As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on
November 1, 2007
No. 333-145800
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE
COMMISSION
Washington, D.C.
20549
Amendment No. 1
to
Form F-4
REGISTRATION
STATEMENT
UNDER
THE SECURITIES ACT OF
1933
MAXCOM TELECOMUNICACIONES,
S.A.B. DE C.V.*
(formerly Maxcom
Telecomunicaciones, S.A. de C.V.)
(Exact name of Registrant as
specified in its charter)
MAXCOM TELECOMMUNICATIONS,
INC.
(Translation of
Registrant’s name into English)
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United Mexican States
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4813
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Not Applicable
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(State or other jurisdiction
of
incorporation or organization)
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(Primary Standard Industrial
Classification Code Number)
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(I.R.S. Employer
Identification No.)
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Guillermo Gonzalez Camarena
No. 2000
Colonia Centro de Ciudad Santa
Fe
Mexico, D.F. 01210
+(52)
55-5147-1111
(Address, including zip code,
and telephone number,
including area code, of
Registrant’s principal executive offices)
CT Corporation System
111 Eighth Avenue
New York, NY 10011
(212) 894-8940
(Name, address, including zip
code, and telephone number,
including area code, of agent
for service)
Copies of all communications,
including communications sent to agent for service, should be
sent to:
Gerald T.
Nowak, Esq.
Paul Zier, Esq.
Kirkland & Ellis
LLP
200 East Randolph
Drive
Chicago, Illinois
60601
* The Co-Registrants listed on the
next page are also included in this
Form F-4
Registration Statement as additional registrants.
Approximate date of commencement of proposed sale of the
securities to the public: The exchange will
occur as soon as practicable after the effective date of this
Registration Statement.
If the securities being registered on this Form are being
offered in connection with the formation of a holding company
and there is compliance with General Instruction G, check
the following box. o
If this form is filed to register additional securities for an
offering pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act,
check the following box and list the Securities Act registration
statement number of the earlier effective registration statement
for the same offering. o
If this form is a post-effective amendment filed pursuant to
Rule 462(d) under the Securities act, check the following
box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of
the earlier effective registration statement for the same
offering. o
CALCULATION
OF REGISTRATION FEE
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Proposed Maximum
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Proposed Maximum
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Amount of
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Title of Each Class of Securities
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Amount
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Offering Price
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Aggregate
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Registration
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to be Registered
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to be Registered
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per Unit
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Offering Price(1)
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Fee(4)
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11% Senior Notes due 2014, Series B
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$200,000,000
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100%
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$200,000,000
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$6,140
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Guarantees on 11% Senior Notes due 2014, Series B(2)
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$200,000,000
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—
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—
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(3)
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(1)
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Calculated in accordance with
Rule 457(o) under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended.
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(2)
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The 11% Senior Notes dues
2014, Series B, will be issued by Maxcom
Telecomunicaciones, S.A. de C.V. (the “Issuer”) and
guaranteed by certain of the Issuer’s subsidiaries. No
separate consideration will be received for the issuance of
these guarantees.
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(3)
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Pursuant to Rule 457(n), no
separate fee is payable with respect to the guarantees being
registered hereby.
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(4)
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Of the total registration fee,
U.S$5,373 was paid at the time of the initial filing of the
registration statement and U.S.$767 is being paid herewith.
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The Registrant hereby amends this Registration Statement on
such date or dates as may be necessary to delay its effective
date until the Registrant shall file a further amendment which
specifically states that this Registration Statement shall
thereafter become effective in accordance with Section 8(a)
of the Securities Act of 1933 or until this Registration
Statement shall become effective on such date as the Commission,
acting pursuant to said Section 8(a), may determine.
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Jurisdiction of
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I.R.S. Employer
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Exact Name of Additional Registrants*
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Formation
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Identification No.
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Maxcom Servicios Administrativos, S.A. de C.V.
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Mexico
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None
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Outsourcing Operadora de Personal, S.A. de C.V.
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Mexico
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None
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TECBTC Estrategias de Promoción, S.A. de C.V. (formerly
“Técnicos Especializados en Telecomunicaciones, S.A.
de C.V.”)
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Mexico
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None
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Corporativo en Telecommunications, S.A. de C.V.
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Mexico
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None
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Maxcom SF, S.A. de C.V.
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Mexico
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None
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Maxcom TV, S.A. de C.V.
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Mexico
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None
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Maxcom USA, Inc.
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Delaware
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98-0419299
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The address for each of the additional Registrants is
c/o Maxcom
Telecomunicaciones, S.A. de C.V., Guillermo Gonzalez Camarena
No. 2000, Colonia Centro de Ciudad Santa Fe, Mexico, D.F.
01210, and the general phone number is
(52) 55-1163-1005.
The name, address, including zip code, of the agent for service
for each of the Additional Registrants is CT Corporation System,
111 Eighth Avenue, New York, NY 10011. The primary standard
industrial classification number for each of the additional
Registrants is 4813.
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The
information in this prospectus is not complete and may be
changed. We may not sell these securities until the registration
statement filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission is
effective. The prospectus is not an offer to sell these
securities nor a solicitation of an offer to buy these
securities in any jurisdiction where the offer and sale is not
permitted.
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SUBJECT TO COMPLETION:
PRELIMINARY PROSPECTUS DATED NOVEMBER 1, 2007
Offer to Exchange
THE SECURITIES LISTED BELOW FOR SUBSTANTIALLY IDENTICAL
SECURITIES THAT HAVE
BEEN REGISTERED UNDER THE U.S. SECURITIES ACT OF 1933:
$200,000,000 11% Senior
Notes due 2014
Material Terms of Exchange Offer
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We sold the outstanding senior notes on December 20, 2006,
January 10, 2007 and September 5, 2007 to the initial
purchasers who subsequently re-sold such securities to qualified
institutional buyers under Rule 144A and
non-U.S. persons
under Regulation S.
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The terms of the new senior notes to be issued in the exchange
offer are substantially identical to the outstanding senior
notes, except that the transfer restrictions and registration
rights relating to the outstanding senior notes will not apply
to the new senior notes.
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You may withdraw your tender of senior notes at any time before
the expiration of the exchange offer. We will exchange all of
the outstanding senior notes that are validly tendered and not
withdrawn.
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Based upon interpretations by the Staff of the SEC, we believe
that subject to some exceptions, the new senior notes may be
offered for resale, resold and otherwise transferred by you
without compliance with the registration and prospectus delivery
provisions of the Securities Act.
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The exchange offer will expire at 5:00 p.m., New York City
time,
on ,
2007, unless we decide to extend it.
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The exchange of senior notes will not be a taxable event for
U.S. federal income tax purposes.
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The exchange offer is not subject to any condition other than
that it not violate applicable law or any applicable
interpretation of the Staff of the SEC.
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We will not receive any proceeds from the exchange offer.
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The new senior notes will be guaranteed jointly and severally by
certain our subsidiaries on a senior basis. The new senior notes
and related guarantees will be secured by a first-priority lien
on most of our telephone networks systems and equipment assets.
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For a discussion of certain factors that you should consider
before participating in this exchange offer, see “Risk
Factors.”
Neither the SEC nor any state securities commission has
approved the senior notes to be distributed in the exchange
offer, nor have any of these organizations determined that this
prospectus is truthful or complete. Any representation to the
contrary is a criminal offense.
,
2007
TABLE OF
CONTENTS
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.
Until ,
2007, all dealers that, buy, sell or trade the new senior notes,
whether or not participating in the exchange offer, may be
required to deliver a prospectus. This requirement is in
addition to the dealers’ obligation to deliver a prospectus
when acting as underwriters and with respect to their unsold
allotments and subscriptions.
This prospectus incorporates business and financial information
about the company that is not included in or delivered with this
prospectus. This information is available free of charge to
security holders upon written or oral request to: Maxcom
Telecomunicaciones, S.A. de C.V., Guillermo Gonzalez Camarena
No. 2000, Colonia Centro de Ciudad Santa Fe, Mexico,
D.F. 01210, Attention: Director, Investor Relations (general
phone number
(52) 55-1163-1005).
i
PROSPECTUS
SUMMARY
This summary highlights material information about our
business and about participating in the exchange offer. This is
a summary of material information contained elsewhere in this
prospectus and is not complete and may not contain all of the
information that may be important to you. For a more complete
understanding of our business, you should read this entire
prospectus, including the section entitled, “Risk
Factors” and our audited and unaudited consolidated
financial statements and related notes.
Our
Company
We are an integrated telecommunication services operator
providing widespread services to residential and small- and
medium-sized business customers in four Mexican metropolitan
markets, which consist of Mexico City, Puebla, Queretaro and
Toluca and selected service in other markets. From
December 31, 2002 to December 31, 2006, we achieved
growth from 125,231 voice lines in service to 269,598 (a
compound annual growth rate of 21.1%) while also reducing our
churn level from 3.0% to 1.6% during this same period. We
generated revenues of U.S.$155.4 million
(Ps.1,678.6 million) and a net loss of
U.S.$2.6 million (Ps.28.2 million) during 2006 and
revenues of U.S.$99.7 million (Ps.1,075.5 million) and
a net loss of U.S.$l.6 million (Ps.16.8 million) in
the first six months of 2007. We provide a wide range of
services including local and long-distance voice, data, high
speed, dedicated and
dial-up
Internet access, public telephony and Voice over Internet
Protocol telephony, and offer attractively priced service
bundles. We also offer cable television and mobile voice service
through resale and capacity leasing agreements with third
parties. We recently launched multichannel television service
over our own network, using Internet Protocol video transmission.
We operate our own telecommunications network and support
infrastructure, including the critical “last mile,” or
customers’ premise level infrastructure. As of
June 30, 2007, our network encompasses 617 route kilometers
of metropolitan fiber optic cable and over 3,177 kilometers
of high-quality copper loops capable of high speed data
transmission. We operate a
170-kilometer
fiber optic link connecting the cities of Puebla and Mexico City
and a
6,421-kilometer
longhaul fiber optic backbone connecting Mexico City and Laredo,
Texas. We also own microwave concessions for wireless
transmission.
Competitive
Strengths
We believe that the following strengths provide a basis upon
which our business can continue to grow and achieve success in
the highly competitive Mexican telecommunications market.
Wide Range of Service Offerings. We are an
integrated telecommunication services provider, offering
individually and in bundles, voice and data and, in some areas,
cable television and mobile services. In August 2007, we
launched multichannel Internet Protocol video service in Puebla,
entirely on our own network. We have a history of being the
first provider in Mexico to introduce new services including
digital subscriber line, Internet Protocol telephony,
“triple-play” services, unbundled
“quadruple-play” services and Internet Protocol
Television.
History of High Penetration Rates. Our
business model is based on careful geographical targeting of
certain underserved segments of the residential and business
population in urban markets. As of June 30, 2007, in areas
covered by our network where we own the last mile
infrastructure, we have achieved residential penetration levels
(measured by homes passed) of 37% in the city of Puebla, 35% in
the city of Mexico City and 24% in the city of Queretaro. Since
2004, we have sold approximately 76% of built lines in our
network clusters within 180 days after the completion of
the buildout.
Cost Efficient, Flexible, Reliable
Technology. We combine optical fiber, broadband
capable copper lines and microwave technology, deployed based on
customer requirements, deployment cost, time to market, time to
revenue and profitability potential. Our network infrastructure,
with copper loops generally no more than 3 kilometers in length,
allows us to deliver broadband data at speeds up to
20 Mbps. The flexibility of our network allows us to
provide value-added services such as video without major outside
plant upgrades.
Valuable
Last-Mile
Ownership. Unlike many other markets worldwide,
Mexican telecommunications regulations do not require the
wireline incumbent, Telmex, to provide other telecommunication
service providers
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with access to its unbundled local loops. As a result, access
to last mile infrastructure presents a significant barrier to
entry. Our own broadband-capable
last-mile
infrastructure passes by approximately 526,000 homes allowing us
to offer our services without depending on other
telecommunications carriers to reach our customers.
Recognized Brand Name and Customer Perception for Quality
Services. Because we control the entire process
of network provisioning, service initiation and service quality,
we are able to ensure the quality of our service and maintain
customer loyalty. We monitor our customer satisfaction levels
through surveys, commissioned by us, and utilize this
information to enhance the quality of our services and the
experience for our customers.
History of Developing Strategic Alliances. We
have a track record of developing strategic alliances, through
revenue sharing agreements, capacity leasing, resale
arrangements and business relationships, with cable television
and mobile wireless operators, technology suppliers and real
estate developers that has allowed us to expand our product
offerings, ensure compatible network technologies and gain
access to new customers.
Strategy
Our growth strategy includes the following components:
Increase Penetration of Niche Markets with Unmet Demand for
Telecommunication Services. We intend to continue
to focus on residential customers and small- and medium-sized
business customers in selected metropolitan areas that offer
telecommunications growth potential due to a combination of a
large population, low subscriber penetration and economic
growth. We believe there is unmet demand for the services we
offer among the lower and middle-low income socioeconomic
classes and small- and medium-sized business customers.
Seize Wireline Opportunity Created by Highly Priced Wireless
Offering. Mobile wireless penetration in Mexico
is approximately 54%, nearly triple the penetration rate of
wireline telephony, according to the Mexican Federal
Telecommunications Commission (Comisión Federal de
Telecomunicaciones). Based on an average call duration of
five minutes, current per-minute pricing of prepaid wireless
services (used by 92% of Mexican mobile users according to the
Mexican Federal Telecommunications Commission) is over ten times
that of wireline. We believe the high cost of wireless services
combined with the socio-demographic characteristics of Mexico
presents a significant opportunity for lower cost wireline
services.
Expand our Network on a Disciplined Demand-Driven, Modular
Basis. As part of our growth strategy, we intend
to continue building our network on a carefully targeted,
modular basis with a rigorous focus on return on investment. We
will continue to invest network capital only when our planning
process shows attractive expected returns.
Enhance Residential Penetration Rates and Average Revenue Per
User Through Bundling. We expect that our bundled
services will enhance residential penetration levels, increase
customer use of multiple services, enhance margins, lower churn
and increase average revenue per user. We plan to expand our
multichannel Internet Protocol Television service over the rest
of our network coverage area. We believe that this will allow us
to sell video subscriptions to non-customers already passed by
our networks and to sell video service bundles to a substantial
percentage of our existing subscribers.
Maintain Our Service Quality Differentiation and
Focus. We provide a differentiated customer
experience based on high service quality and customer-focused
product offerings. Key elements of our differentiation strategy
include proactive marketing efforts with door-to-door personal
sales and promotions, competitive pricing, fast and affordable
installation and tailor made solutions for small- and
medium-sized business customers. We also differentiate our
services by providing accurate and timely billing, minimizing
activation errors and delivering near real-time activations.
Risks
Related to our Business
Our business involves various risks, including, amongst others,
our ability to generate sufficient cash flows to meet our debt
service obligations and implement our business plan, increasing
competition in the Mexican telecommunications industry resulting
in lower margins
and/or our
loss of market share, our ability to protect and
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maintain our network infrastructure from service interruptions,
loss of our concessions due to the failure to successfully renew
them or comply with their conditions, political and economic
conditions in Mexico and changes in Mexican laws, regulations
and decrees applicable to us. Additionally, we have a
substantial amount of indebtedness that may limit our ability to
operate our business. We also have a history of net losses and
cannot be certain that we will achieve profitability.
