002


Net income:

                    

As reported

   $ 51,051    $ 69,258    $ 6,917

Pro forma

     48,914      66,150      6,621

 

These results may not be representative of the effects on net income for future years.

 

We determined the pro forma amounts using the Black-Scholes option-pricing model based on the following weighted-average assumptions:

 

     Predecessor

 
    

December 31,

2000


   

December 31,

2001


   

Period from

January 1

to

February 13,
2002


 

Dividend yield

   3.48 %   2.75 %   2.75 %

Expected volatility

   26.78 %   29.07 %   29.07 %

Risk-free interest rate

   6.26 %   4.80 %   4.80 %

Expected lives (in years)

   6     6     5  

 

The weighted-average value per share of options granted during 2000 and 2001 was $12.17 and $15.20, respectively. No options were granted in 2002.

 

Stock Options of Brience

 

Brience adopted the 2000 Stock Plan under which incentive stock options and nonstatutory stock options aggregating 15 million shares may have been granted to employees, directors and consultants of Brience. The number of authorized shares was reduced to 4 million during 2002. The exercise price was required to be at least 100 percent of the fair market value on the date of grant. Options generally expired in 10 years. Options were immediately exercisable, but shares so purchased vested over periods determined by the Board of Directors, generally five years. Upon termination of employment, Brience could have repurchased unvested shares for the original purchase price. Brience had a loan program whereby all employees with options were able to exercise their options with the aid of a company-sponsored full recourse loan. Interest on the loans was due annually and the principal balance was due approximately two years after the date of the loan. These loans were offered at the

 

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applicable prescribed federal rate for the month of the commencement of the loan. No new loans were entered into during the year ended December 31, 2002. At December 31, 2002, Brience had $312 in notes receivable from employees related to these loans.

 

The following table summarizes the stock option plan activity.

 

    

Shares

Available

for Grant


  

Options

Outstanding


   

Weighted

Average

Exercise
Price


Outstanding, February 14, 2002

   1,508,729    2,491,271     $ 0.95

Authorized

   —      —         —  

Granted

   —      —         —  

Exercised

   —      —         —  

Canceled

   —      (1,269,753 )     0.95

Other

   —      —         —  
    
  

 

Outstanding, December 31, 2002

   1,508,729    1,221,518     $ 0.95
    
  

 

Vested and excercisable at end of period

        497,735     $ 0.95
         

 

 

The following table summarizes the options outstanding at December 31, 2002.

 

    Options Outstanding

 

Options Vested

and Exercisable


Range of

Exercise

Prices


  Number

 

Weighted

Average

Remaining

Years


 

Weighted

Average

Exercise

Price


  Number

 

Weighted

Average

Exercise

Price


$0.95

  1,221,518   9.13   $ 0.95   497,735   $ 0.95

 

We account for these plans and related grants thereunder using the intrinsic value method prescribed in APB Opinion No. 25, “Accounting for Stock Issued to Employees”. However, pro forma information regarding net income and earnings per share as required by Statement of Financial Accounting Standards No. 123, “Accounting for Stock Based Compensation”, (SFAS 123) provided in our annual financial statements and is determined as if we had accounted for our stock options under the fair value method of SFAS 123.

 

Outstanding options as of December 31, 2002 had a weighted average remaining contractual life of 9.13 years. The per share weighted average fair value of options granted during the year ended December 31, 2002, was negligible.

 

Pro forma information regarding net income and earnings per share is required by SFAS 123, which also requires that the information be determined as if we had accounted for its employee stock options granted subsequent to December 31, 1994 under the fair value method set forth in SFAS 123. The fair value for these options was estimated at the date of grant using a Black-Scholes option pricing model with the following weighted-average assumptions:

 

    

December 31,

2002


 

Risk-free interest rate

   5.00 %

Volatility factor

   1 %

Dividend yield

   —    

Weighted average expected life of options

   10  

 

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The Black-Scholes option valuation model was developed for use in estimating the fair value of traded options which have no vesting restrictions and are fully transferable. In addition, option valuation models require the input of highly subjective assumptions including the expected stock price volatility. Since Brience’s common stock did not trade on public markets, a volatility of 1.0% was entered into the Black-Scholes option valuation model. Because our stock options have characteristics significantly different from those of traded options, and because changes in the subjective input assumptions can materially affect the fair value estimate, in management’s opinion, the existing models do not necessarily provide a reliable single measure of the fair value of our employee stock options. Our pro forma amounts are not materially different from the reported net income amounts and hence are not disclosed.

 

16. Restructurings

 

As a part of the acquisition, we developed a restructuring plan to react to competitive pressures and to increase operational efficiency. The plan included the termination of approximately 78 employees in Tampa and Dallas, or 6% of our workforce and the closure of the Dallas office. As a result, we accrued $3,333 of expenses in relation to this plan as of February 14, 2002 including $2,948 for severance related to the reduction in workforce and $385 for costs to relocate employees added as a part of the restructuring. All charges were recognized in the purchase accounting.

 

On August 29, 2002, we completed an additional restructuring resulting in the termination of 73 employees or approximately 10% of our workforce. As a result, we accrued $2,845 in severance related costs in August. The payments related to this restructuring will be incurred through May 2003.

 

As of December 31, 2002, $3,901 of the restructuring costs related to these two plans had been paid with an accrual remaining of $1,611. We also recorded an adjustment to reduce the restructuring liability by $666 related to certain amounts reserved for sales force employees that were not ultimately terminated. We anticipate that all restructuring activities and payments will be complete by second quarter 2003.

 

On February 28, 2003, we completed another restructuring plan resulting in the termination of 71 employees or approximately 10.6% of our workforce. As a result, we accrued $1.8 million in severance related costs in February 2003. The payments related to this restructuring will be incurred through November 2003. We expect this reorganization to result in reduced annual expenses of approximately $5.8 million. Further restructuring may be necessary in light of current economic conditions.