You should carefully consider the information in the
“Risk Factors” section of this prospectus before
participation in the exchange offer.
Corporate
Information
Maxcom Telecomunicaciones, S.A. de C.V. is a variable capital
corporation (sociedad anónima de capital variable),
organized under the laws of Mexico and incorporated on
February 28, 1996. We were originally organized under the
name “Amaritel, S.A. de C.V.” We changed our corporate
name to “Maxcom Telecomunicaciones, S.A. de C.V.” on
February 9, 1999.
Our principal offices are located at Guillermo Gonzalez Camarena
No. 2000, Colonia Centro de Ciudad Santa Fe, Mexico,
D.F. 01210 and our general phone number is
(52) 55-5147-1111.
Our website address, the contents of which are not part of, or
incorporated into, this prospectus or the registration statement
of which this prospectus is a part, is www.maxcom.com. Our agent
for service of process in the United States is CT Corporation
System, 111 Eighth Avenue, New York, New York 10011.
The following chart summarizes our current corporate structure:
All of our subsidiaries are wholly-owned, directly or
indirectly, by us.
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Summary
of the Exchange Offer
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The Initial Offering of Outstanding Notes. |
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On December 20, 2006, the Company sold U.S.$150,000,000 of
11% Senior Notes due 2014 to Morgan Stanley & Co.
Incorporated and Merrill Lynch, Fenner, Pierce & Smith
Incorporated, as initial purchasers. On January 10, 2007,
the Company sold U.S.$25,000,000 of 11% Senior Notes due
2014 to Morgan Stanley & Co. Incorporated, as the initial
purchaser. On September 5, 2007, the Company sold
U.S.$25,000,000 of 11% Senior Notes due 2014 to Morgan
Stanley & Co. Incorporated, as the initial purchaser. These
senior notes constitute a single class of notes under the
indenture dated December 20, 2006. These senior notes were
offered only to (1) qualified institutional buyers under Rule
144A and (2) outside the United States in compliance with
Regulation S. |
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Registration Rights Agreement |
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Simultaneously with each initial sale of the outstanding senior
notes, we entered into registration rights agreements for the
exchange offer. In the registration rights agreements, we
agreed, among other things, to cause a registration statement
under the Securities Act to be declared effective for: |
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• an offer to exchange the senior notes for a new
issue of registered senior notes, or
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• registration of the senior notes for resale.
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The exchange offer is intended to satisfy your rights under the
registration rights agreement. After the exchange offer is
complete, you will no longer be entitled to any exchange or
registration rights with respect to your outstanding senior
notes. |
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The Exchange Offer |
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We are offering to exchange the new senior notes, which have
been registered under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended
(the “Securities Act”), for your outstanding senior
notes, which were issued on December 20, 2006,
January 10, 2007 or September 5, 2007, in the initial
offerings. In order to be exchanged, an outstanding senior
secured note must be properly tendered and accepted. All
outstanding senior notes that are validly tendered and not
validly withdrawn will be exchanged. We will issue new senior
notes promptly after the expiration of the exchange offer. The
outstanding senior notes may be tendered only in integral
multiples of $1,000. |
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Resales |
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Based on interpretations by the staff of the SEC set forth in
no-action letters issued to unrelated parties, we believe that
the new senior notes issued in the exchange offer may be offered
for resale, resold and otherwise transferred by you without
compliance with the registration and prospectus delivery
requirements of the Securities Act provided that: |
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• the new senior notes are being acquired in the
ordinary course of your business;
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• you are not participating, do not intend to
participate, and have no arrangement or understanding with any
person to participate, in the distribution of the new senior
notes issued to you in the exchange offer; and
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• you are not an affiliate of ours.
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If any of these conditions are not satisfied and you transfer
any new senior notes issued to you in the exchange offer without
delivering a prospectus meeting the requirements of the
Securities Act or without an exemption from registration of your
new senior notes from these requirements, you may incur
liability under the Securities Act. We will not assume, nor will
we indemnify you against, any such liability. |
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Each broker-dealer that is issued new senior notes in the
exchange offer for its own account in exchange for outstanding
senior notes that were acquired by that broker-dealer as a
result of market-marking or other trading activities, must
acknowledge that it will deliver a prospectus meeting the
requirements of the Securities Act in connection with any resale
of the new senior notes. A broker-dealer may use this prospectus
for an offer to resell, resale or other retransfer of the new
senior notes issued to it in the exchange offer. |
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Record Date |
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We mailed this prospectus and the related exchange offer
documents to registered holders of outstanding senior notes
on ,
2007. |
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Expiration Date |
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The exchange offer will expire at 5:00 p.m., New York City
time,
on ,
2007, unless we decide to extend it. |
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Conditions to the Exchange Offer |
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The exchange offer is subject to customary conditions, including
that the exchange offer does not violate applicable law or any
applicable interpretation of the staff of the SEC. |
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Procedures for Tendering Outstanding Notes |
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We issued the outstanding senior notes as global securities.
When the outstanding senior notes were issued, we deposited the
Global Notes with the custodians for the book-entry depositary.
The book-entry depositary issued depositary interests in respect
of each Global Note to DTC and then recorded such interests in
their respective books and records in the name of DTC’s
nominee. |
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If you wish to tender your outstanding senior notes for exchange
in this exchange offer, you must transmit to the exchange agent
on or before the expiration date either: |
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• an original or a facsimile of a properly completed
and duly executed copy of the letter of transmittal, which
accompanies this prospectus, together with your outstanding
senior notes and any other documentation required by the letter
of transmittal, at the address provided on the cover page of the
letter of transmittal; or
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• if the notes you own are held of record by The
Depository Trust Company, or “DTC,” in book-entry
form and you are making delivery by book-entry transfer, a
computer-generated message transmitted by means of the Automated
Tender Offer Program System of DTC, or “ATOP,” in
which you acknowledge and agree to be bound by the terms of the
letter of transmittal and which, when received by the exchange
agent, forms a part of a confirmation of book-entry transfer. As
part of the book-entry transfer, DTC will facilitate the
exchange of your outstanding senior notes and update your
account to reflect the issuance of the new senior notes to you.
ATOP allows you to electronically transmit your acceptance of
the exchange offer to DTC instead of physically completing and
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delivering a letter of transmittal to the outstanding senior
notes exchange agent. |
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In addition, you must deliver to the exchange agent on or before
the expiration date: |
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• a timely confirmation of book-entry transfer of your
outstanding senior notes into the account of the notes exchange
agent at DTC if you are effecting delivery of book-entry
transfer, or
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• if necessary, the documents required for compliance
with the guaranteed delivery procedures. Do not send letters of
transmittal and certificates representing outstanding senior
notes to us. Send these documents only to an exchange agent. See
“Exchange Offer — Exchange Agent” for more
information.
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Special Procedures for Beneficial Owners |
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If you are the beneficial owner of book-entry interests and your
name does not appear on a security position listing of DTC as
the holder of the book-entry interests or if you are a
beneficial owner of outstanding senior notes that are registered
in the name of a broker, dealer, commercial bank, trust company
or other nominee and you wish to tender the book-entry interest
or outstanding senior notes in the exchange offer, you should
contact the person in whose name your book-entry interests or
outstanding senior notes are registered promptly and instruct
that person to tender on your behalf. |
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Guaranteed Delivery Procedures |
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If you wish to tender your outstanding senior notes and you
cannot get your required documents to the exchange agent on
time, you may tender your outstanding senior notes by completing
a notice of guaranteed delivery and complying with the
guaranteed delivery procedures. |
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Withdrawal Rights |
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You may withdraw the tender of your outstanding senior notes at
any time prior to 5:00 p.m., New York City time,
on ,
2007. |
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Acceptance of Outstanding Notes and Delivery of New Notes |
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If you fulfill all conditions required for proper acceptance of
outstanding senior notes, we will accept any and all outstanding
senior notes that you properly tender in the exchange offer on
or before 5:00 p.m., New York City time, on the expiration
date. We will return any outstanding senior notes that we do not
accept for exchange to you without expense as promptly as
practicable after the expiration date. We will deliver the new
senior notes as promptly as practicable after the expiration
date and acceptance of the outstanding senior notes for
exchange. See “Exchange Offer — Terms of Exchange
Offer.” |
| |
|
Federal Income Tax Considerations |
|
We believe that the exchange of outstanding senior notes will
not be a taxable event for United States federal income tax
purposes. |
| |
|
Use of Proceeds; Fees and Expenses |
|
We will not receive any proceeds from the issuance of new senior
notes pursuant to the exchange offer. We will pay all of our
expenses incident to the exchange offer. |
| |
|
Exchange Agent |
|
Deutsche Bank Trust Company Americas is serving as the
exchange agent in connection with the exchange offer. |
6
Summary
of Terms of the New Notes
The form and terms of the new senior notes are the same as the
form and terms of the outstanding senior notes, except that the
new senior notes will be registered under the Securities Act. As
a result, the new senior notes will not bear legends restricting
their transfer and will not contain the registration rights and
liquidated damage provisions contained in the outstanding senior
notes. The new senior notes represent the same debt as the
outstanding senior notes. Both the outstanding senior notes and
the new senior notes are governed by the same indenture. Unless
the context otherwise requires, we use the term “senior
notes” in this prospectus to collectively refer to the
outstanding senior notes and the new senior notes.
|
|
|
|
Issuer |
|
Maxcom Telecomunicaciones, S.A. de C.V. |
|
|
|
|
Guarantors |
|
Maxcom Servicios Administrativos, S.A. de C.V., Outsourcing
Operadora de Personal, S.A. de C.V., TECBTC Estrategias de
Promoción, S.A. de C.V. (formerly “Técnicos
Especializados en Telecomunicaciones, S.A. de C.V.,”)
Corporativo en Telecomunicaciones, S.A. de C.V., Maxcom SF, S.A.
de C.V., Maxcom TV, S.A. de C.V. and Maxcom USA, Inc. |
|
|
|
|
New Notes Offered |
|
U.S.$200,000,000 aggregate principal amount of 11% senior
senior notes due 2014, Series B. |
|
|
|
|
Issue Price |
|
100% |
| |
|
Maturity Date |
|
December 15, 2014. |
| |
|
Interest |
|
The new senior notes will bear interest at the annual rate of
11%, payable in arrears on each interest payment date. |
| |
|
Interest Payment Dates |
|
June 15 and December 15 of each year, commencing on
December 15, 2007. |
| |
|
Optional Redemption |
|
The Issuer may redeem some or all of the senior notes prior to
December 15, 2010 by paying a “make-whole”
premium and at any time thereafter at the redemption prices
listed in the section under the heading “Optional
Redemption,” plus accrued and unpaid interest and
additional interest, if any. See “Description of
Notes — Optional Redemption.” |
| |
|
Optional Redemption After Public Equity Offerings |
|
At any time (which may be more than once) before
December 15, 2009, the Issuer can choose to redeem up to
35% of the aggregate principal amount of the senior notes
originally issued with money that the Issuer raises in one or
more public equity offerings, as long as: |
| |
|
|
|
• the Issuer pays 111% of the face amount of the
senior notes, plus accrued and unpaid interest, if any;
|
| |
|
|
|
• the Issuer redeems the senior notes within
90 days of completing the public equity offering; and
|
| |
|
|
|
• at least 65% of the aggregate principal amount of
senior notes originally issued remains outstanding afterwards.
See “Description of Notes — Optional
Redemption.”
|
| |
|
Redemption for Tax Reasons |
|
Under certain circumstances, we may redeem the senior notes in
whole but not in part upon not less than 30 and no more than
60 days prior notice at a price equal to 100% of the
principal amount thereof, together with accrued and unpaid
interest to the date fixed for redemption plus any additional
amounts. See “Description of Notes — Optional Tax
Redemption.” |
7
|
|
|
|
Change of Control |
|
Upon a change of control, as defined under the section entitled
“Description of the Notes — Certain
Definitions,” we will be required to make an offer to
purchase the senior notes then outstanding at a purchase price
equal to 101% of their principal amount, plus accrued interest
to the date of repurchase. We may not have sufficient funds
available at the time of any change of control to make any
required debt repayment (including repurchases of the senior
notes). See “Description of Notes — Repurchase at
the Option of Holders — Change of Control.” |
| |
|
Asset Sale Offer |
|
If we or our Restricted Subsidiaries engage in asset sales and
we do not apply the proceeds as required under the indenture, we
may be required to make an offer to repurchase the new senior
notes. See “Description of Notes — Repurchase at
the Option of Holders — Asset Sales.” |
| |
|
Guarantees |
|
Guarantors will unconditionally guarantee, jointly and
severally, on a senior unsecured basis, all of the Issuer’s
obligations under the senior notes. See “Description of
Notes — Note Guarantees.” |
| |
|
Security |
|
The new senior notes will be secured by first-priority liens on
most of our telephone network systems and equipment assets. See
“Description of Notes — Security.” |
| |
|
Ranking |
|
The new senior notes will be secured senior obligations of the
Issuer and will rank: |
| |
|
|
|
• senior in right of payment to all of our existing
and future subordinated indebtedness;
|
| |
|
|
|
• equally in right of payment with any of our existing
and future senior indebtedness;
|
| |
|
|
|
• effectively junior in right of payment to all of our
secured indebtedness, to the extent of the value of the assets
securing such indebtedness; and
|
| |
|
|
|
• structurally junior to all of the obligations,
including trade payables, of any subsidiaries that do not
guarantee the senior notes.
|
| |
|
|
|
Similarly, the guarantee of each guarantor of the new senior
notes will rank: |
| |
|
|
|
• senior in right of payment to all of such
guarantor’s existing and future subordinated indebtedness;
|
| |
|
|
|
• equally in right of payment with any existing and
future senior unsecured indebtedness of such guarantor;
|
| |
|
|
|
• effectively junior in right of payment to all of
such guarantor’s secured indebtedness, to the extent of the
value of the assets securing such indebtedness; and
|
| |
|
|
|
• structurally junior to all of the obligations,
including trade payables, of any subsidiaries that do not
guarantee the senior notes.
|
| |
|
|
|
As of June 30, 2007: |
| |
|
|
|
• the Issuer and the Guarantors had approximately
U.S.$177.8 million in senior unsecured indebtedness
outstanding, including approximately
|
8
|
|
|
|
|
|
U.S.$1.9 million of indebtedness under various vendor
financing facilities; |
| |
|
|
|
• the Issuer and the Guarantors had no subordinated
indebtedness and no secured indebtedness; and
|
| |
|
|
|
• subsidiaries of ours that do not guarantee the
senior notes had U.S.$4.8 million of liabilities, including
trade payables, but excluding intercompany liabilities.
|
| |
|
|
|
Under Mexican law, holders of the senior notes will not have any
claim whatsoever against the Issuer’s or the
Guarantors’ non-guarantor subsidiaries. |
| |
|
Certain Indenture Provisions |
|
The indenture governing the new senior notes contains covenants
that, among other things, limit our ability and the ability of
our Restricted Subsidiaries to: |
| |
|
|
|
• incur additional debt;
|
| |
|
|
|
• pay dividends on, redeem or repurchase our capital
stock;
|
| |
|
|
|
• issue or sell stock of certain subsidiaries;
|
| |
|
|
|
• make investments;
|
| |
|
|
|
• create certain liens;
|
| |
|
|
|
• transfer and sell assets;
|
| |
|
|
|
• enter into sale and leaseback transactions;
|
| |
|
|
|
• enter into transactions with affiliates;
|
| |
|
|
|
• create unrestricted subsidiaries;
|
| |
|
|
|
• guarantee other debt; and
|
| |
|
|
|
• merge or consolidate with another company.
|
| |
|
|
|
See “Description of Notes — Certain
Covenants.” |
Before making an investment decision, you should carefully
consider all of the information in this prospectus, including
the discussion under the caption “Risk Factors,” for a
discussion of certain risks of participating in the exchange
offer.
Recent
Developments
On October 24, 2007, we completed an initial public
offering of shares of our Series A common stock in the form of
Ordinary Participation Certificates (Certificados de
Participación Ordinarios), or CPOs, including American
Depositary Shares, or ADSs, comprised of CPOs. In connection
with the initial public offering, each issued and outstanding
share of our Series A, Series B and Series N
common stock was converted into one new share of Series A
common stock. We issued a total of 304,608,201 shares of
Series A common stock in the initial public offering and,
immediately following the closing of our initial public
offering, our outstanding capital stock consisted of788,965,237
shares of Series A common stock, 1,528,827 shares of
which represent the fixed portion of our capital stock and
787,436,410 shares of which represent the variable portion
of our capital stock. We received U.S.$240.9 million in net
proceeds from the initial public offering. The principal purpose
of the initial public offering was to raise capital resources
which we currently intend to use for capital expenditures to
further expand our network. However, we currently have no
commitments or agreements to use the net proceeds of this
offering for capital expenditures, and we may use net proceeds
of the offering for general corporate purposes, including
9
repayment of debt, investment in our subsidiaries, working
capital, repurchases of stock or the financing of possible
acquisitions or business opportunities. We have not determined
the amounts we plan to spend on any of the uses described above
or the timing of these expenditures. The net proceeds may be
invested temporarily or applied to repay short-term debt until
they are used for other purposes.
In January 2006, the Mexican tax authorities commenced tax
audits of our subsidiary, Telereunión, S.A. de C.V., for
tax payments corresponding to the fiscal year of 2004. These
audits were completed on September 6, 2007. On
September 11, 2007, the Mexican tax authorities assessed
Telereunión, S.A. de C.V. a Ps.59,375,541.25 (approximately
U.S.$5.5 million) debt (credito fiscal) for
differences and omissions in the Telereunión, S.A. de C.V.
tax returns for fiscal year 2004. Also as part of this audit,
the Mexican tax authorities determined that Telereunión,
S.A. de C.V. was liable for paying Ps.8,239,605.09
(U.S.$750,000) to former employees in connection with
employees’ statutory profit sharing laws. We are currently
assessing the validity of these claims and, to the extent any of
them lack merit, intend to vigorously defend against such claim.
In connection with the share purchase agreement related to the
Grupo Telereunión acquisition, the Grupo VAC Investors
agreed to indemnify us for any out-of-pocket costs and expenses
incurred in connection with the negotiation, settlement and/or
resolution of these tax claims. To the extent we are ultimately
found to have liability following our appeal with respect to the
matters described above, we expect to obtain full indemnity from
the Grupo VAC Investors.
10
PRESENTATION
OF FINANCIAL INFORMATION
This prospectus includes our audited consolidated financial
statements as of December 31, 2006 and 2005 and for each of
the three years in the period ended December 31, 2006 and
also includes our unaudited consolidated financial statements as
of June 30, 2007 and for the six months ended June 30,
2007 and 2006, which have been prepared in accordance with
Mexican Financial Reporting Standards, which we refer to as
MFRS, NIF, or Mexican GAAP, which differs in certain significant
respects from generally accepted accounting principles in the
United States, or U.S. GAAP. Pursuant to Mexican GAAP, we
have prepared the financial statements and certain financial
data in accordance with
Bulletin B-10
“Recognition of Effects of Inflation on Financial
Information,” of the Mexican Institute of Public
Accountants, or MIPA, which requires a restatement of all full
year comparative financial statements to constant Mexican pesos
as of the date of the balance sheet for the most recently
completed fiscal year. We publish our financial statements in
pesos that are adjusted to reflect changes in purchasing power
due to inflation. Pursuant to Mexican GAAP, except for the
financial data as of and for the six months ended June 30,
2007 and 2006, which has been restated in constant pesos as of
June 30, 2007, and except as otherwise indicated, the
financial data for all other periods throughout this section
have been restated in constant pesos as of December 31,
2006. According to the Central Bank of Mexico (Banco de
México), the inflation rate from December 31, 2006
to June 30, 2007 was 0.6%. See note 22 to our
full-year audited consolidated financial statements for a
description of the principal differences, other than inflation
accounting, between Mexican GAAP and U.S. GAAP applicable
to us and for a reconciliation of our net income and
stockholders’ equity to U.S. GAAP as of
December 31, 2006 and 2005 and for the years ended
December 31, 2006, 2005 and 2004 and note 12 to our
interim unaudited consolidated financial statements for a
description of the principal differences, other than inflation
accounting, between Mexican GAAP and U.S. GAAP applicable to us
and for a reconciliation of our net income and
stockholders’ equity to U.S. GAAP as of June 30, 2007
and 2006 and for the six months ended June 30, 2007 and
2006.
Unless otherwise specified, all references to
“U.S. dollars,” “dollars,”
“U.S.$” or “$” are to United States dollars,
the legal currency of the United States, and references to
“pesos” or “Ps.” are to Mexican pesos, the
legal currency of Mexico. Except as otherwise indicated, peso
amounts as of and for the six months ended June 30, 2007
and 2006 have been converted to U.S. dollars at the exchange
rate of Ps.10.79 per U.S.$1.00, as reported by the Federal
Reserve Bank of New York as its noon buying rate on
June 29, 2007, the business day immediately preceding
June 30, 2007. Except as otherwise indicated, peso amounts
as of December 31, 2005 and 2006 and for the years ended
December 31, 2004, 2005 and 2006 have been converted to
U.S. dollars at the exchange rate of Ps.10.80 per U.S.$1.00, as
reported by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York as its noon
buying rate for pesos on December 29, 2006, the business
day immediately preceding December 31, 2006. Such
conversions are for the convenience of the reader and should not
be construed as representations that the peso amounts actually
represent such U.S. dollar amounts or could be converted into
U.S. dollars at the rate indicated, or at all. For more
information on exchange rates, see “Exchange Rates.”
Amounts presented in this prospectus may not add up due to
rounding.
11
SUMMARY
CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL INFORMATION
The following tables present our summary consolidated financial
information as of and for the periods indicated. This
information should be read in conjunction with, and is qualified
in its entirety by reference to, our consolidated financial
statements, including the notes thereto, and the information
contained under “Management’s Discussion and Analysis
of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” included
elsewhere in this prospectus. Our financial statements are
prepared in accordance with Mexican GAAP, which differs in
certain significant respects from U.S. GAAP. See
note 22 to our full-year audited consolidated financial
statements, which have been audited by PricewaterhouseCoopers,
S.C., registered public accounting firm, as stated in their
report included in this prospectus, and note 12 to our interim
unaudited consolidated financial statements for a discussion of
the significant differences between Mexican GAAP and
U.S. GAAP as they relate to our business. Results of the
interim periods are not necessarily indicative of results that
may be expected for a full fiscal year or any other future
period.
We have derived this summary consolidated financial information
for the years ended December 31, 2004, 2005 and 2006 and as
of December 31, 2005 and 2006 from our audited consolidated
financial statements and accompanying notes included elsewhere
in this prospectus. The summary consolidated financial
information as of June 30, 2007 and for the six months
ended June 30, 2006 and 2007 has been derived from our
unaudited interim consolidated financial statements included
elsewhere in this prospectus.
As reported by the Banco de México, the rate of inflation
was 0.6% for the period from December 31, 2006 to
June 30, 2007 and 3.9% for the period from June 30,
2006 to June 30, 2007.
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Year Ended December 31,
|
|
|
Six Months Ended June 30,
|
|
|
|
|
2004
|
|
|
2005
|
|
|
2006
|
|
|
2006(2)
|
|
|
2006
|
|
|
2007
|
|
|
2007(3)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
(unaudited)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
(thousands of constant December 31,
|
|
|
(unaudited, thousands of constant June 30,
|
|
|
|
|
2006 pesos and thousands of U.S. dollars,
|
|
|
2007 pesos and thousands of U.S. dollars,
|
|
|
|
|
except per share and share
amounts)(1)
|
|
|
except per share and
share amounts)(1)
|
|
|
|
|
Statement of Operations Data:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Mexican GAAP
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Net revenues
|
|
Ps.
|
933,513
|
|
|
Ps.
|
1,197,104
|
|
|
Ps.
|
1,678,593
|
|
|
U.S.$
|
155,432
|
|
|
Ps.
|
739,408
|
|
|
Ps.
|
1,075,507
|
|
|
U.S.$
|
99,676
|
|
|
Operating costs and expenses:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Network operating costs
|
|
|
(329,439
|
)
|
|
|
(399,320
|
)
|
|
|
(652,452
|
)
|
|
|
(60,415
|
)
|
|
|
(265,676
|
)
|
|
|
(456,471
|
)
|
|
|
(42,305
|
)
|
|
Selling, general and administrative expenses
|
|
|
(402,551
|
)
|
|
|
(487,250
|
)
|
|
|
(585,496
|
)
|
|
|
(54,215
|
)
|
|
|
(273,001
|
)
|
|
|
(320,310
|
)
|
|
|
(29,686
|
)
|
|
Depreciation and amortization
|
|
|
(360,071
|
)
|
|
|
(293,051
|
)
|
|
|
(289,582
|
)
|
|
|
(26,814
|
)
|
|
|
(130,908
|
)
|
|
|
(190,345
|
)
|
|
|
(17,641
|
)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total operating costs and expenses
|
|
|
(1,092,061
|
)
|
|
|
(1,179,621
|
)
|
|
|
(1,527,530
|
)
|
|
|
(141,445
|
)
|
|
|
(669,585
|
)
|
|
|
(967,126
|
)
|
|
|
(89,632
|
)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Operating (loss) income
|
|
|
(158,548
|
)
|
|
|
17,483
|
|
|
|
151,063
|
|
|
|
13,988
|
|
|
|
69,823
|
|
|
|
108,381
|
|
|
|
10,045
|
|
|
Integral cost (income)
of financing:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Interest expense, net
|
|
|
(40,303
|
)
|
|
|
(101,058
|
)
|
|
|
(130,534
|
)
|
|
|
(12,087
|
)
|
|
|
(46,858
|
)
|
|
|
(90,111
|
)
|
|
|
(8,351
|
)
|
|
Exchange (loss) gain, net
|
|
|
(1,510
|
)
|
|
|
20,783
|
|
|
|
6,511
|
|
|
|
603
|
|
|
|
(30,781
|
)
|
|
|
18,430
|
|
|
|
1,708
|
|
|
Gain on net monetary position
|
|
|
92,649
|
|
|
|
22,985
|
|
|
|
20,724
|
|
|
|
1,919
|
|
|
|
3,966
|
|
|
|
5,330
|
|
|
|
494
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total integral cost of financing
|
|
|
50,836
|
|
|
|
(57,290
|
)
|
|
|
(103,299
|
)
|
|
|
(9,565
|
)
|
|
|
(73,673
|
)
|
|
|
(66,351
|
)
|
|
|
(6,149
|
)
|
|
Other income (expense), net
|
|
|
(852
|
)
|
|
|
9,354
|
|
|
|
(1,065
|
)
|
|
|
(99
|
)
|
|
|
666
|
|
|
|
(2,777
|
)
|
|
|
(257
|
)
|
|
Special
item(4)
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
|
(15,988
|
)
|
|
|
(17,031
|
)
|
|
|
(1,577
|
)
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
Tax
|
|
|
(30,144
|
)
|
|
|
(27,685
|
)
|
|
|
(57,875
|
)
|
|
|
(5,359
|
)
|
|
|
(3,710
|
)
|
|
|
(56,054
|
)
|
|
|
(5,195
|
)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Net income (loss) for the period
|
|
Ps.
|
(138,708
|
)
|
|
Ps.
|
(74,126
|
)
|
|
Ps.
|
(28,207
|
)
|
|
U.S.$
|
(2,612
|
)
|
|
Ps.
|
(6,894
|
)
|
|
Ps.
|
(16,801
|
)
|
|
U.S.$
|
(1,557
|
)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Basic earnings (loss) per
share(5)
|
|
Ps.
|
(0.47
|
)
|
|
Ps.
|
(0.18
|
)
|
|
Ps
|
.(0.06
|
)
|
|
U.S.$
|
(0.006
|
)
|
|
Ps.
|
(0.017
|
)
|
|
Ps.
|
(0.035
|
)
|
|
U.S.$
|
(0.003
|
)
|
|
Diluted earnings (loss) per
share(5)
|
|
|
(0.47
|
)
|
|
|
(0.18
|
)
|
|
|
(0.06
|
)
|
|
|
(0.006
|
)
|
|
|
(0.017
|
)
|
|
|
(0.032
|
)
|
|
|
(0.003
|
)
|
|
Weighted average number of shares outstanding (thousands of
shares)(5)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Basic
|
|
|
293,032
|
|
|
|
403,521
|
|
|
|
442,928
|
|
|
|
442,928
|
|
|
|
403,521
|
|
|
|
482,934
|
|
|
|
482,934
|
|
|
Diluted
|
|
|
293,032
|
|
|
|
403,521
|
|
|
|
467,628
|
|
|
|
467,628
|
|
|
|
403,521
|
|
|
|
529,016
|
|
|
|
529,016
|
|
12
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Year Ended December 31,
|
|
|
Six Months Ended June 30,
|
|
|
|
|
2004
|
|
|
2005
|
|
|
2006
|
|
|
2006(2)
|
|
|
2006
|
|
|
2007
|
|
|
2007(3)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
(unaudited)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
(thousands of constant December 31,
|
|
|
(unaudited, thousands of constant June 30,
|
|
|
|
|
2006 pesos and thousands of U.S. dollars,
|
|
|
2007 pesos and thousands of U.S. dollars,
|
|
|
|
|
except per share and share
amounts)(1)
|
|
|
except per share and
share amounts)(1)
|
|
|
|
|
U.S. GAAP
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Operating (loss) gain
|
|
Ps.
|
(207,965
|
)
|
|
Ps.
|
(5,678
|
)
|
|
Ps.
|
(48,775
|
)
|
|
U.S.$
|
(4,516
|
)
|
|
Ps.
|
(69,602
|
)
|
|
Ps.
|
98,046
|
|
|
U.S.$
|
9,087
|
|
|
Net (loss) gain
|
|
|
1,271,427
|
|
|
|
178,890
|
|
|
|
12,009
|
|
|
|
1,112
|
|
|
|
(22,771
|
)
|
|
|
(38,729
|
)
|
|
|
(3,589
|
)
|
|
Basic earnings (loss) per
share(5)
|
|
|
4.34
|
|
|
|
0.44
|
|
|
|
0.03
|
|
|
|
0.003
|
|
|
|
(0.06
|
)
|
|
|
(0.08
|
)
|
|
|
(0.007
|
)
|
|
Diluted earnings (loss) per
share(5)
|
|
|
4.34
|
|
|
|
0.44
|
|
|
|
0.03
|
|
|
|
0.003
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
Ratio of earnings to fixed charges under U.S.