 

For the period from February 14, 2002 to December 31, 2002, we had the following activity in our restructuring accruals:

 

    

Feb 14, 2002

Balance


   Additions

   Payments

    Reductions

   

December 31,
2002

Balance


February 2002 Restructuring Termination costs

   $ 3,333    $ —      $ (2,200 )   $ (666 )   $ 467

August 2002 Restructuring Termination costs

     —        2,845      (1,701 )     —         1,144
    

  

  


 


 

Total

   $ 3,333    $ 2,845    $ (3,901 )   $ (666 )   $ 1,611
    

  

  


 


 

 

17. Employee Benefits

 

Savings Plans (Successor)

 

For the period from February 14, 2002 to December 31, 2002, we adopted a 401(k) plan covering all employees subject to certain eligibility requirements. Under this plan, a certain percentage of eligible employee contributions are matched. We incurred total savings plan costs of $2,045 in the period from February 14, 2002 to December 31, 2002.

 

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Savings Plans (Brience)

 

For the period from February 14, 2002 to December 31, 2002, Brience had a 401(k) plan available to all employees. Employees were eligible to participate in the 401(k) at any time beginning with their first day of employment. Each participant could elect to contribute an amount up to 15% of his or her annual base salary plus commissions and bonuses, but not to exceed the statutory limit as prescribed by the Internal Revenue Code. While Brience was allowed to make discretionary contributions to the 401(k), no discretionary contributions to the 401(k) were made by Brience.

 

Employee Benefits (Predecessor)

 

We participated in the Verizon benefit plans for the periods ending December 31, 2000, 2001, and the period from January 1, 2002 to February 13, 2002. Verizon maintains noncontributory defined benefit pension plans for substantially all employees. The postretirement healthcare and life insurance plans for our retirees and their dependents are both contributory and noncontributory and include a limit on our share of cost for recent and future retirees. Verizon also sponsors a defined contribution savings plans in which we participated to provide opportunities for our eligible employees to save for retirement on a tax-deferred basis and to encourage employees to acquire and maintain an equity interest in Verizon.

 

The structure of Verizon’s benefit plans does not provide for the separate determination of certain disclosures for us. The required information is provided on a consolidated basis in Verizon’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2002.

 

Pension and Other Postretirement Benefits (Predecessor)

 

Verizon may periodically amend the benefits in our pension and other postretirement benefit plans.

 

Benefit Cost

 

Amounts reported in the Consolidated Statements of Operations consist of:

 

     Predecessor

   Predecessor

     Pension

   Healthcare and Life

    

Year Ended

December 31,

2000


  

Year Ended

December 31,

2001


  

Period from

January 1

to

February 13,
2002


  

Year Ended

December 31,

2000


  

Year Ended

December 31,

2001


  

Period from

January 1

to

February 13,
2002


Net periodic benefit cost

   $ 2,320    $ 3,161    $ 430    $ 648    $ 700    $ 129

 

Amounts recognized on the consolidated balance sheets consist of:

 

     Predecessor

    Predecessor

 
    

Pension

December 31,

2001


   

Healthcare
and Life

December 31,

2001


 

Employee benefit obligations

   $ (12,821 )   $ (4,581 )

Other assets

     1,468       —    

Accumulated other comprehensive loss

     —         —    
    


 


Net amount recognized as a liability

   $ (11,353 )   $ (4,581 )
    


 


 

The changes in benefit obligations from year to year were caused by a number of factors, including changes in actuarial assumptions (see Assumptions below) and plan amendments.

 

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Assumptions

 

The actuarial assumptions used are based on market interest rates, past experience, and management’s best estimate of future economic conditions. Changes in these assumptions may impact future benefit costs and obligations. The weighted-average assumptions used in determining expense and benefit obligations are as follows:

 

    Predecessor

    Predecessor

 
    Pension

    Healthcare and Life

 
    Year Ended
December 31,
2000


   

Year Ended

December 31,

2001


   

Period from

January 1 to

February 13,
2002


    Year Ended
December 31,
2000


    Year Ended
December 31,
2001


    Period from
January 1 to
February 13,
2002


 

Discount rate at end of year

  7.75 %   7.25 %   7.25 %   7.75 %   7.25 %   7.25 %

Long-term rate of return on plan assets for the year

  9.25     9.25     9.25     9.10     9.10     9.10  

Rate of future increases in compensation at end of year

  5.00     5.00     5.00     4.00     4.00     4.00  

Medical cost trend rate at end of year

                    5.00     10.00     10.00  

Ultimate

                    5.00     5.00     5.00  

 

Savings Plans and Employee Stock Ownership Plans (Predecessor)

 

For the periods ending December 31, 2000, 2001, and the period from January 1, 2002 to February 13, 2002, substantially all of our employees were eligible to participate in savings plans maintained by Verizon. Verizon maintains a leveraged employee stock ownership plan (ESOP) for its management employees of the former GTE Companies. Under this plan, a certain percentage of eligible employee contributions are matched with shares of Verizon common stock. Verizon recognizes leveraged ESOP cost based on the modified shares allocated method for this leveraged ESOP that held shares before December 31, 1989. We recognize savings plan costs based on our matching obligation attributed to our participating management employees. We recorded total savings plan costs of $1,667 in 2000, $1,834 in 2001, and $299 in the period from January 1, 2002 to February 13, 2002.

 

18. Income Taxes

 

The components of income tax expense (benefit) are as follows:

 

    Predecessor

    Successor

   

Year Ended

December 31,

2000


   

Year Ended

December 31,

2001


   

Period from

January 1 to

February 13,
2002


   

Period from

February 14 to

December 31,
2002


Current:

                             

Federal

  $ 28,038     $ 41,055     $ 4,221     $ 120

Foreign

    107       19       4       21

State and local

    5,188       7,569       779       306
   


 


 


 

      33,333       48,643       5,004       447

Deferred

                             

Federal

    (555 )     (4,017 )     (496 )     7,973

State and local

    (230 )     (731 )     (90 )     900
   


 


 


 

      (785 )     (4,748 )     (586 )     8,873
   


 


 


 

Provision for income taxes

  $ 32,548     $ 43,895     $ 4,418     $ 9,320
   


 


 


 

 

The difference between the expected combined federal and state tax rate and our effective tax rate in the period from February 14, 2002 to December 31, 2002 relates primarily to the pooling of the historical financial