GAAP(8)
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
|
2.92
|
|
|
|
1.55
|
|
|
|
1.55
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
|
1.42
|
|
|
|
1.42
|
|
|
Other Financial Data:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Mexican GAAP
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
EBITDA(6)
|
|
|
201,523
|
|
|
|
310,534
|
|
|
|
440,645
|
|
|
|
40,802
|
|
|
|
200,731
|
|
|
|
298,726
|
|
|
|
27,685
|
|
|
Capital
expenditures(7)
|
|
|
373,926
|
|
|
|
465,183
|
|
|
|
1,004,131
|
|
|
|
92,979
|
|
|
|
440,932
|
|
|
|
652,583
|
|
|
|
60,480
|
|
|
Ratio of earnings to fixed
charges(8)
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
|
1.05
|
|
|
|
1.05
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
|
1.06
|
|
|
|
1.06
|
|
|
Total
debt(9)
|
|
|
866,574
|
|
|
|
1,174,735
|
|
|
|
1,993,541
|
|
|
|
184,587
|
|
|
|
1,433,006
|
|
|
|
1,918,620
|
|
|
|
177,815
|
|
|
Total interest expense
|
|
|
40,303
|
|
|
|
105,389
|
|
|
|
138,814
|
|
|
|
12,853
|
|
|
|
43,692
|
|
|
|
111,939
|
|
|
|
10,374
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
As of June 30, 2007
|
|
|
|
|
Actual
|
|
|
Pro
Forma(11)
|
|
|
Actual(3)
|
|
|
Pro
Forma(3)(11)
|
|
|
|
|
(unaudited, thousands of constant June 30, 2007
|
|
|
|
|
pesos and thousands of U.S.
dollars)(1)
|
|
|
|
|
Balance Sheet Data
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Mexican GAAP
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Cash and temporary investments
|
|
Ps.
|
152,832
|
|
|
Ps.
|
3,019,406
|
|
|
U.S.$
|
14,164
|
|
|
U.S.$
|
279,823
|
|
|
Working
capital(10)
|
|
|
83,971
|
|
|
|
83,971
|
|
|
|
7,782
|
|
|
|
7,782
|
|
|
Total assets
|
|
|
4,986,151
|
|
|
|
7,852,907
|
|
|
|
462,108
|
|
|
|
727,767
|
|
|
Total liabilities
|
|
|
2,789,239
|
|
|
|
3,059,104
|
|
|
|
258,502
|
|
|
|
283,502
|
|
|
Total shareholders’ equity
|
|
|
2,196,912
|
|
|
|
4,793,803
|
|
|
|
203,606
|
|
|
|
444,265
|
|
|
|
|
|
(1)
|
|
Pursuant to Mexican GAAP, except
for the financial data as of June 30, 2007 and for the six
month periods ended June 30, 2006 and 2007, which have been
restated in constant pesos as of June 30, 2007, and except
as otherwise indicated, the financial data for all other periods
throughout this section have been restated in constant pesos as
of December 31, 2006. Since financial data as of
June 30, 2007 and for the six month periods ended
June 30, 2006 and 2007 is presented in constant pesos in
purchasing power as of June 30, 2007, it is not directly
comparable to our audited consolidated year-end financial
information included elsewhere in this prospectus. Restatement
into December 31, 2006 pesos is made by multiplying the
relevant nominal peso amount by the accumulated inflation index
for the period between the end of the period to which such
nominal peso amount relates and December 31, 2006. We use
the inflation index 1.0519 for December 31, 2004 figures,
1.0333 for December 31, 2005 figures, 1.0405 for
December 31, 2006 figures, 1.039 for June 30, 2006 and
1.000 for June 30, 2007 figures. See
“Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial
Condition and Results of Operations.”
|
|
|
|
|
(2)
|
|
Peso amounts were converted to U.S.
dollars at the exchange rate of Ps.10.80 per U.S.$1.00, as
reported by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York as its
noon buying rate for pesos on December 29, 2006, the
business day immediately preceding December 31, 2006. Such
conversions are for the convenience of the reader and should not
be construed as representations that the peso amounts actually
represent such U.S. dollar amounts or could be converted into
U.S. dollars at the rate indicated, or at all.
|
|
|
|
|
(3)
|
|
Peso amounts were converted to U.S.
dollars at the exchange rate of Ps.10.79 per U.S.$1.00, as
reported by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York as its
noon buying rate on June 29, 2007, the business day
immediately preceding June 30, 2007. Such conversions are
for the convenience of the reader and should not be construed as
representations that the peso amounts actually represent such
U.S. dollar amounts or could be converted into U.S. dollars at
the rate indicated, or at all.
|
|
|
|
|
(4)
|
|
Special item refers to
(a) expenses we incurred in connection with the sale of our
subsidiary, Mijolife, S.A. de C.V., on November 22, 2005
and (b) the recognition of Ps.17.0 million, derived
from the total amortization of the debt issuance costs related
to the repayment of the
133/4%
series bonds, the 2009 senior
step-up
notes and the 2007 senior notes. As of January 1, 2007, we
adopted Mexican FRS NIF B-3, “Statement of Income,”
which incorporates, among other things, a new approach to
classifying income and expenses as ordinary and non-ordinary,
eliminates special and extraordinary items and eliminates the
cumulative effect of accounting changes. The adoption of this
|
13
|
|
|
|
|
|
standard will affect our year end
2007 financial statements through the reclassification into
general expenses of the special items that were previously
presented in a separated line in the income statement. Our
unaudited interim financial statements as of June 30, 2007
and for the six months ended June 30, 2006 and 2007 already
reflect the application of this standard.
|
|
(5)
|
|
Earnings per share data give effect
to the reclassification of all classes and series of outstanding
stock into a single class of Series A common stock
immediately prior to the completion of this offering.
|
|
|
|
|
(6)
|
|
EBITDA for any period is defined as
consolidated net income (loss) excluding depreciation and
amortization, total integral cost of financing, other (income)
expenses, special items and tax. EBITDA is not a recognized
financial measure under Mexican GAAP or U.S. GAAP and does not
purport to be, and should not be considered to be, an
alternative to net income as a measure of operating performance
or to cash flows from operating activity as a measure of
liquidity. The following table sets forth a reconciliation of
EBITDA to net income (loss) under Mexican GAAP for each of the
periods presented above.
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Year Ended December 31,
|
|
Six Months Ended June 30,
|
|
|
|
2004
|
|
2005
|
|
2006
|
|
2006
|
|
2006
|
|
2007
|
|
2007
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
(unaudited)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
(thousands of constant December 31,
|
|
(unaudited, thousands of constant
|
|
|
|
2006 pesos and thousands of U.S. dollars)
|
|
June 30, 2007 pesos and thousands
|
|
|
|
|
|
of U.S. dollars)
|
|
|
|
Net income (loss)
|
|
Ps.
|
(138,708
|
)
|
|
Ps.
|
(74,126
|
)
|
|
Ps.
|
(28,207
|
)
|
|
U.S.$
|
(2,612
|
)
|
|
Ps.
|
(6,894
|
)
|
|
Ps.
|
(16,801
|
)
|
|
U.S.$
|
(1,557
|
)
|
|
Depreciation and amortization
|
|
|
360,071
|
|
|
|
293,051
|
|
|
|
289,582
|
|
|
|
26,814
|
|
|
|
130,908
|
|
|
|
190,345
|
|
|
|
17,641
|
|
|
Total integral cost of financing
|
|
|
(50,836
|
)
|
|
|
57,290
|
|
|
|
103,299
|
|
|
|
9,565
|
|
|
|
73,673
|
|
|
|
66,351
|
|
|
|
6,149
|
|
|
Other income (expense) net
|
|
|
852
|
|
|
|
(9,354
|
)
|
|
|
1,065
|
|
|
|
99
|
|
|
|
(666
|
)
|
|
|
2,777
|
|
|
|
257
|
|
|
Special
item(4)
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
|
15,988
|
|
|
|
17,031
|
|
|
|
1,577
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
Tax
|
|
|
30,144
|
|
|
|
27,685
|
|
|
|
57,875
|
|
|
|
5,359
|
|
|
|
3,710
|
|
|
|
56,054
|
|
|
|
5,195
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
EBITDA
|
|
Ps.
|
201,523
|
|
|
Ps.
|
310,534
|
|
|
Ps.
|
440,645
|
|
|
U.S.$
|
40,802
|
|
|
Ps.
|
200,731
|
|
|
Ps.
|
298,726
|
|
|
U.S.$
|
27,685
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
EBITDA has been included solely
because we believe it is a meaningful indication of our
operating performance. We believe that EBITDA can be useful to
facilitate comparisons of operating performance between periods
and with other companies because it excludes the effect of
(i) depreciation and amortization, which represents a
non-cash charge to earnings, (ii) certain financing costs,
which are significantly affected by external factors, including
interest rates, foreign currency exchange rates and inflation
rates, which have little or no bearing on our operating
performance, (iii) income tax and tax on assets and
statutory employee profit sharing, which is similar to a tax on
income and (iv) other expenses or income not related to the
operation of the business. EBITDA is also a useful basis of
comparing our results with those of other companies because it
presents operating results on a basis unaffected by capital
structure and taxes. You should review EBITDA, along with
consolidated net income (loss) and resources arising from (used
in) operating activities, investing activities and financing
activities, when trying to understand our operating performance.
However, companies define EBITDA in different ways and caution
must be used in comparing this measurement to EBITDA of other
companies.
|
|
|
|
|
(7)
|
|
Capital expenditures include
frequency rights, telephone network systems and equipment,
intangible assets and other assets. Investing activities in the
consolidated statements of changes in financial position are net
of dispositions. In accordance with our capital expenditures
policy, any acquisition of a subsidiary will be considered a
capital expenditure since our investment in subsidiaries is part
of our strategy to incorporate new network systems.
|
|
|
|
|
(8)
|
|
Our earnings were insufficient to
cover fixed charges for the periods 1998 through 2005 and the
six month period ended June 30, 2006. Fixed charges include
interest expense, capitalized interest and the portion of
operating lease rental expense that represents the interest
factor. The fixed charge coverage deficiency under Mexican GAAP
was Ps.108.0 million in 2004, Ps.46.0 million in 2005
and Ps.31.9 million for the six-month period ended
June 30, 2006. Under U.S. GAAP, the fixed charge deficiency
was Ps.1,301 million in 2004 and Ps.58.8 million in
the six-month period ended June 30, 2006.
|
|
|
|
|
(9)
|
|
Total debt is as of the end of the
period indicated.
|
|
|
|
|
(10)
|
|
Working capital is defined as
current assets (excluding cash and temporary investments and
restricted cash) less current liabilities (excluding current
maturities of long-term debt, which includes interest payable).
|
|
|
|
|
(11)
|
|
Pro forma amounts as of
June 30, 2007 give effect to the private placement of
U.S.$25 million aggregate principal amount of our senior
notes completed on September 5, 2007 and the initial public
offering of our Series A common stock in the form of CPOs,
including ADSs comprised of CPOs, which was completed on
October 24, 2007.
|
14
You should carefully consider the following risks, as well as
other information contained in this prospectus when deciding
whether to participate in the exchange offer. Any of the
following risks could materially adversely affect our business,
financial condition or results of operations.
The risks described below are not the only ones that may
affect us or the senior notes. In general, investing in the
securities of issuers in emerging market countries such as
Mexico involves risks not typically associated with investing in
the securities of U.S. companies.
Risk
Factors Associated with the Exchange Offer
Because
there is no public market for the senior notes, you may not be
able to resell your senior notes.
The new senior notes will be registered under the Securities
Act, but will constitute a new issue of securities with no
established trading market, and there can be no assurance as to:
|
|
|
| |
•
|
the liquidity of any trading market that may develop;
|
| |
| |
•
|
the ability of holders to sell their new senior notes; or
|
| |
| |
•
|
the price at which the holders would be able to sell their new
senior notes.
|
If a trading market were to develop, the new senior notes might
trade at higher or lower prices than their principal amount or
purchase price, depending on many factors, including prevailing
interest rates, the market for similar securities and our
financial performance.
We understand that the initial purchasers presently intend to
make a market in the senior notes. However, they are not
obligated to do so, and any market-making activity with respect
to the senior notes may be discontinued at any time without
notice. In addition, any market-making activity will be subject
to the limits imposed by the Securities Act and the Securities
Exchange Act of 1934, and may be limited during the exchange
offer or the pendency of an applicable shelf registration
statement. We currently intend to list the new senior notes on
the PORTAL market, Luxembourg Stock Exchange, however, we cannot
assure you that a PORTAL, Luxembourg Stock Exchange listing will
be obtained. There can be no assurance that an active trading
market will exist for the senior notes or that any trading
market that does develop will be liquid.
In addition, any holder of outstanding senior notes who tenders
in the exchange offer for the purpose of participating in a
distribution of the new senior notes may be deemed to have
received restricted securities, and if so, will be required to
comply with the registration and prospectus delivery
requirements of the Securities Act in connection with any resale
transaction. For a description of these requirements, see
“Exchange Offer.”
Your
outstanding senior notes will not be accepted for exchange if
you fail to follow the exchange offer procedures and, as a
result, your senior notes will continue to be subject to
existing transfer restrictions and you may not be able to sell
your outstanding senior notes.
We will not accept your senior notes for exchange if you do not
follow the exchange offer procedures. We will issue new senior
notes as part of this exchange offer only after a timely receipt
of your outstanding senior notes, a properly completed and duly
executed letter of transmittal and all other required documents.
Therefore, if you want to tender your outstanding senior notes,
please allow sufficient time to ensure timely delivery. If we do
not receive your senior notes, letter of transmittal and other
required documents by the expiration date of the exchange offer,
we will not accept your senior notes for exchange. We are under
no duty to give notification of defects or irregularities with
respect to the tenders of outstanding senior notes for exchange.
If there are defects or irregularities with respect to your
tender of outstanding senior notes, we may not accept your
outstanding senior notes for exchange. For more information, see
“Exchange Offer.”
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If you
do not exchange your outstanding senior notes, your outstanding
senior notes will continue to be subject to the existing
transfer restrictions and you may not be able to sell your
outstanding senior notes.
We did not register the outstanding senior notes, nor do we
intend to do so following the exchange offer. Outstanding senior
notes that are not tendered will therefore continue to be
subject to the existing transfer restrictions and may be
transferred only in limited circumstances under the securities
laws. If you do not exchange your outstanding senior notes, you
will lose your right to have your outstanding senior notes
registered under the federal securities laws. As a result, if
you hold outstanding senior notes after the exchange offer, you
may not be able to sell your outstanding senior notes.
Risks
Relating to the Notes and the Guarantees
We may
not be able to generate sufficient cash flows to meet our debt
service obligations.
Our ability to make payments on and to refinance our
indebtedness, including the senior notes, and to fund planned
capital expenditures will depend on our ability to generate cash
from our future operations. This, to a certain extent, is
subject to general economic, financial, competitive,
legislative, regulatory and other factors that are beyond our
control, including those described in this prospectus.