 

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results of Brience with TSI. Prior to the July 23, 2003 acquisition of Brience, Brience filed separate income tax returns and its losses were not available to TSI in those tax periods. The Brience loss does not generate a current tax benefit due to the history of earnings and losses, uncertainty of the realization of our deferred tax assets, and the absence of sufficient taxable income in prior carryback years. The following table shows the principal reasons for the difference between the effective income tax rate and the statutory federal income tax rate:

 

     Predecessor

    Successor

 
    

Year Ended

December 31,

2000


   

Year Ended

December 31,

2001


   

Period from

January 1 to

February 13,
2002


   

Period from

February 14 to

December 31,
2002


 

Statutory federal income tax rate

   35.0 %   35.0 %   35.0 %   35.0 %

State and local income tax, net of

   3.9     3.8     4.0     2.2  

Other, net

   —       —       —       0.5  

Valuation allowance

   —       —       —       43.4  
    

 

 

 

     38.9 %   38.8 %   39.0 %   81.1 %
    

 

 

 

 

In 2000, GTE incurred and paid income taxes on the transfer of the net assets of the GTE Intelligent Network Services’ SS7 business to the Company. A deferred tax asset of $33,500 arose related to an increase in the tax basis of the related assets. The associated current income tax benefit was contributed to our capital and is a non-cash transaction.

 

On February 14, 2002, TSI Telecommunication Holdings, Inc. acquired TSI Telecommunication Services Inc. by merging its wholly owned subsidiary, TSI Merger Sub, Inc. with and into TSI Telecommunication Services Inc. For tax purposes, the transaction was treated as a purchase of assets. As a result of this treatment, the book and tax basis in assets was equalized which reduced the deferred tax balances to zero.

 

Deferred income taxes reflect the net tax effect of temporary differences between the carrying amounts of assets and liabilities for financial reporting purposes and the amounts used for income tax purposes. Significant components of deferred tax (liabilities) assets are shown in the following table:

 

     Predecessor

    Successor

 
     December 31, 2001

    December 31, 2002

 
     Current

   Non-Current

    Current

    Non-Current

 

Intangible assets

   $ —      $ 30,150     $ —       $ (10,312 )

Property and equipment

     —        (1,796 )     —         (27 )

Employee benefits

     2,175      6,594       1,173       —    

Accounts receivable

     4,772      —         979       —    

R&E Credit

     —        —         —         632  

Federal and state net operating loss carryforwards

     —        —         —         37,411  

Other-net

     175      (1,566 )     282       268  
    

  


 


 


Deferred tax asset/(liability)

     7,122      33,382       2,434       27,972  

Valuation allowance

     —        —         (324 )     (38,955 )
    

  


 


 


Net deferred tax asset/(liability)

   $ 7,122    $ 33,382     $ 2,110     $ (10,983 )
    

  


 


 


 

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Table of Contents

FAS 109 requires a valuation allowance to reduce the deferred tax assets reported if, based on the weight of the evidence, it is more likely than not that some portion or all of the deferred tax assets will not be realized. The ultimate realization of the deferred tax assets is dependent upon the generation of future taxable income during the periods in which temporary differences become deductible. As of December 31, 2002, TSI and Brience on a combined basis have remaining state and federal net operating loss carryforwards of approximately $55,000 and $31,000, respectively, which expire between 2006 and 2022.

 

The Tax Reform Act of 1986 and the California Conformity Act of 1987 impose restrictions on the utilization of net operating loss and tax credit carryforwards in the event of an “ownership change,” as defined by the Internal Revenue Code. Our ability to utilize net operating loss and tax credit carryforwards may be subject to restrictions pursuant to these provisions. A portion of the Brience net operating losses may be subject to these restrictions.

 

19. Discontinued Operations of Brience

 

On July 31, 2001, Brience determined that it would divest itself of its subsidiary Hello Asia, Inc. which operated in several Asian countries. The operations of Hello Asia, Inc. were sold or liquidated following this date and were concluded by December 31, 2002. Hello Asia, Inc. conducted an e-marketing customer rewards program. There were no Hello Asia assets or liabilities remaining at December 31, 2002.

 

Results of operations of Hello Asia, Inc. for the period from February 14, 2002 to December 31, 2002 are as follows:

 

    

Period from

February 14, 2002

to

December 31,
2002


 

Revenues

   $ 715  
    


Costs and expenses:

        

Cost of operations

     462  

Sales and marketing

     878  

General and administrative

     983  
    


       2,323  
    


Operating loss

     (1,608 )

Other income (expense), net:

     67  
    


       67  
    


Loss before provision for income taxes

     (1,541 )

Provision for income taxes

     —    
    


Net loss

   $ (1,541 )
    


 

20. Commitments and Contingencies

 

We are currently a party to various claims and legal actions that arise in the ordinary course of business. We believe such claims and legal actions, individually and in the aggregate, will not have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations.

 

21. Related Party Transactions

 

Successor

 

On February 14, 2002, we entered into several agreements to enable us to conduct its business on a stand-alone basis separate from Verizon, and for other business reasons.

 

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Table of Contents

Professional Services Agreement

 

We have agreed to pay GTCR an annual fee of $500 for its ongoing services as our financial and management consultant. We incurred $417 in the period from February 14, 2002 to December 31, 2002.

 

Transition Services Agreement

 

Verizon agreed to provide us with services for accounts payable, general ledger/SAP, employee health benefits/COBRA, and payroll services for a period of six months following February 14, 2002 for a total monthly fee of approximately $129. The transition services were completed in 2002. Verizon charged us $425 under this agreement from February 14, 2002 to December 31, 2002.

 

Distributed Processing Services Agreement

 

Verizon agreed to provide us with data center infrastructure and technical support services in support of our distributed systems processing, including a data center network infrastructure, for a period of 18 months. We agreed to pay both monthly labor fees (capped at approximately $241 per month) and maintenance fees (capped at $300 per month). If additional hardware, software or maintenance was added, Verizon charged us additional amounts. Amounts incurred under these agreements total $4,595 from February 14, 2002 to December 31, 2002.