Our business plan, including the expansion of our network and
services, requires significant capital expenditures. In turn,
our ability to fund these planned capital expenditures as well
as our operating expenses and our debt service obligations will
depend on our ability to develop a significantly larger customer
base and increase our operating cash flows. However, we may not
succeed in attracting more customers and as a result our
business may not generate sufficient operating cash flows to
implement our business plan or even meet our existing debt
service obligations. For example, from our incorporation in 1996
through 2003 we generated negative cash flows from operating
activities. We may need to refinance or restructure all or a
portion of our indebtedness, including the senior notes, on or
before maturity. We may not be able to refinance any of our
indebtedness, including the senior notes, on commercially
reasonable terms, or at all. If we cannot service our
indebtedness, we may have to take actions such as selling
assets, seeking additional equity investments or reducing or
delaying capital expenditures, strategic acquisitions,
investments and alliances, any of which could inhibit the
implementation of our business plan and materially harm our
operating results and financial condition. We may not be able to
effect such actions, if necessary, on commercially reasonable
terms, or at all. Under such circumstances, our ability to
generate sufficient cash flow could adversely effect our ability
to continue as a going concern.
Our
substantial indebtedness could have a material adverse effect on
our financial condition, including our ability to fulfill our
obligations under the senior notes and our ability to operate
our business and implement our business plan.
We are highly leveraged. As of June 30, 2007, we had total
indebtedness in the amount of Ps.1,918.6 million
(U.S.$177.8 million), which consists primarily of
U.S.$175 million aggregate principal of senior notes. In
addition, on September 5, 2007, we issued an additional
U.S.$25 million aggregate principal amount of our senior
notes. We will use approximately U.S.$23.1 million annually
from our cash flows to service our senior notes. For the
six months ended June 30, 2007, our ratio of earnings
to fixed charges was 1.06. Despite our current level of
indebtedness, we may be able to incur substantial additional
indebtedness, including secured indebtedness. Although the terms
of the indenture governing the senior notes restrict us and our
restricted subsidiaries from incurring additional indebtedness,
these restrictions are subject to important exceptions and
qualifications including with respect to our ability to incur
additional senior secured indebtedness. If we or our
subsidiaries incur additional indebtedness to finance working
capital, capital expenditures, investments or acquisitions or
for other purposes, the risks related to our business associated
with our high level of indebtedness could be intensified.
Specifically, our high level of indebtedness could have
important consequences to our business, including the following:
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making it more difficult for us to satisfy our obligations with
respect to our indebtedness;
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requiring us to dedicate a substantial portion of our cash flow
from operations to debt service payments, reducing the funds
available for working capital, capital expenditures,
acquisitions and other general corporate purposes;
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limiting our flexibility in planning for, or reacting to,
changes in the telecommunications industry;
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limiting our ability to take advantage of opportunities for
acquisitions and other business combinations;
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placing us at a competitive disadvantage compared to our less
leveraged competitors;
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increasing our vulnerability to both general and
industry-specific adverse economic conditions; and
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limiting our ability to obtain additional financing or obtain it
on commercially reasonable terms, to fund future working
capital, capital expenditures, acquisitions or other general
corporate requirements and increasing our cost of borrowing.
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If we and our subsidiaries incur substantial additional
indebtedness in the future, the leverage-related risks that we
now face could intensify and have a material adverse effect on
business, results of operation and financial condition.
The
indenture governing the senior notes contains restrictions on
our ability to operate our business and to pursue our business
strategies. Our failure to comply with these covenants could
result in an acceleration of our indebtedness.
The indenture governing the senior notes contains covenants that
may restrict our ability to finance future operations or capital
needs, to respond to changing business and economic conditions
or to engage in certain transactions or business activities that
may be important to our growth strategy, necessary to remain
competitive or otherwise important to us. The indenture
restricts, among others, our ability to:
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incur additional indebtedness;
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pay dividends or make other distributions on our capital stock
or repurchase our capital stock or subordinated indebtedness;
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make investments or other specified restricted payments;
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create liens;
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enter into mergers, consolidations, sales of substantially all
of our assets and other forms of business combinations;
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enter into change of control transactions;
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sell assets and subsidiary stock; and
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enter into transactions with affiliates.
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If we do not comply with these restrictions, we could be in
default despite our ability to service our indebtedness. If
there were an event of default under the indenture for the
senior notes, holders of the senior notes could demand immediate
payment of the aggregate principal amount and accrued interest
on the senior notes outstanding which, as of August 31,
2007, was an amount equal to U.S.$179.1 million, not
including the U.S.$25 million aggregate principal amount of
senior notes issued on September 5, 2007. This could lead
to our inability to pay our obligations or to our bankruptcy or
reorganization for the benefit of our creditors. Any additional
financings we obtain in the future would most likely contain
similar or more restrictive covenants.
The terms of the indenture governing our senior notes
restricting us and our restricted subsidiaries from incurring
additional indebtedness are subject to certain exceptions and
qualifications including exceptions allowing us to incur capital
lease, financing and purchase money obligations not exceeding
U.S.$10 million and additional indebtedness not exceeding
U.S.$10 million. If we or our subsidiaries incur additional
indebtedness to finance working capital, capital expenditures,
investments or acquisitions or for other purposes, the risks
related to our business associated with our high level of
indebtedness could be intensified.
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You
may not be able to enforce the guarantees of our subsidiaries
under the senior notes.
The subsidiary guarantees provide a basis for a direct claim
against the subsidiary guarantors; however, it is possible that
the subsidiary guarantees will not be enforceable. The laws of
Mexico do not prevent the subsidiary guarantees from being
valid, binding and enforceable against the subsidiary guarantors
in accordance with their terms, provided they are in compliance
with certain requirements under Mexican law. However, the
obligation of each subsidiary guarantor may be subject to review
under Mexican or U.S. state or federal fraudulent transfer
laws. Under such laws, in a lawsuit by an unpaid creditor or
representative of creditors of one of our subsidiaries such as a
trustee in bankruptcy or the subsidiary guarantor as
debtor-in-possession,
if a court were to find that at the time such obligation was
incurred, the subsidiary guarantor, among other things:
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did not receive fair consideration or reasonably equivalent
value, and
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(1) was insolvent, (2) was rendered insolvent,
(3) was engaged in a business or transaction for which its
remaining unencumbered assets constituted unreasonably small
capital or (4) intended to incur or believed that it would
incur debts beyond its ability to pay such debts as they matured,
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the court could void the subsidiary guarantor’s obligation
and direct the return of any payments made to the subsidiary
guarantor or to a fund for the benefit of its creditors.
Moreover, regardless of the factors identified in the prior
clauses (1) through (4), the court could void such
obligation and direct repayment if it found that the obligation
was incurred with an intent to hinder, delay or defraud the
creditors.
In addition, under Mexican Bankruptcy Law (Ley de Concursos
Mercantiles), if any of the Guarantors that are located in
Mexico are judicially declared bankrupt, such Guarantors’
obligations under its note guarantee will be subordinated to
secured creditors and certain statutorily preferred creditors,
such as those holding labor, tax and social security related
claims, which will have preference over any other claims,
including claims related to the senior notes described in this
prospectus.
The
senior notes may be effectively subordinated to our obligations
under other secured indebtedness to the extent that these
obligations are secured by collateral that does not secure the
senior notes.
To the extent that our assets secure other indebtedness, but do
not secure the senior notes, the senior notes will be
effectively subordinated to such other obligations. In the event
of a bankruptcy, liquidation, reorganization or the winding up
of our business, assets securing other indebtedness would not be
available to pay obligations under the senior notes unless and
until payment in full of the obligations under such other
secured indebtedness. Likewise, if the lenders under such other
indebtedness accelerate such obligations, then those creditors
would be entitled to exercise the remedies to secured creditors
under applicable law.
Payments
on the senior notes and the guarantees will be effectively
junior to the liabilities of any non-guarantor
subsidiaries.
The senior notes and the guarantees will constitute secured
unsubordinated obligations of the Issuer and the Guarantors and
will rank equal in right of payment with all of the other
existing and future unsubordinated indebtedness of the Issuer
and the Guarantors. Payment on the senior notes will be
effectively subordinated to the payment of secured and unsecured
debt and other creditors of our and the Guarantors’
non-guarantor subsidiaries. In addition, under Mexican law, the
obligations of the Guarantors under the guarantees are
subordinated to certain statutory preferences, including claims
for salaries, wages, secured obligations, social security,
taxes, court fees, expenses and costs. In the event of the
Guarantors’ liquidation, such statutory preferences will
have preference over any other claims, including claims by any
holder of the senior notes.
As of June 30, 2007, the Issuer had Ps.1,918.6 million
indebtedness and the Guarantors had no consolidated
indebtedness. As of June 30, 2007, Ps.2.7 million of
our cash was held in reserve pursuant to a trust arrangement in
connection with our IXE Banco and Banco Mercantil del Norte loan
facilities (this amount equals approximately one month’s
interest under such credit facilities).
Not all of our subsidiaries are guarantors of the senior notes.
However, our financial information (including our financial
statements included herein) is presented on a consolidated
basis. For the six month period ended June 30,
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2007, our non-guarantor subsidiaries accounted for approximately
5.8% of our net revenue. As of June 30, 2007, our
non-guarantor subsidiaries had liabilities in the amount of
U.S.$4.8 million.
The
provisions of the indenture governing the senior notes generally
do not apply to our Unrestricted Subsidiaries and therefore
their ability to incur debt, encumber their assets and make
payments and distributions, among other matters, is not limited
thereby.
Generally, the covenants and events of default included in the
indenture do not apply to the Unrestricted Subsidiaries. See
“Description of Notes.” As a result, the indenture
imposes no limitations on the ability of the Unrestricted
Subsidiaries to incur debt, make restricted payments, pledge
their assets, make assets sales, and permit restrictions on
their ability to pay dividends or make other distributions to us
or issue their stock to third parties. Moreover, our
Unrestricted Subsidiaries will not guarantee the senior notes.
Thus, the senior notes will be effectively subordinated to all
obligations, including indebtedness and trade payables, of our
Unrestricted Subsidiaries. As a result, when evaluating our
credit risk and making an investment decision with respect to
the senior notes, you should not expect that the assets or cash
flow of, if any, or our equity interest in, the Unrestricted
Subsidiaries or those Restricted Subsidiaries will be available
to repay the principal of, or pay interest on, the senior notes.
As of June 30, 2007, we currently do not have any
Unrestricted Subsidiaries. Subject to the limitations described
under “Description of Notes — Certain
Covenants — Restricted Payments,” however, we
will be permitted to designate new or existing subsidiaries as
Unrestricted Subsidiaries.
Laws
affecting creditors’ rights and contractual restrictions of
the subsidiary guarantors may limit the remedies of holders of
the senior notes.
Under Mexican law, there are provisions that affect or may
affect creditors’ rights generally or the rights of some
creditors in particular. Those provisions include, among other
things:
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a creditor’s right to request the nullification of an
action taken by a debtor to the prejudice of such
creditor; and
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priority given to preferred creditors, pursuant to which labor
claims, claims of tax authorities for unpaid taxes and claims of
secured creditors or creditors with a special privilege under
the law will have priority over claims of unsecured creditors.
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The measure of insolvency will vary depending upon the law of
the jurisdiction being applied. Generally, however, an entity
would be considered insolvent if the sum of its debts is greater
than all of its property (including collection rights) at a fair
valuation or if the present fair salable value of its assets is
less than the amount that will be required to pay its probable
liability on its existing debts as they become absolute and
matured.
In addition, the subsidiary guarantors may be or become subject
to contractual restrictions on their ability to make payments on
the subsidiary guarantees. If a subsidiary guarantor is sold,
merged or consolidated in a transaction in which it is not the
surviving entity, it will be released from all obligations under
its subsidiary guarantee. See “Description of
Notes — Note Guarantees” and “Description of
Notes — Limitation on the Sale or Issuance of Capital
Stock of Restricted Securities.”
If the subsidiary guarantees are held not to be enforceable, the
senior notes would effectively be subordinated to all
liabilities of the subsidiary guarantors, including trade
payables and accrued liabilities.
You
may be unable to recover in civil proceedings for U.S.
securities laws violations.
In connection with the transaction described in this prospectus,
we have consented to the jurisdiction of the courts of the State
of New York in the Borough of Manhattan and the United States
Federal District Courts in the Southern District of New York. We
are organized under the laws of Mexico as a sociedad
anónima de capital variable. Some of our directors and
officers named herein reside outside of the United States and
some or a significant portion of the assets of such persons may
be, and substantially all of our assets are, located outside of
the United States. As a result, it may not be possible for
investors to effect service of process upon such persons or
entities outside of Mexico or to enforce judgments against us or
them in the courts of jurisdictions other than Mexico or enforce
any judgments obtained in such courts that are predicated upon
the laws of such other jurisdictions. There
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is doubt as to the enforceability against such persons in
Mexico, whether in original actions or in actions to enforce
judgments of U.S. courts, of liabilities predicated solely on
U.S. federal securities laws because Mexican courts may
determine that the obligations for which enforcement is sought
contravenes or goes beyond Mexican law (and public policy
(órden público) thereunder).
We may
not be able to finance the repurchase of all of the senior notes
should there be a change of control offer.
If there is a change of control, as defined under
“Description of Notes — Change of Control,”
for any reason, we would have the obligation to offer to
repurchase the senior notes at 101% of their principal amount,
plus accrued and unpaid interest, if any. The source of funds
for any repurchase of the senior notes and any such other
payments due upon the occurrence of a change of control will be
our available cash or cash equivalents, if any. We cannot assure
you, however, that we will have access to sufficient funds to
purchase all of the senior notes that might be delivered by
holders of the senior notes seeking to accept the offer to
purchase, as well as such other amounts that may be due and
payable at such time.
Some events involving a change of control may also cause an
event of default under our other existing indebtedness or
indebtedness that we may incur in the future. If a change of
control occurs at a time when we are prohibited from purchasing
the senior notes under other debt agreements, we could seek the
consent of our lenders to purchase the senior notes or could
attempt to refinance the borrowings that prohibit our repurchase
of the senior notes. If we do not obtain that consent or repay
those borrowings, we would remain prohibited from purchasing the
senior notes. In that case, our failure to purchase any of the
tendered senior notes would constitute an event of default under
the indenture governing the senior notes, which would likely
cause a default under other indebtedness. In that event, we
would be required to repay all senior debt, including any
secured debt, before we could repurchase the senior notes.
You
may not be able to receive your payments on the senior notes in
U.S. dollars in certain circumstances.
We are required to make payments of amounts owed under the
senior notes in U.S. dollars. However, in the event that
proceedings are brought against us or the subsidiary guarantors
in Mexico, either to enforce a judgment or as a result of an
action brought in Mexico, neither we nor the subsidiary
guarantors would be required to discharge our obligations in a
currency other than Mexican currency. Under the Mexican Monetary
Law (Ley Monetaria de los Estados Unidos Mexicanos),
obligations to make payments in Mexico in foreign currency may
be discharged in pesos at the rate of exchange for pesos
prevailing at the time and place of payment. Although we are
contractually required, and intend, to make all payments of
amounts owed under the senior notes in U.S. dollars, we are
legally entitled to pay in pesos if payment of the senior notes
is sought in Mexico (through the enforcement of a non-Mexican
judgment or otherwise). In the event that we make payment in
pesos, you may experience a U.S. dollar shortfall when
converting the pesos into U.S. dollars.