 

Mainframe Computing Services Agreement

 

Verizon agreed to provide certain mainframe computing and help desk services to us, for a period of six months, beginning February 14, 2002. We paid Verizon a per service fee depending on the type of service provided. Therefore, monthly payments vary with usage. Typical services included CPU processing time, disk and tape storage, and tape mounts. There were no stated minimum fees. Amounts incurred under these agreements total $3,888 from February 14, 2002 to December 31, 2002. This total excludes $564 in costs incurred during the period from February 14, 2002 to December 31, 2002 to transition our data to a new service provider.

 

Revenue Guaranty Agreement

 

Verizon agreed, through December 31, 2005, to make quarterly payments to us if the amount of wireless revenues, as defined, for a given period is less than the revenue target for such period. In general the revenue guaranty payments will be due if wireless revenues during each of the years in the period from February 14, 2002 to December 31, 2005 are less than 82.5% of the agreed-upon targets. The payments due would be calculated as equal to 61.875% of the quarterly shortfall. No payments from Verizon are due under the guaranty agreement for the period from February 14, 2002 to December 31, 2002.

 

Other

 

GTCR Capital Partners, L.P., an investment fund affiliated with our controlling equityholder, purchased $30,000,000 face value amount of our Senior Subordinated Notes. In addition, Verizon purchased $75 million face value of our term loan B of the senior credit facility but had sold them by May 2002.

 

GTCR Fund VII, L.P., investment fund affiliated with our controlling equityholder, loaned Mr. Evans approximately $1,000,000 to fund a portion of the purchase price for his purchase of Co-Invest Units and Carried Units. This loan bears interest at a rate of 10% per annum.

 

We transact business and recognize revenues and expenses from Transaction Network Services, Inc., a company affiliated with our controlling unitholder. For the period from February 14, 2002 to December 31, 2002, we recognized revenues and expenses in the amount of $1,617 and $687, respectively.

 

See Notes 5 and 11 for other related party transactions.

 

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Table of Contents

Predecessor

 

We recognized revenues from Verizon Wireless for providing wireless solutions that allow operators to communicate with each other regardless of the network technology, signaling standard or billing protocol deployed. We also recognized revenues from Verizon Network Services for providing data base services.

 

We had arrangements with Verizon Services for the provision of various centralized services. These costs include corporate governance, corporate finance, external affairs, legal, media relations, employee communications, corporate advertising, human resources, and treasury. These costs were allocated to us based on functional reviews of the work performed.

 

Verizon Data Services provided data processing services, software application development and maintenance. We were charged for these affiliated transactions based on proportional cost allocation methodologies.

 

Verizon Realty provided us with office space and various facilities for housing our equipment. We paid market rates for these facilities. The cost of leasing these facilities was included in cost of operations and general and administrative expenses.

 

In the opinion of management, the costs allocated for services and facilities were reasonable and represented our cost of doing business.

 

We recognized interest income and expense in connection with arrangements with Verizon (Parent) to provide short-term financing, investing and cash management services. We also declared and paid dividends to our parent, which is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Verizon.

 

Transactions with affiliates (including Verizon and its predecessors) are summarized as follows:

 

     Predecessor

    

Year Ended

December 31,

2000


  

Year Ended

December 31,

2001


  

Period from

January 1

to

February 13,
2002


Revenues

                    

Verizon Wireless

   $ 77,052    $ 83,321    $ 8,591

Verizon Network Services

     24,612      33,884      6,496

Other Affiliates

     3,053      5,192      751
    

  

  

       104,717      122,397      15,838
    

  

  

Cost of Operations:

                    

Verizon Data Services

     17,794      25,311      2,903

Verizon Realty

     1,521      2,173      277

Other Affiliates

     6,404      6,976      1,239
    

  

  

       25,719      34,460      4,419

General and Administrative Expenses:

                    

Service Corporation Prorate

     8,034      3,597      326

Rent Expense

     737      914      117
    

  

  

       8,771      4,511      443

Interest income—Verizon (Parent)

     2,210      2,472      221

Interest expense—Verizon (Parent)

     22      —        —  

 

Outstanding balances with affiliates are reported on the Consolidated Balance Sheets at December 31, 2001 and 2002 as Notes Receivable—Affiliate, Accounts Receivable—Affiliates, Accounts Payable—Affiliates and Deferred Revenue—Affiliates and Others.

 

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Table of Contents

22. Quarterly Financial Information (Unaudited)

 

The following presents quarterly financial results for the years ended December 31, 2001 and 2002.

 

     Predecessor

   Successor

 
    

Period from

January 1

to

February 13,
2002


  

Period from

February 14

to

March 31,
2002


   

Second

Quarter

2002


   

Third

Quarter

2002


   

Fourth

Quarter

2002


 

Revenues

   $ 39,996    $ 44,027     $ 88,645     $ 87,060     $ 76,312  

Operating income

     10,922      8,487       16,511       21,410       18,499  

Net income (loss)

     6,917      (1,249 )     (1,710 )     1,646       1,944  

Income (loss) from continuing operations

     —        (388 )     (1,127 )     2,390       1,297  

Loss from discontinued operations

     —        (861 )     (583 )     (744 )     647  

Net income (loss) attributable to common unitholders/shareholders

     6,917      (4,404 )     (8,160 )     (4,987 )     (4,770 )

 

     Predecessor

    

First

Quarter

2001


  

Second

Quarter

2001


  

Third

Quarter

2001


  

Fourth

Quarter

2001


Revenues

   $ 82,620    $ 88,198    $ 95,859    $ 94,681

Operating income

     23,590      27,254      32,704      25,782

Net income

     14,918      17,324      20,562      16,454

Net income (loss) attributable to common unitholders/shareholders

     14,918      17,324      20,562      16,454

 

23. Supplemental Consolidating Financial Information

 

TSI’s payment obligations under the senior notes, described in Note 11 above, are guaranteed by TSI LLC, TSI Inc., and all domestic subsidiaries of TSI including TSI Finance, TSI Networks, and TSI Brience (collectively, the Guarantors). Such guarantees are full, unconditional and joint and several. The following supplemental financial information sets forth, on an unconsolidated basis, balance sheets, statements of income, and statements of cash flows information for TSI LLC (parent only), TSI Inc., and for the guarantor subsidiaries. The supplemental financial information reflects the investments of TSI LLC and TSI, Inc. using the equity method of accounting.

 

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Table of Contents

CONSOLIDATING BALANCE SHEET

As of December 31, 2002

 

    TSI LLC

   

TSI

Inc.


  TSI

 

TSI

Networks


 

TSI

Brience


   

TSI

Finance


    Eliminations

    Consolidated

 

ASSETS

                                                         

Current assets:

                                                         

Cash

  $ —       $ —     $ 39,576   $ —     $ 2,608     $ 6     $ —       $ 42,190  

Accounts receivable, net of allowances

    —         —       28,808     25,811     583       —         (9 )     55,193  

Accounts receivable—affiliates

    —         —       6,546     9,698     —         —         (16,244 )     —    

Deferred tax assets

    —         —       1,872     238     —         —         —         2,110  

Prepaid and other current assets

    —         —       3,827     —       1,984       —         —         5,811  
   


 

 

 

 


 


 


 


Total current assets

    —         —       80,629     35,747     5,175       6       (16,253 )     105,304  
   


 

 

 

 


 


 


 


Property and equipment, net

    —         —       16,762     16,591     375       —         —         33,728  

Capitalized software, net of accumulated amortization

    —         —       65,722     8,192     —         —         —         73,914  

Deferred finance costs

    —         —       16,015     —       —         —         —         16,015  

Goodwill

    —         —       59,157     271,402     —         —         —         330,559  

Identifiable intangibles, net:

                                                         

Customer contract, net

    —         —       7,969     5,625     —         —         —         13,594  

Trademark

    —         —       24,700     27,000     —         —         —         51,700  

Customer base, net

    —         —       113,794     93,330     —         —         —         207,124  

Notes receivable—affiliates

    —         —       256,520     1,985     —         400,000       (658,505 )     —    

Other assets

    —         —       —       —       1,130       —         —         1,130  

Investment in subsidiary

    269,752       267,768     595,650     —       —         —         (1,133,170 )     —    
   


 

 

 

 


 


 


 


Total assets

  $ 269,752     $ 267,768   $ 1,236,918   $ 459,872   $ 6,680     $ 400,006     $ (1,807,928 )   $ 833,068  
   


 

 

 

 


 


 


 


LIABILITIES AND UNITHOLDERS’/SHAREHOLDERS’ EQUITY

                                                         

Current liabilities:

                                                         

Accounts payable

  $ —       $ —     $ 8,089   $ —     $ 115     $ —       $ —       $ 8,204  

Accounts payable—affiliates

    —         —       —       —       —         2,896       (2,896 )     —    

Accrued payroll and related benefits

    —         —       6,672     —       —         —         —         6,672  

Accrued interest

    —         —       27,956     —       —         —         (13,348 )     14,608  

Other accrued liabilities

    —         —       11,692     —       4,148       1       —         15,841  

Current portion of Term Note B, net of discount

    —         —       52,736     —       —         —         —         52,736  
   


 

 

 

 


 


 


 


Total current liabilities

    —         —       107,145     —       4,263       2,897       (16,244 )     98,061  
   


 

 

 

 


 


 


 


Long-term liabilities:

                                                         

Deferred taxes

    —         —       8,156     2,827     —         —         —         10,983  

Payable to affiliate

    9       —       401,985     256,520     —         —         (658,514 )     —    

Subordinated Notes, net of discount

    —         —       240,257     —       —         —         —         240,257  

Term Note B, net of discount—less current portion

    —         —       211,607     —       —         —         —         211,607  

Other liabilities

    —         —       —       —       1,250       —         —         1,250  
   


 

 

 

 


 


 


 


Total long-term liabilities

    9       —       862,005     259,347     1,250       —         (658,514 )     464,097  

Commitments and contingencies:

                                                         

Redeemable preferred stock

    —         —       —       —       119       —         —         119  

Unitholders’/Shareholders’ equity:

                                                         

Class A Preferred Units

    —         —       —       —       —         —         —         —    

Class B Preferred Units

    252,367       —       —       —       —         —         —         252,367  

Common Units

    2,967       —       —       —       —         —         —         2,967  

Common Stock

    —         99     —       —       1       —         (99 )     1  

Preferred Stock

    —         3     —       —       —         —         (3 )     —    

Additional paid-in capital

    —         253,248     253,350     198,480     117,219       400,025       (1,105,103 )     117,219  

Notes receivable from shareholders

    —         —       —       —       (312 )     —         —         (312 )

Retained earnings (accumulated deficit)

    14,418       14,418     14,418     2,045     (115,860 )     (2,916 )     (27,965 )     (101,442 )

Less cost of treasury units (270,270 common units)

    (9 )     —       —       —       —         —         —         (9 )
   


 

 

 

 


 


 


 


Total unitholders’/shareholders’ equity

    269,743       267,768     267,768     200,525     1,048       397,109       (1,133,170 )     270,791  
   


 

 

 

 


 


 


 


Total liabilities and unitholders’/shareholders’ equity

  $ 269,752     $ 267,768   $ 1,236,918   $ 459,872   $ 6,680     $ 400,006     $ (1,807,928 )   $ 833,068  
   


 

 

 

 


 


 


 


 

F-53


Table of Contents

CONSOLIDATING STATEMENT OF OPERATIONS

Period from February 14, 2002 to December 31, 2002

 

    

TSI

LLC


   

TSI

Inc.