You
may suffer a U.S. dollar shortfall if you obtain a judgment
against us.
In the event you are awarded a judgment from a Mexican court
enforcing our U.S. dollar-denominated obligations under our
senior notes, we will have the right to discharge our
obligations by paying you in pesos at the exchange rate in
effect on the date of payment of such judgment. The exchange
rate is currently determined by the Central Bank of Mexico
(Banco de México) every banking day in Mexico and
published the following banking day in the Official Gazette of
the Federation (Diario Oficial de la Federación). As
a result of such currency conversion, you could face a shortfall
in U.S. dollars. No separate actions exist or are
enforceable in Mexico for compensation for any such shortfall.
If we
were to be declared in bankrupt, holders of senior notes may
find it difficult to collect payment on the senior
notes.
Under the Mexican Bankruptcy Law (Ley de Concursos
Mercantiles), if we or any of the guarantors of the senior
notes were declared bankrupt (en quiebra) by a Mexican
court, or were to become subject to reorganization
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proceeding (concurso mercantil), our obligations under
the senior notes and the applicable guarantor’s obligations
under the guarantee of the senior notes: (i) would be
converted into pesos at the exchange rate published by the
Central Bank of Mexico prevailing at the time of the declaration
of reorganization proceeding and then from pesos into a
Unidades de Inversión, or UDIs, inflation indexed
units, and would not be adjusted to take into account any
devaluation of the peso relative to the U.S. dollar
occurring after such conversion, (ii) would be subject to
the outcome of, and priorities recognized in, the relevant
proceedings, (iii) would be satisfied at the time claims of
all of our creditors are satisfied after the relevant
proceedings have been substantially advanced, (iv) would
cease to accrue interest from the date a reorganization
proceeding or bankruptcy is declared and, (v) would be
subject to certain statutory preferences including tax, social
security and labor claims and claims of secured creditors.
We
cannot assure you that an active trading market for the exchange
senior notes will develop.
The new senior notes constitute a new issue of securities, for
which there is no existing market. We have agreed to file an
application to admit the new senior notes to listing on the
Official List of the Luxembourg Stock Exchange and to trading on
the EuroMTF market, the alternative market of the Luxembourg
Stock Exchange. We cannot provide you with any assurances that
the application will be accepted. Further, no assurance can be
provided regarding the development of a market for the new
senior notes, the ability of holders of the new senior notes to
sell their new senior notes, or the price at which such holders
may be able to sell their new senior notes.
The initial purchasers are not obligated to facilitate trading
in the new senior notes and any such activities, if commenced,
may be discontinued at any time, for any reason, without notice.
If the initial purchasers do not facilitate trading in the
senior notes for any reason, there can be no assurance that
another firm or person will do so. In addition, trading or
resale of the new senior notes may be negatively affected by
others factors described in this prospectus or the market for
securities of Mexican issuers generally.
Accordingly, we cannot assure you that an active trading market
for the new senior notes will develop or, if a trading market
develops, that it will continue. The lack of an active trading
market for the new senior notes would have a material adverse
effect on the market price and liquidity of the new senior
notes. Even if a market for the new senior notes develops, the
new senior notes may trade at a discount from their initial
offering price.
We may
not be able to make payments in U.S. dollars as a result of
restrictions and limitations imposed by the Mexican
government.
In the past, the Mexican economy has experienced balance of
payments deficits, shortages in foreign exchange reserves and
other events that have resulted in restrictions on obtaining
foreign currencies in exchange for pesos. While the Mexican
government does not currently restrict the ability of Mexican or
foreign persons to convert pesos to foreign currencies, or to
U.S. dollars in particular, it has done so in the past and
could do so again in the future. We cannot assure you that the
Mexican government will not implement a restrictive exchange
control policy in the future. Any such restrictive exchange
control policy could prevent or restrict our access to
U.S. dollars to meet our U.S. dollar obligations.
Risks
Relating to the Collateral
The
value of the Collateral securing the senior notes may not be
sufficient to satisfy our obligations under the senior
notes.
The Collateral subject to liens perfected after the date of
issuance of the outstanding senior notes constitutes most of the
Company’s telephone network systems and equipment assets.
In the event of a foreclosure on the Collateral, we would be
required to pay certain fees and other amounts prior to
distribution of any amount in respect of the senior notes, which
amounts would then be shared on an equal and ratable basis among
the senior notes. We can provide no assurance as to the amount
that would be distributed in respect of the senior notes upon
any foreclosure or otherwise, or that the proceeds from the sale
of the Collateral would be sufficient to satisfy our obligations
under the senior notes.
The value of the Collateral and any amount to be received at
foreclosure will depend upon many factors including, among
others, the condition of the Collateral, changes in our
industry, the ability to sell the Collateral in
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an orderly sale, the availability of buyers, the condition of
the Mexican economy and exchange rates. No appraisal of any of
the Collateral has been prepared by us or on our behalf in
connection with the offering and sale of the senior notes. Given
the limited number of participants in the Mexican
telecommunications market, and because a telecommunications
concession title is required to operate some of the assets that
comprise the Collateral, there may not be any buyer willing and
able to purchase a significant portion of our assets or the
Collateral in the event of foreclosure. In addition, since we
are not pledging all of our assets, it will not be possible to
sell our business as a going concern upon foreclosure. Each of
these factors could reduce the likelihood of a foreclosure as
well as reduce the amount of any proceeds in the event of
foreclosure.
Rights
of holders of senior notes in the Collateral may be adversely
affected by the failure to perfect security interests in certain
Collateral acquired in the future.
The security interest in the Collateral securing the senior
notes includes specified classes of assets whether now owned or
acquired or arising in the future. Applicable law requires that
certain property and rights acquired after the grant of a
general security interest can only be perfected at the time such
property and rights are acquired and identified. There can be no
assurance that the Trustee or the Collateral Agent will monitor,
or that we will inform the Trustee or the Collateral Agent of,
the future acquisition of property and rights that constitute
Collateral, and that the necessary action will be taken to
properly perfect the security interest in such after-acquired
Collateral. Such failure may result in the loss of the security
interest therein or the priority of the security interest in
favor of the senior notes against third parties.
We
will in most cases have control over the Collateral securing the
senior notes, and the sale of particular assets by us or the
guarantors could reduce the pool of assets securing the senior
notes and the guarantees.
The Collateral Documents allow us and the guarantors to remain
in possession of, retain exclusive control over, to freely
operate and to collect, invest and dispose of any income from,
the Collateral securing the senior notes. To the extent we sell
any assets that constitute such Collateral, the proceeds from
such sale will be subject to the liens securing the senior notes
only to the extent such proceeds would otherwise constitute
“Collateral” securing the senior notes and the
guarantees under the security documents. To the extent the
proceeds from any such sale of Collateral do not constitute
“Collateral” under the security documents, the pool of
assets securing the senior notes and the guarantees would be
reduced and the senior notes and the guarantees would not be
secured by such proceeds.
Impediments
exist to any foreclosure on the Collateral, which may adversely
affect the proceeds of any foreclosure.
Substantially all of the documents that create liens on the
Collateral for the benefit of the senior notes, which we refer
to as the Collateral Documents, are governed by the laws of
Mexico, and substantially all of the Collateral is located in
Mexico. Any foreclosure would therefore be required to comply
with Mexican legal and procedural requirements, which differ
substantially from those in the United States. In particular,
Mexican law does not allow for self-executing liens or expedited
foreclosure proceedings. Any proceeding against the Collateral
in Mexico would be required to be initiated in a Mexican court,
and could involve significant delays. A Mexican court would
require a judgment regarding the existence of an event of
default under the indenture governing the senior notes from a
U.S. court prior to any foreclosure. We may also have
available to us defenses under Mexican law not available under
U.S. law to any foreclosure proceeding. In addition,
foreclosure proceedings would need to be brought under the laws
of the United States, which govern the remainder of the
Collateral. These delays could result in a deterioration of the
Collateral and a decrease in the value that would otherwise be
realizable upon foreclosure.
Third
parties’ rights may affect the ability of the Collateral
Agent to foreclose on the Collateral and the priority of the
senior notes with respect to the Collateral.
Third parties may have rights and be entitled to remedies that
diminish the ability of the Collateral Agent to foreclose upon
the Collateral or that affect the priority of the senior notes
with respect to the Collateral. Under Mexican law, amounts owed
to employees or, with some limited exceptions, to tax
authorities, must be paid by a
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debtor prior to the satisfaction of any other claims, including
secured claims. In addition, under the terms of the senior
notes, certain third-party Collateral Permitted Liens may be
senior to the liens securing the senior notes. See
“Description of Notes — Certain
Definitions — Collateral Permitted Liens.” The
rights and remedies to which these and other third party
creditors are entitled may limit the ability of foreclosure on
the Collateral or may otherwise reduce the proceeds available to
satisfy our obligations under the senior notes.
We may
incur additional secured indebtedness, which would dilute the
value of the Collateral securing the senior notes.
Under the indenture governing the terms of the senior notes, we
are permitted in the future to incur specified additional
obligations that may share in the liens on the Collateral
securing the senior notes. If we incur any additional debt that
is secured on an equal and ratable basis with the senior notes,
the holders of that debt will be entitled to share ratably with
the holders of the senior notes and the value of the Collateral
securing the senior notes will be diluted. Any such dilution
will increase the risk of the proceeds from the sale of the
Collateral not being sufficient to satisfy the amounts
outstanding under the senior notes and all other obligations
secured by such Collateral. If such proceeds were not sufficient
to repay amounts due on the senior notes, then holders of the
senior notes (to the extent the senior notes are not repaid from
the proceeds of the sale of the Collateral) would only have an
unsecured claim against our remaining assets.
Since
not all of our assets are included in the Collateral, the
ability to sell the Collateral as a going concern may be
limited.
The Collateral pledged as security for our obligations under the
senior notes is limited. The Collateral consists of a
significant portion, but not all, of our tangible assets. The
Collateral subject to liens constitutes most of the
Company’s telephone network systems and equipment assets.
In light of the fact that the Collateral is closely related to
assets that are not pledged as Collateral, the ability of the
Collateral Agent to sell the Collateral as a going concern may
be limited.
A
Mexican or U.S. bankruptcy may limit the ability to realize
value from the Collateral.
The rights of the Collateral Agent upon a foreclosure on the
Collateral upon the occurrence of an event of default under the
indenture is likely to be significantly impaired by applicable
bankruptcy law if a bankruptcy proceeding were to be commenced
by or against us before the foreclosure on the Collateral.
The Mexican bankruptcy law, which we refer to as the Ley de
Concursos Mercantiles, may prevent the foreclosure or
selling all or any part of the Collateral prior to our
liquidation. In addition, during the pendency of insolvency
proceedings, Mexican law does not require the debtor to provide
adequate protection or assurances to secured creditors, although
the bankruptcy court could adopt precautionary measures to such
effect. A proceeding under Mexican bankruptcy law is divided
into stages: an initial mediation stage and a second bankruptcy
stage. The initial stage cannot last more than one year, and
during this stage, a mediator (conciliador) is to be
appointed within five days of the initial court ruling
initiating a concurso mercantil. The mediator has certain
powers to protect the enterprise as a going concern and initiate
bankruptcy proceedings. During the second bankruptcy stage, a
receiver (síndico) is appointed to proceed with the
sale of assets. The receiver has additional powers to protect
the enterprise. Neither the mediator nor the receiver, however,
is specifically required to protect the rights of secured
creditors. No proceeds would be distributed in respect of the
senior notes prior to this sale of assets, and any amounts owed
to our employees would be paid prior to the distribution of any
amounts in respect of the senior notes. Generally, claims for
taxes would also rank senior to the senior notes, other than
with respect to certain portions of the Collateral to the extent
perfected and recorded prior to notification of a federal tax
claim.
In addition, significant uncertainties are inherent in Mexican
bankruptcy proceedings that may result in further delays that
could adversely impact the value of the Collateral. The Ley
de Concursos Mercantiles was recently enacted, and only a
few companies have completed a concurso mercantil under
the amended law. There have been a limited number of final
judicial decisions under the new law relating to critical
bankruptcy issues such as the relative treatment and priority of
debts, criteria for recognition of claims, the filing of the
petition for reorganization, the role of the creditors in
overseeing business operations during insolvency proceedings,
criteria for court approval of a
23
reorganization plan and the effect of the process on
subsidiaries. Creditors’ rights in a bankruptcy proceeding
are therefore not well-established in Mexico, and this may
result in substantial delays beyond those contemplated by the
Ley de Concursos Mercantiles as well as the inability of
the mediator and the receiver to exercise the remedies and
powers granted to them. Delays in proceedings, the inadequacy of
available remedies and the inability of the mediator or receiver
to exercise available remedies could result in a substantial
deterioration of the Collateral during the pendency of any such
proceeding.
Under applicable U.S. federal bankruptcy law, a secured
creditor is prohibited from repossessing its security from a
debtor in a bankruptcy case, or from disposing of security
repossessed from such debtor, without bankruptcy court approval.
Applicable U.S. federal bankruptcy law also permits the
debtor to continue to retain and to use Collateral even though
the debtor is in default under the applicable debt instruments,
provided that the secured creditor is given “adequate
protection.” The meaning of the term “adequate
protection” may vary according to circumstances, but is
intended in general to protect the value of the secured
creditor’s interest in the Collateral and may include cash
payments or the granting of additional security, if and at such
times as the court in its discretion determines, for any
diminution in the value of the Collateral as a result of the
stay of repossession or disposition or any use of the Collateral
by the debtor during the pendency of the bankruptcy case.
Generally, adequate protection payments, in the form of interest
or otherwise, are not required to be paid by a debtor to a
secured creditor unless the bankruptcy court determines that the
value of the secured creditor’s interest in the Collateral
is declining during the pendency of the bankruptcy case. Given
the lack of a precise definition of the term “adequate
protection” and the broad discretionary powers of a
bankruptcy court, it is impossible to predict:
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how long payments under the senior notes could be delayed
following commencement of a bankruptcy case;
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whether or when the Collateral Agent could repossess or dispose
of the Collateral; or
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whether or to what extent holders of the senior notes would be
compensated for any delay in the payment or loss of value of the
Collateral through the requirement of “adequate
protection.”
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Furthermore, in the event the bankruptcy court determines that
the value of the Collateral is not sufficient to repay all
amounts due on the senior notes, the holders of the senior notes
would hold “undersecured claims.” Applicable
U.S. federal bankruptcy law does not permit the payment or
accrual of interests, costs and attorney’s fees for
“undersecured claims” during the debtor’s
bankruptcy case.
The
value of the Collateral may decrease because of obsolescence,
impairment or certain casualty events.
We can provide no assurances that the value of the Collateral
will not be adversely affected by obsolescence, changes in the
technology in our industry, other changes in equipment or
certain casualty events.
The Collateral Documents do not require us to improve the
Collateral. In addition, our existing equipment may become
obsolete or be replaced by new equipment that may not be part of
the Collateral. Although we are obligated under the Collateral
Documents to maintain insurance with respect to the Collateral,
we can provide no assurances that the proceeds of such insurance
will be sufficient to repurchase adequate replacement Collateral
or will equal the fair market value of the damaged Collateral.