    TSI

   

TSI

Networks


   

TSI

Brience


   

TSI

Finance


    Eliminations

    Consolidated

 

Revenues

   $ —       $ —         188,221     $ 102,995     $ 4,828     $ —       $ —       $ 296,044  
    


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


Costs and expenses:

                                                                

Cost of operations

     —         —         70,541       56,710       3,113       —         —         130,364  

Sales and marketing

     —         —         14,529       4,875       3,302       —         —         22,706  

General and administrative

     —         —         26,136       7,159       9,314       21       —         42,630  

Recovery of uncollectible accounts

     —         —         (319 )     (284 )     (90 )     —         —         (693 )

Depreciation and amortization

     —         —         23,247       8,863       1,175       —         —         33,285  

Restructuring

     —         —         1,788       1,057       —         —         —         2,845  
    


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


       —         —         135,922       78,380       16,814       21       —         231,137  
    


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


Operating income

     —         —         52,299       24,615       (11,986 )     (21 )     —         64,907  

Other income (expense), net

                                                                

Income from equity investment

     631       9,951       35,974       —         —         —         (46,556 )     —    

Interest income

     —         —         22,130       230       100       46,432       (67,927 )     965  

Interest expense

     —         —         (100,444 )     (21,495 )     (93 )     —         67,927       (54,105 )

Other, net

     —         —         (8 )     —         (267 )     —         —         (275 )
    


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


       631       9,951       (42,348 )     (21,265 )     (260 )     46,432       (46,556 )     (53,415 )
    


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


Income (loss) from continuing operations before provision for income taxes

     631       9,951       9,951       3,350       (12,246 )     46,411       (46,556 )     11,492  

Provision for income taxes

     —         9,320       9,320       1,305       —         16,244       (26,869 )     9,320  
    


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


Income (loss) from continuing operations

     631       631       631       2,045       (12,246 )     30,167       (19,687 )     2,172  

Discontinued operations:

                                                                

Loss from discontinued operations, net of taxes

     —         —         —         —         (1,541 )     —         —         (1,541 )
    


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


Net income (loss)

     631       631       631       2,045       (13,787 )     30,167       (19,687 )     631  

Preferred unit dividends

     (22,952 )     (33,340 )     —         (12,390 )     —         —         45,730       (22,952 )
    


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


Net income (loss) attributable to common unitholders/ shareholders

   $ (22,321 )   $ (32,709 )   $ 631     $ (10,345 )   $ (13,787 )   $ 30,167     $ 26,043     $ (22,321 )
    


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 

F-54


Table of Contents

CONSOLIDATING STATEMENT OF CASH FLOWS

Period from February 14, 2002 to December 31, 2002

 

     TSI
LLC


    TSI
Inc.


    TSI

    TSI
Networks


    TSI
Brience


    TSI
Finance


    Eliminations

    Consolidated

 

Cash flows from operating activities

                                                                

Net income (loss)

   $ 631     $ 631     $ 631     $ 2,045     $ (13,787 )   $ 30,167     $ (19,687 )   $ 631  

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

                                                                

Depreciation and amortization

     —         —         31,924       8,863       1,175       —         —         41,962  

Recovery of uncollectible accounts

     —         —         (319 )     (284 )     —         —         —         (603 )

Deferred income tax benefit

     —         —         6,284       2,589       —         —         —         8,873  

Income from equity investment

     (631 )     (9,951 )     (35,974 )     —         —         —         46,556       —    

Loss on disposition of property

                             —         1,472       —         —         1,472  

Changes in operating assets and liabilities:

                                                                

Accounts receivable

     —         —         13,200       (7,989 )     2,174       —         —         7,385  

Other current assets

     —         —         (701 )     —         (1,113 )     —         —         (1,814 )

Accounts payable

     —         —         9,182       —         (183 )     2,895       (16,244 )     (4,350 )

Other current liabilities

     —         9,320       7,901       —         5       1       (10,625 )     6,602  

Other assets

     —         —         —         —         (393 )     —         —         (393 )
    


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


Net cash provided by (used in) operating activities

     —         —         32,128       5,224       (10,650 )     33,063       —         59,765  
    


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


Cash flows from investing activities

                                                                

Capital expenditures

     —         —         (7,054 )     (5,224 )     —         —         —         (12,278 )

Dividends received from equity investment

     —         —         33,082       —         —         —         (33,082 )     —    
    


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


Net cash provided by (used in) investing activities

     —         —         26,028       (5,224 )     —         —         (33,082 )     (12,278 )
    


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


Cash flows from financing activities

                                                                

Dividends paid

     —         —         —         —         —         (33,082 )     33,082       —    

Excess cash received at purchase date

     —         —         1,859       —         —         25       —         1,884  

Principal payments on long-term debt

     —         —         (15,000 )     —         (641 )     —         —         (15,641 )

Retirement of short-term debt

     —         —         (30,430 )     —         —         —         —         (30,430 )

Other

     —         —         (9 )     —         —         —         —         (9 )
    


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


Net cash used in financing activities

     —         —         (43,580 )     —         (641 )     (33,057 )     33,082       (44,196 )
    


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


Net increase (decrease) in cash

     —         —         14,576       —         (11,291 )     6       —         3,291  

Cash at beginning of period

     —         —         25,000       —         13,899       —         —         38,899  
    


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


Cash at end of period

   $ —       $ —       $ 39,576     $ —       $ 2,608     $ 6     $ —       $ 42,190  
    


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 

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GLOSSARY

 

1xRTT

 

The first phase of CDMA2000 technology designed to double voice capacity and support data transmission speeds of up to 144 Kbps, or ten times the speed commonly available today.

 

2G

 

Second generation. Refers to the second generation mobile phones that introduced digital technology (i.e., CDMA, TDMA and GSM).

 

2.5G

 

Second-and-a-half generation. Refers to the additional features and functionality added to digital mobile phones, such as Internet access and messaging.

 

3G

 

Third generation mobile system. The generic term for the next generation of wireless mobile communications networks. Enhancements include greater bandwidth and more sophisticated compression techniques, with data transmission speeds of 144 Kbps, or up to two megabits per second from fixed locations.

 

802.11

 

Standard for wireless local area network interoperability developed by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE). 802.11 specifies an over-the-air interface between a wireless subscriber and a base station or between two wireless subscribers. The IEEE accepted the specification in 1997.

 

A-Key

 

Authentication Key. An authentication mechanism of the ANSI-41 standard for mobile intersystem interoperability. The A-key is sent between the mobile phone and the Authentication Center (AC), and is known only to those two entities. Subsequently, the mobile phone and the AC generate a second secret key, known as a SSD (Shared Secret Data). Both the A-key and the SSD are transmitted around the ANSI-41 network to be used by switches to perform the process of authentication. Both keys are encrypted through the CAVE (Cellular Authentication and Voice Encryption) algorithm.

 

AMPS

 

Advanced Mobile Phone Service. Another name for the North American analog cellular phone system. The spectrum allocated to AMPS is shared by two cellular phone companies in each area or geographic market/region. This system was deployed during the 1980s in North America. Most other parts of the world deployed wireless systems later and went straight to digital technology.

 

ANSI-41

 

Mobile signaling standard developed by the American National Standards Institute. Also known as IS-41.

 

ARPU

 

Average Revenue Per Unit. The average revenue generated per wireless customer unit (e.g., pager or mobile phone) per month. ARPU is one indicator of the financial performance of a wireless company.

 

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CDMA

 

Code Division Multiple Access. A form of digital, spread spectrum mobile phone service that assigns a code to all speech bits, sends a scrambled transmission of the encoded speech over the air and reassembles the speech to its original format. The major benefits of CDMA are increased capacity (up to 20 times analog service), and more efficient use of spectrum. CDMA was developed by Qualcomm, Inc.

 

CDMA2000

 

A proposed third generation (3G) wireless system that will double system capacity and improve “medium” data rate performance to 144 Kbps. CDMA2000 will be followed by “high” data rate technology (HDR), which will provide up to 1.5 megabits per second.

 

CERCLA

 

Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act. Federal law that was developed and enacted on December 11, 1980, for the purpose of taxing chemical and petroleum industries. The tax money is collected and used for the clean up of hazardous sites. This is also more commonly known as the Superfund.

 

CIBER

 

Cellular Intercarrier Billing Exchange Record. A billing record format used to transfer roaming billing data in AMPS networks (and subsequent second generation non-GSM networks). CIBER is primarily used in North America and is the counterpart to TAP used for GSM networks.

 

CTIA

 

Cellular Telecommunications and Internet Association. Washington, D.C.-based industry association that represents the interests of the wireless telecommunications industry.

 

EDGE

 

Enhanced Data for GSM Evolution. Currently being standardized by ETSI (European Telecommunications Standards Institute), EDGE is considered the final stage in the evolution of data communications within the existing GSM standards. EDGE is intended to support data transmission rates of up to 384 Kbps and is also anticipated to be used within TDMA networks in the U.S.

 

EDI

 

Electronic Data Interchange. A series of standards which provide computer-to-computer exchange of data between different companies’ computers over phone lines and the Internet. These standards allow for the transmission of purchase orders, shipping documents, invoices, invoice payments, etc. between an enterprise and its “trading partners”. A trading partner in EDI parlance is a supplier, customer, subsidiary, or any other organization with which an enterprise conducts business. EDI is used for placing orders, for billing and paying for goods and services via private electronic networks or via the Internet.

 

Frame Relay

 

A fast packet network transport method that exchanges data in variable length frames using a switching standard based on the older X.25 protocol. Frame Relay is also a highly effective way to access the Internet from moderate (56Kbps) to high speeds (T-1). Considered the replacement for X.25, Frame Relay has obtained more widespread usage than X.25 because it is faster and lowers overhead by reducing the accounting and checking procedures used in X.25.

 

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GPRS

 

General Packet Radio Service. GPRS is the data service for GSM that enables high-speed mobile data communications usage. GPRS is a packet-switched mobile data communications service that is expected to be the next major step forward in the evolution of GSM technology. It is most useful for “bursty” data applications such as mobile Internet browsing, e-mail and push technologies. GPRS has been demonstrated as fast as 115Kbps.

 

GRX

 

General Packet Radio Service Roaming Exchange. A GPRS Roaming Exchange (GRX) is built on a private or public IP backbone and transports GPRS roaming traffic via the GPRS Tunneling Protocol (GTP) between the visited and the home networks. At a minimum, a GRX Service Provider consists of a set of routers connected to GPRS networks and linked to other GRX nodes (peering). As such, a GRX service provider acts as a hub and eliminates the need for a GPRS provider to establish connections with each roaming partner.

 

GSM

 

Global System for Mobile Communications. A second generation mobile phone service that uses narrowband TDMA, which allows eight simultaneous calls on the same radio frequency. GSM is used in Europe, Japan, Australia, the United States and elsewhere.

 

HLR

 

Home Location Register. A permanent database used in wireless networks, including AMPS, CDMA, TDMA and GSM. The HLR is located on the SCP (Signal Control Point) of the wireless provider of record. It is used to identify/verify a subscriber and contains subscriber data related to features and services. The HLR is also used to verify a subscriber’s legitimacy and to support features and services when a subscriber is roaming outside their home area. In a roaming transaction, the local service provider queries the HLR via a SS7 link. Once verified, the subscriber’s data is transferred via SS7 to the VLR, where it is maintained during the period of roaming activity within the coverage area of that provider.

 

IP

 

Internet Protocol. IP is the most important of the protocols on which the Internet is based. The IP protocol is a standard describing software that keeps track of the Internet’s addresses for different nodes, routes outgoing messages and recognizes incoming messages. It allows a data packet to traverse multiple networks on the way to its final destination.

 

IS-41

 

Interim Standard 41. A signaling protocol used in the North American wireless system. IS-41 defines the processes by which wireless providers accomplish signaling between mobile switching centers and other devices for the purposes of intersystem handoff and automatic routing. IS-41 includes pre-call validation in order to ensure the legitimacy of the originating device.

 

IXC

 

Inter-Exchange Carrier. IXCs include all facilities-based inter-LATA carriers (long-distance carriers). The largest IXCs are AT&T, Sprint and Worldcom. The term generally applies to voice and data carriers, but not to Internet carriers. IXC is in contrast to LEC (Local Exchange Carrier), a term applied to traditional telephone companies which provide local service and intra-LATA toll service. IXCs also provide intra-LATA toll service and operate as CLECs (Competitive Local Exchange Carriers) in many areas.