Our insurance policies also do not cover all events that may
result in damage to the Collateral. Additionally, a loss arising
from a title defect with respect to the Collateral may adversely
affect the value of the Collateral.
The
guarantees granted by and the pledges of assets of our
subsidiaries may be held to be unenforceable under fraudulent
conveyance laws.
Our obligations under the senior notes are guaranteed by certain
of our subsidiaries and are secured by the pledge of certain of
our and our subsidiaries’ assets. The guarantees and the
pledges may be subject to review under various laws for the
protection of creditors. It is possible that the creditors of a
guarantor or a grantor may challenge a guarantee or a pledge as
a fraudulent transfer under relevant U.S. federal and state
laws by claiming, for example, that, since the guarantee or
pledge was incurred for our benefit (and only indirectly, if at
all, for the benefit of the guarantor or a grantor), the
obligations of the guarantor or a grantor were incurred for less
than reasonable equivalent value or fair consideration. A
similar doctrine could apply under Mexican law if the guarantee
or pledge is granted within 270 days of the commencement of
insolvency proceedings, which period may be extended upon
24
the reasonable request of the mediator or any creditor.
Moreover, laws for the protection of creditors of other
jurisdictions also provide similar remedies to creditors of a
guarantor or a grantor. Under certain circumstances, including a
finding that a guarantor or a grantor was insolvent at the time
its guarantee or pledge was issued or granted, a court could
hold that the obligations of the guarantor or a grantor under
the guarantee or the pledge may be voided or are subordinate to
other obligations of the guarantor or a grantor or that the
amount for which a guarantor or a grantor is liable under a
guarantee or for a debt secured by a pledge may be limited.
Different jurisdictions define “insolvency”
differently. However, a guarantor or a grantor generally would
be considered insolvent at the time it guaranteed the senior
notes or secured the senior notes with a pledge of its assets if:
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the fair market value (or fair saleable value) of its assets is
less than the amount required to pay its total existing debts
and liabilities (including the probable liability of contingent
liabilities) as they become absolute or mature; or
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the guarantor or a grantor were incurring debts beyond its
ability to pay as such debts mature.
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We cannot assure you what standard a court would apply to
determine whether a guarantor or a grantor was
“insolvent” as of the date the senior notes were
guaranteed or secured by a pledge of assets. Irrespective of the
method of valuation, a court may determine that the guarantees
or the pledges constituted fraudulent transfers on another
ground whether or not the guarantor or a grantor was insolvent
on the date the guarantee was issued or the pledge was granted.
In addition, although the indenture will limit the amount of the
senior secured note guarantees to the amount that will result in
the guarantees not constituting fraudulent transfers or improper
corporate distributions, we cannot be certain which standard a
court would apply in determining the maximum liability of the
guarantors or the grantors.
Risks
Relating to Mexico
Political
conditions in Mexico may significantly affect our business,
results of operations and financial condition.
We are incorporated in Mexico and substantially all of our
assets and operations are located in Mexico. As a result, we are
subject to political, legal and regulatory risks specific to
Mexico which can have a significant impact on our business,
results of operations and financial condition.
Political
situation
The Mexican federal elections were held on July 2, 2006.
The Federal Electoral Court of the Federal Judicial Power
(Tribunal Federal Electoral del Poder Judicial de la
Federación) determined on September 5, 2006 that
Felipe de Jesús Calderón Hinojosa of the Partido
Acción Nacional won the presidential elections and
formally declared him to be president elect, with a very narrow
margin over Andrés Manuel López Obrador of the
Partido de la Revolución Democrática. Citing
electoral fraud, Mr. López Obrador refused to concede
the election. On December 1, 2006, Felipe Calderón
officially became President of Mexico. Although the Partido
Acción Nacional won a plurality of the seats in the
Mexican Congress after the election, no party succeeded in
securing a majority in either chamber of the Mexican Congress.
We believe that the absence of a clear majority by a single
party and the lack of alignment between the president and the
legislature is likely to continue. This situation may result in
government gridlock and political uncertainty, which could
result in changes to existing laws and regulations relating to,
among other areas, taxation, labor and the telecommunications
industry. Any of these changes could have a significant impact
on the telecommunications industry and harm our business.
Legal and
regulatory situation
Effective April 11, 2006, the Mexican Congress enacted
amendments to the Federal Law on Radio and Television (Ley
Federal de Radio y Televisión) and to the Federal
Telecommunications Law. Pursuant to these amendments, which were
highly controversial, the Mexican Federal Telecommunications
Commission now also has the ability to regulate broadcasting
(radio and television). We cannot predict how the Mexican
Ministry of Communications and Transportation (Secretaria de
Comunicaciones y Transportes) or the Mexican Federal
Telecommunications Commission will interpret and implement the
amendments to the Federal Law on Radio
25
and Television and the Federal Telecommunications Law and thus
how these new rules could affect our business. This uncertainty
could adversely affect our business and subject us to additional
legal liabilities or obligations. Furthermore, the Mexican
Supreme Court recently resolved that several articles of the
Federal Law on Radio and Television and to the Federal
Telecommunications Law are unconstitutional. Although we believe
that this Supreme Court ruling does not directly affect us, we
cannot predict the impact that the future interpretation and
implementation by the Mexican Ministry of Communications and
Transportation or the Mexican Federal Telecommunications
Commission of this ruling, or the amendment by the Mexican
Congress of these laws as a result of the Mexican Supreme Court
ruling could have on the regulation of the telecommunications
industry and on our business, results of operations and
financial condition.
If
Mexico experiences future economic crises, our business could be
affected negatively.
We are a Mexican company with all of our operations in Mexico.
Accordingly, the economic environment within Mexico can have a
significant impact on our business, results of operations and
financial condition.
The Mexican government has exercised, and continues to exercise,
significant influence over the Mexican economy. Accordingly,
Mexican federal governmental actions and policies concerning the
economy could have a significant impact on private sector
entities in general and on us in particular and on market
conditions, prices and returns on Mexican securities, including
our securities.
In the past, Mexico has experienced economic crises caused by
internal and external factors, characterized by exchange rate
instability, high inflation, high domestic interest rates,
economic contraction, a reduction of international capital
flows, a reduction of liquidity in the banking sector and high
unemployment. These economic conditions could substantially
reduce the purchasing power of the Mexican population and, as a
result, the demand for telecommunications services that we offer.
Changes
to Mexican laws, regulations and decrees applicable to us could
have a material adverse effect on our business, results of
operations and financial condition.
The telecommunications sector in Mexico is subject to numerous
laws and extensive regulations by a number of governmental
authorities, including the Mexican Ministry of Communications
and Transportation and the Mexican Federal Telecommunications
Commission, which are responsible for, among others, formulating
policy, granting licenses, setting tariff schemes, regulating
interconnection among providers, levying taxes on services and
supervising the provision of services. Laws applicable to our
business may be enacted, amended or repealed and governmental
agencies may make regulatory interpretations or take regulatory
actions that could damage our business, increase competition,
increase our costs of operation, decrease our revenues, limit
our ability to grow our operations, or otherwise adversely
impact our business.
Peso
devaluation relative to the U.S. dollar could make it more
difficult for us to service our indebtedness and could decrease
the value of our securities.
While our revenues are almost entirely denominated in pesos, the
majority of our obligations and all of our long-term
indebtedness are denominated in U.S. dollars. In addition,
substantially all of our capital expenditures are denominated in
U.S. dollars. We are, and will be, exposed to peso
devaluation risk. The peso has devalued substantially against
the U.S. dollar in the past and may devalue significantly
in the future. For example, the noon buying rate rose from
Ps.3.45 per U.S.$1.00 on December 19, 1994 to Ps.5.00 per
U.S.$1.00 on December 31, 1994 and Ps.7.74 per U.S.$1.00 on
December 31, 1995, representing a 124.6% devaluation of the
peso relative to the U.S. dollar from December 19,
1994 to December 31, 1995. In 2003, the peso depreciated
9.0% relative to the U.S. dollar. The peso depreciated
relative to the U.S. dollar 0.3% in 2004, appreciated 4.9%
in 2005 and depreciated 1.5% in 2006.
The peso-to-dollar exchange rate may experience significant
devaluations in the future. Further declines in the value of the
peso relative to the U.S. dollar could adversely affect our
ability to meet our U.S. dollar-denominated obligations,
including our senior secured notes. In addition, any further
decrease in the value of the peso may negatively affect the
value of Mexican securities such as ours.
26
Exchange
rate control rules enacted in the future could make it more
difficult for us to service our U.S. dollar-denominated
debt, raise capital outside of Mexico and make capital
expenditures.
In the past, the Mexican government has issued exchange control
rules that, although not in effect today, may be enacted in the
future. If so enacted, exchange control rules could make it more
difficult to service our U.S. dollar-denominated debt,
raise capital outside of Mexico and make capital expenditures.
The
price of our securities could decrease due to events in other
countries, especially the United States and emerging market
countries.
We cannot assure you that the price of our securities will not
be adversely affected by events elsewhere, especially in the
United States and in emerging market countries. Mexican
financial and securities markets are, to varying degrees,
influenced by economic and market conditions in other countries.
Although economic conditions are different in each country,
investor reaction to developments in one country has had and can
have significant effects on the prices of securities of issuers
in other countries, including Mexico. For example, each of the
1997 Asian economic crisis, the 1998 Russian debt moratorium and
currency devaluation, the 1999 Brazilian currency devaluation
and the 2001 Argentine debt default and currency devaluation
triggered market volatility in Latin America. The economic
slowdown in the United States, the military conflict in Iraq,
the threat of terrorism and political and financial crises in
certain emerging markets have had a significant negative impact
on the financial and securities markets in many emerging market
countries, including Mexico.
Less
information about our company may be publicly available because
we are subject to different corporate disclosure and accounting
standards than U.S. companies.
A principal objective of the securities laws of the United
States and Mexico is to promote full and fair disclosure of all
material corporate information. However, there may be less
publicly available information about foreign issuers of
securities listed in the United States and of Mexican issuers in
Mexico than is regularly published by or about U.S. issuers
of listed securities. In addition, we prepare our consolidated
financial statements in accordance with Mexican GAAP. Mexican
GAAP differs in significant respects from U.S. GAAP,
including in the treatment of deferred income taxes,
employees’ profit sharing accounting for retirement
obligations, the capitalization of preoperating expenses and
interest, the restructuring of troubled debt and the
presentation of cash flow information. In particular, all
Mexican companies must incorporate the effects of inflation
directly in their accounting records and in published financial
statements. We cannot assure you that these will be the only
differences in the future. See note 22 to the consolidated
financial statements for a description of the principal
differences between Mexican GAAP and U.S. GAAP applicable
to us.
You
may suffer a U.S. dollar shortfall if you obtain a judgment
against us.
In the event you are awarded a judgment from a Mexican court
enforcing our U.S. dollar-denominated obligations under our
senior notes, we will have the right to discharge our
obligations by paying you in pesos at the exchange rate in
effect on the date of payment of such judgment. The exchange
rate is currently determined by the Central Bank of Mexico
(Banco de México) every banking day in Mexico and
published the following banking day in the Official Gazette of
the Federation (Diario Oficial de la Federación). As
a result of such currency conversion, you could face a shortfall
in U.S. dollars. No separate actions exist or are
enforceable in Mexico for compensation for any such shortfall.
If we
were to be declared bankrupt, holders of the senior notes may
find it difficult to collect payment on the notes.
Under the Mexican Bankruptcy Law (Ley de Concursos
Mercantiles), if we or any of the guarantors of our senior
notes were declared bankrupt (en quiebra) by a Mexican
Court, or were to become subject to reorganization proceeding
(concurso mercantil), our obligations under the notes and
the applicable guarantor’s obligations under the guarantee
of the senior notes: (i) would be converted into pesos at
the exchange rate published by the Central Bank of Mexico
prevailing at the time of the declaration of reorganization
proceeding and then from pesos into Unidades de
Inversión, or UDIs, inflation indexed units and would
not be adjusted to take into account any
27
devaluation of the peso relative to the U.S. dollar
occurring after such conversion, (ii) would be subject to
the outcome of, and priorities recognized in, the relevant
proceedings, (iii) would be satisfied at the time claims of
all of our creditors are satisfied after the relevant
proceedings have been substantially advanced, (iv) would
cease to accrue interest from the date a reorganization
proceeding or bankruptcy is declared and, (v) would be
subject to certain statutory preferences including tax, social
security and labor claims and claims of secured creditors.
High
inflation rates in Mexico may decrease demand for our services
while increasing our costs.
In recent years, Mexico has experienced high levels of inflation
relative to the United States, its main commercial partner.
Mexico’s annual rate of inflation was 5.7% in 2002, 4.0% in
2003, 5.2% in 2004, 3.3% in 2005 and 4.1% in 2006. High
inflation rates can adversely affect us as follows:
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inflation can adversely affect consumer purchasing power,
thereby adversely affecting consumer demand for our services and
products; and
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to the extent inflation exceeds our price increases, our prices
and revenues will be adversely affected in real terms.
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High
interest rates in Mexico could increase our financing
costs.
Mexico has, and is expected to continue to have, high real and
nominal interest rates, relative to the United States, its
main commercial partner. The interest rates on
28-day
Mexican government treasury securities averaged, 7.1% in 2002,
6.2% in 2003, 6.8% in 2004, 9.2% in 2005 and 7.2% in 2006.
Although we do not currently have any peso-denominated
indebtedness, if we need to incur such indebtedness in the
future, it will likely be at high interest rates.
As a
result of a recently enacted alternative minimum tax, our tax
expenses could increase and our net income could
decrease.
On September 14, 2007, the Mexican Congress approved a new
federal tax applicable to all Mexican corporations, including
us, known as the Single Rate Corporate Tax (Impuesto
Empresarial a Tasa Única), which is a form of
alternative minimum tax and replaces the asset tax that has
applied to corporations and other taxpayers in Mexico for
several years. This tax will be imposed at a rate of 16.5% for
calendar year 2008, 17% for calendar year 2009 and 17.5% for
calendar year 2010 and thereafter. A Mexican corporation is
required to pay the tax if the amount payable under the
alternative minimum tax exceeds the income tax payable by the
corporation under the Mexican income tax law. In general terms,
the alternative minimum tax is determined by applying the rates
specified above to the amount resulting from deducting from a
company’s taxable income, among other items, goods acquired
(consisting of raw materials and capital investments), services
provided by independent contractors and lease payments required
for the performance of the activities taxable under the
alternative minimum tax. Salaries and interest payments arising
from financing transactions are not deductible for purposes of
determining the alternative minimum tax. However, salaries
subject to income tax and social security contributions paid to
employees are creditable for purposes of determining the
alternative minimum tax. If the amount of alternative minimum
tax payable by us significantly exceeds the income tax we would
have paid, our tax expenses will increase and we could suffer a
material decrease in net income.
Risks
Relating to the Mexican Telecommunications Industry
The
telecommunications industry in Mexico is increasingly
competitive, which may result in lower prices for
telecommunications services, lower margins and/or a loss of
market share.
The Mexican telecommunications industry is increasingly
competitive and rapidly changing. We face significant
competition from Telmex (the incumbent wireline
telecommunications provider in Mexico) as well as other
telecommunications providers and new market entrants such as
cable operators. The Mexican government has been taking action
to increase competition by, among other things, enacting
regulations allowing certain concessionaries of media (including
cable operators) and telecommunication services to provide
services not included in their original concessions. In
particular, cable operators who have substantial coverage of
cities we currently serve may offer the same voice and data
services we provide at lower prices since telephony income
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represents incremental revenue to cable operators. See
“Industry Overview — Market Liberalization.”