 

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LATA

 

Local Access Transport Area. Also called Service Areas by some telephone companies. One of 196 local geographical areas in the U.S. within which a local telephone company may offer telecommunications services—local or long distance. LATAs basically serve two purposes. First, they provide a method for delineating the area within which the Regional Bell Operating Companies (RBOCs) may offer service. Second, they provide a basis for determining how the assets of the former Bell System are divided between the RBOCs and AT&T.

 

LEC

 

Local Exchange Carrier. LECs are local phone companies, either an RBOC or an independent which traditionally had the exclusive, franchised right and responsibility to provide local transmission and switching services. With the advent of deregulation and competition, traditional LECs are now known as ILECs (Incumbent LECs). This terminology delineates them from CLECs (Competitive LECs).

 

LIDB

 

Line Information Database. The LIDB systems were developed by RBOCs and local phone companies to contain all valid telephone and calling card numbers in their respective regions. LIDB systems have the necessary information to perform billing validation and provide services such as originating line number screening, calling card validation, billing number screening, calling card fraud and public telephone checks. The LIDB systems were connected nationally in 1992.

 

LNP

 

Local Number Portability. The ability of subscribers to switch local or wireless carriers and still retain the same phone number, as they can now with long-distance carriers (e.g., switching from an incumbent local exchange carrier (ILEC) to a competitive local exchange carrier (CLEC)).

 

m-commerce

 

Mobile commerce. Mobile commerce is the buying and selling of goods and services through wireless handheld devices such as mobile phones and personal digital assistants (PDAs). The emerging technology behind m-commerce is based on the Wireless Application Protocol (WAP).

 

MAP

 

Mobile Application Part. A protocol specifically designed to support roaming. In IS-41 and GSM networks, MAP messages sent between mobile switches and databases are used to support user authentication, equipment identification, and roaming. When a mobile subscriber roams into a new mobile switching center (MSC) area, the visitor location register requests service profile information from the subscriber’s home location register (HLR) using MAP information.

 

MSC

 

Mobile Switching Center. MSC is the hub of the mobile network system that connects wireless calls to and from other telephone and data systems such as the public switched telephone network (PSTN). It plays a major role in subscriber roaming by providing all the necessary functionality involved in registering, authenticating, location updating, and call routing for a roaming subscriber.

 

MVNO

 

Mobile Virtual Network Operator. A company that buys excess network capacity from a licensed mobile network operator to re-sell and offer its own branded mobile and value-added services (e.g., Virgin Mobile).

 

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NOC

 

Network Operations Center. The physical location from which a telecommunications network is supervised, monitored, and maintained. The network operations center is the focal point for network troubleshooting, software distribution and updating, router and domain name management, performance monitoring, and coordination with affiliated networks.

 

SCP

 

Signal Control Point. SCPs are intelligent database engines which store caller specific information and features to provide special call handling instructions such as blocking Caller ID or automatic ringback, among others. SCPs are connected to STPs and form a critical part of an SS7 network.

 

SMS

 

Short Message Service. A means by which short messages are sent to and from digital wireless phones, pagers and other handheld wireless devices. Alphanumeric messages up to 160 characters can be supported. This is adequate for stock quotes, abbreviated e-mail messages, bank account balances, purchasing movie tickets, traffic updates and other short messages.

 

SS7

 

Signaling System 7. An international high speed signaling backbone for the public switched telephone network (PSTN). SS7 is a system that puts the information required to set up and manage telephone calls in a separate network rather than within the same network that the telephone call is made on. Historically, the signaling for a telephone call used the same voice circuit that the telephone call traveled on. Using SS7, telephone calls can be set up more efficiently and with greater security. Special services such as call forwarding and wireless roaming service are easier to add and manage. SS7 is now an international telecommunications standard.

 

STP

 

Signaling Transfer Point. A specialized packet switch that provides SS7 network access and performs SS7 message routing, screening and transfer of signaling messages through the common channel signaling network.

 

TAP

 

Transferred Account Procedure. Standard billing record format used by GSM operators and data clearinghouses to exchange roaming information. TAP is the GSM counterpart to CIBER in AMPS (and subsequent second generation non-GSM) networks.

 

TDMA

 

Time Division Multiple Access. A second generation technology used to separate multiple conversation transmissions over a finite frequency allocation of through-the-air bandwidth. TDMA is used to allocate a discrete amount of frequency bandwidth to each user in order to permit many simultaneous conversations. However, each caller is assigned a specific timeslot for transmission. A digital wireless telephone system using TDMA assigns ten timeslots for each frequency channel, and wireless telephones send bursts, or packets, of information during each timeslot. The packets of information are reassembled by the receiving equipment into the original voice components.

 

Telematics

 

A generic term for a wireless network supporting the collection and dissemination of data. Mobile applications include vehicle tracking and positioning, on-line navigation and emergency assistance. Probably the

 

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best known example is General Motors Corporation’s OnStar system, which automatically calls for assistance if the vehicle is an accident. These systems can also perform such functions as remote engine diagnostics, tracking stolen vehicles, providing roadside assistance, etc. Static, or fixed, applications include SCADA (Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition), which is used in the power utility industry for meter reading and load control.

 

VLR

 

Visitor Location Register. A local database maintained by the wireless provider in the territory a subscriber is roaming. When a subscriber places a call in a roaming scenario, the local provider queries the HLR over the SS7 network. This information is maintained by the local provider as long as a subscriber remains an active roamer within that area of coverage. This process of query and download is accomplished via the SS7 network.

 

VPN

 

Virtual Private Network. A private data network that makes use of the public telecommunication infrastructure, while maintaining privacy through the use of a tunneling protocol and security procedures. VPN can be contrasted with a system of privately owned or leased lines that can only be used by one company and gives the company the same capabilities and security at much lower cost by using the shared public infrastructure.

 

wCDMA

 

Wideband Code Division Multiple Access. The third generation standard offered to the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) by GSM proponents. wCDMA promises to reach speeds of up to two Mbps for voice, video, data and image transmission. wCDMA will compete against CDMA2000 as a worldwide 3G standard.

 

X.25

 

A standard adopted by the Consultative Committee for International Telegraph and Telephone (CCITT) on layered protocols connecting computer terminals to a public, packet-switched network.

 

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