Many of our current and potential competitors have significantly
more employees and greater financial, technical, marketing and
other resources than we do. Increased competition could result
in fewer customers, reduced pricing, reduced gross and operating
margins and loss of market share, any of which could harm our
business.
If the
Mexican government grants more concessions, the value of our
concessions could be severely impaired.
The telecommunications industry is regulated by the Mexican
government. Our concessions are not exclusive and the Mexican
government is granting concessions covering the same geographic
regions and frequency bands to other entrants. We cannot assure
you that additional concessions to provide similar services to
those we provide or plan to provide will not be granted to other
competitors and that the value of our concessions will not be
adversely affected.
We
could lose our concessions if we do not fully comply with their
terms or if we are not able to renew our existing
concessions.
We hold concessions that enable us to provide telecommunications
services. Under the terms of our concessions, we are required to
meet a number of technical, buildout and financial conditions
and in the past, we have failed to meet some of these
conditions. We subsequently obtained a modification from the
Mexican Federal Telecommunications Commission to the concessions
and are now in compliance with all material aspects. However, we
cannot assure you that we will not be fined for our past failure
to comply with the terms of our concessions. In addition, any
failure to comply with any of the terms of our concessions or to
obtain a waiver or modification could result in the termination
of those concessions, the imposition of fines or the loss of
performance bonds that we have issued to the Mexican Ministry of
Communications and Transportation. The Mexican government is not
required to compensate us in the event of such termination. See
“Regulation — Concessions and Permits —
Termination.”
Furthermore, all of our concessions have a specified duration
and are scheduled to expire between 2016 and 2028. Mexican law
provides that concessions, except for the microwave transmission
concessions which will be re-auctioned, may be renewed for a
period equal to the duration of the original concession if
certain requirements are met and at the discretion of the
Mexican Ministry of Communications and Transportation. There can
be no assurances that any of our concessions will be renewed or
under what terms they would be renewed or that we will
successfully bid for and retain the microwave transmission
concessions.
If any of our key concessions, including our local and long
distance telephony concession, were terminated or not renewed,
we would be unable to engage in our business.
Fraudulent
use of telecommunications networks increases our
expenses.
The fraudulent use of telecommunications networks imposes a
significant cost upon service providers, who must bear the cost
of services provided to fraudulent users. We suffer a loss of
revenue as a result of fraudulent use and a cash cost due to our
obligation to reimburse carriers for the cost of services
provided to fraudulent users. Although we have installed
technology to combat fraudulent use and will continue to
evaluate and select amongst new fraud detection technologies as
they become available, technology does not eliminate fraud
entirely. In addition, since we rely on other long-distance
carriers for interconnection, some of which do not have
anti-fraud technology in their networks, we are particularly
exposed to this risk in our long-distance service and in traffic
originating in our network to mobile users under the mode of
“calling party pays.” In 2006, our expenses for the
prevention and detection of fraud were not significant. Due to
cost reduction measures, we may elect not to upgrade our
licenses relating to anti-fraud software or to cover maintenance
fees.
Rapid
technological advances may require us to make significant
capital expenditures to maintain and improve the competitiveness
of our service offerings.
The telecommunications industry is subject to rapid and
significant changes in technology and requires the introduction
of new products and services. Like other operators, we cannot
predict the effect of technological changes on our business. New
services and technological advances may offer additional
opportunities for
29
competitors to compete against us on the basis of cost, quality
or functionality. While we have been installing what we believe
to be a technologically advanced fiber optic network with a
microwave overlay, we cannot assure you that this technology
will not be challenged by competition from new or improved
digital or other technologies in the near future. Our future
success depends, in part, on our ability to anticipate and
respond in a timely manner to technological changes. This may
require us to devote significant capital to the development,
procurement or implementation of new technologies. Additionally,
our adoption of new imported technology may be dependent upon
the final cost and our ability to obtain additional financing.
There can be no assurance as to the nature and extent of the
impact of technological change on our viability or
competitiveness. If any future technological change places at
risk our viability or competitiveness, the cost of upgrading our
products and technology to remain competitive could be
significant and our ability to fund this upgrading may depend on
our ability to obtain additional financing on terms acceptable
to us.
Under
Mexican law, our concessions could be expropriated or
temporarily seized.
Pursuant to the Mexican law, the public telecommunications
networks are considered public domain. Holders of concessions to
install, operate and develop public telecommunications networks
are subject to the provisions of the Mexican Federal
Telecommunications Law (Ley Federal de
Telecomunicaciones) and any other provision contained in the
concession title. The Mexican Federal Telecommunications Law and
other applicable laws provide, among other things, the following:
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rights and obligations granted under the concessions to install,
operate and develop public telecommunications networks may only
be assigned with the prior authorization of the Mexican Ministry
of Communications and Transportation;
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neither the concession nor the rights thereunder or the related
assets may be assigned, pledged, mortgaged or sold to any
government or country; and
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the Mexican government (through the Mexican Ministry of
Communications and Transportation) may permanently expropriate
any telecommunications concession and claim any related asset
for reason of public interest or may temporarily seize the
assets related to the concessions in the event of natural
disasters, war, significant public disturbance or threats to
internal peace or for other reasons relating to economic or
public order.
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Mexican law sets forth the process for indemnification for
direct damages arising out of the expropriation or temporary
seizure of the assets related to the concessions, except in the
event of war. However, in the event of expropriation, we cannot
assure you that the indemnification will equal the market value
of the concessions and related assets or that we will receive
such indemnification in a timely manner.
Mexican law does not prohibit a grant of a security interest in
the concessions and the assets by the concessionaire to its
creditors (except for security granted to a foreign government
or country), provided, however, that all applicable procedural
laws are followed. In the event such security interest is
enforced, the assignee must comply with the Mexican Federal
Telecommunications Law’s provisions related to
concessionaires, including, among others, the requirement to
receive the authorization of the Mexican Ministry of
Communications and Transportation to be a holder of the
concession.
“Long-distance
Calling Party Pays” system could result in a loss of
customer traffic and revenue.
On December 18, 2006, the Mexican Federal
Telecommunications Commission implemented the
“Long-distance Calling Party Pays” system, whereby the
customer originating the domestic or international call, from
either a fixed line or mobile phone to a mobile phone, pays the
entire fee for placing the call rather than the mobile telephone
subscriber who receives such call. Even though the mobile
telephone subscriber receiving the call does not pay to receive
the call, the network from which the call originates must still
compensate the terminating mobile network. Maxcom has negotiated
with mobile carriers the “Long-distance Calling Party
Pays” interconnection tariff for local and long-distance
calls to be terminated in such mobile operators’ network,
achieving a significant reduction of the original tariff
contemplated by the agreements implementing this system issued
by the Mexican Federal Telecommunications Commission. The per
minute tariffs will be Ps.1.34 in 2007, Ps.1.21 in 2008, Ps.1.09
30
in 2009 and Ps.1.00 in 2010. Even though we have negotiated
better interconnection tariffs than those proposed by the
Mexican Federal Telecommunications Commission, we believe that
the expense associated with the interconnection tariff could
result in loss of customer traffic and revenue.
Foreign
ownership restrictions may limit our ability to raise equity
capital.
Mexican law currently provides that no more than 49% of the full
voting stock of a Mexican corporation holding a concession to
provide telecommunications services, other than mobile services,
may be held by non-Mexicans. In addition, Mexican authorities
have mandated that our shares held by the CPO trustee, which are
also referred to as neutral investment shares, may not represent
more than 95% of our total capital stock. Because of such
restrictions, we have limited flexibility to raise equity
capital from non-Mexican investors. As a result, any future
sales of equity securities may require substantial participation
by Mexicans, the issuance of non-voting securities to foreign
investors or a modification of Mexican foreign investment laws
and regulations. We cannot assure you that such a modification
would be passed.
Risks
Relating to Maxcom
We may
not be able to generate sufficient cash flows to meet our debt
service obligations and implement our business
plan.
Our business plan, including the expansion of our network and
services, requires significant capital expenditures. In turn,
our ability to fund these planned capital expenditures as well
our operating expenses and our debt service obligations will
depend on our ability to develop a significantly larger customer
base and increase our operating cash flows. However, we may not
succeed in attracting more customers and as a result our
business may not generate sufficient operating cash flows to
implement our business plan or even meet our existing debt
service obligations. For example, from our incorporation in 1996
through 2003 we generated negative operating cash flows. If we
cannot service our debt obligations, we may have to take actions
such as selling assets, seeking additional equity investments,
reducing or delaying capital expenditures, strategic
acquisitions, investments and alliances, or restructuring our
indebtedness pursuant to in court or out of court procedures,
any of which could inhibit the implementation of our business
plan and materially harm our operating results and financial
condition.
Because
we have a history of losses and may continue to incur
significant expenses, we cannot be certain that we will achieve
profitability.
We incurred net losses of U.S.$2.6 million
(Ps.28.2 million) for the year ended December 31, 2006
and U.S.$1.6 million (Ps.16.8 million) for the six months ended
June 30, 2007. Our losses may continue, and possibly
increase, as we invest in the expansion of our network and the
implementation of our business strategy. Because we expect to
continue to incur significant expenses in connection with the
expansion of our network, we will need to generate significant
revenues to achieve and maintain profitability. We cannot be
certain that we will ever achieve profitability and, if we do
achieve profitability, we cannot be certain that we can sustain
or increase profitability on a quarterly or annual basis in the
future. If we fail to achieve profitability within the time
frame expected by our investors, the market price of our
securities will be adversely affected.
We may
be unable to build out our network in a timely manner or without
undue cost.
Our ability to achieve our strategic objectives will depend in
large part upon the successful, timely and cost-effective
buildout of our network. Factors that could affect such buildout
include:
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municipal or regional political events or local rulings;
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our ability to obtain permits to use public rights of way;
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our ability to generate cash flow or to obtain future financing
necessary for such buildout;
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unforeseen delays, costs or impediments relating to the granting
of municipal and state permits for our buildout;
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delays or disruptions resulting from physical damage, power
loss, defective equipment or the failure of third-party
suppliers or contractors to meet their obligations in a timely
and cost-effective manner; and
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regulatory and political risks relating to Mexico, such as the
revocation or termination of our concessions, the temporary
seizure or permanent expropriation of assets, import and export
controls, political instability,
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31
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changes in the regulation of telecommunications and any future
restrictions or easing of restrictions on the repatriation of
profits or on foreign investment.
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Although we believe that our cost estimates and buildout
schedule are reasonable, we cannot assure you that the actual
construction costs or time required to complete the buildout
will not substantially exceed our current estimates. Any
significant cost overrun or delay could hinder or prevent the
successful implementation of our business plan, including the
development of a significantly larger customer base, and result
in revenues and net income being less than expected.
The
loss of key personnel could harm our business, results of
operations and financial condition.
Our operations are managed by a small number of executive
officers and key management personnel. Our continued success,
including our ability to effectively expand our network, provide
existing services and develop and introduce new services,
largely depends on the efforts and abilities of our executive
officers and other key management employees, as well as our
ability to hire and retain highly skilled and qualified
management personnel. Between 2000 and 2004, we experienced
significant turnover in our executive ranks, including in the
positions of chief executive officer, chief marketing officer
and chief financial officer, which adversely affected our
ability to develop and execute our business strategies during
such period. The competition for highly qualified management
personnel in the telecommunications industry is intense and,
accordingly, we cannot assure you that we will be able to hire
or retain the necessary management personnel. Our business could
be materially and adversely affected if, for any reason, a
number of our officers including our Chief Executive Officer,
René Sagastuy, our Chief Financial Officer, José
Antonio Solbes, our Chief Operating and Technology Officer,
Ricardo Arévalo Ruiz and our Vice President of Sales and
Marketing, Alejandro Díaz y Díaz, or key employees do
not remain with us and we were unable to promptly replace them
with qualified personnel.
We may
not have sufficient personnel to grow as rapidly as we would
like.
Our expected rate of growth will place a significant strain on
our administrative, operational and financial personnel. We
anticipate that continued growth will require us to recruit and
hire a significant number of new non-executive managerial,
finance, sales and marketing, accounting and support personnel.
If we are unable to attract and retain qualified personnel who
can support the implementation of our business plan, our growth
may be limited and the quality of our services may be impaired.
If we
have to pay Telmex local interconnection fees, we may not be
able to provide services at competitive rates.
Teléfonos de México, S.A.B. de C.V., or Telmex, and
its affiliates exert significant influence on all aspects of the
telecommunications market in Mexico, including interconnection
agreements for local and long-distance services. We use
Telmex’s network for call termination to service virtually
all of our customers’ calls to Telmex’s customers. Our
current local interconnection agreement with Telmex incorporates
a “bill and keep” procedure under which we do not pay
Telmex an interconnection fee unless we exceed a certain level
of traffic imbalance. Under the “bill and keep”
arrangement, if the imbalance between calls originated by Telmex
and terminated by Maxcom and calls originated by Maxcom and
terminated by Telmex during a month does not exceed 5%,
excluding commercial traffic and customers who have had
contracts for less than 180 days, then no interconnection
fee amounts are payable by the net carrier of interconnection
services. The interconnection rate is currently Ps.0.1052
(U.S.$0.00975) per minute. If the allowed percentage for
imbalance of traffic for the “bill and keep” procedure
is exceeded
and/or if
the “bill and keep” procedure is eliminated and we
have to pay Telmex for local interconnection, our operating
costs may increase and we may not be able to offer services at
competitive rates.
Our
inability to successfully upgrade our accounting, billing,
customer service and management information systems as new
technology becomes available could increase our churn rates,
inhibit our ability to attract new customers and result in
decreased revenue and increased costs.
Sophisticated information and processing systems are important
to our existing operations and future growth and our ability to
monitor costs, deliver invoices, process customer orders,
provide customer service and achieve operating efficiencies.
While we have installed systems we deem necessary to conduct our
operations efficiently, we intend to upgrade our accounting,
information and processing systems as new and more cost
efficient technology becomes available. We believe we have
budgeted for the applicable expenditures and will have
sufficient resources
32
to make such investments. However, we cannot assure you that we
will be able to successfully upgrade such systems as technology
advances and any inability to do so could increase our churn
rates, inhibit our ability to attract new customers and result
in decreased revenue and increased costs.
Service
interruptions due to natural disasters or unanticipated problems
with our network infrastructure could result in customer
loss.
Natural disasters or unanticipated problems with our network
infrastructure could cause interruptions in the services we
provide. The failure of a switch would result in the
interruption of service to the customers served by that switch
until necessary repairs are completed or replacement equipment
is installed. The successful operation of our network and its
components is highly dependent upon our ability to maintain the
network and its components in reliable enough working order to
provide sufficient quality of service to attract and maintain
customers. Any damage or failure that causes interruptions in
our operations or lack of adequate maintenance of our network
could result in the loss of customers and increased maintenance
costs that would adversely impact our results of operations and
financial condition.
We
could be negatively affected by “by-pass”
international traffic.
Pursuant to Mexican Federal Telecommunications Commission
regulations, international long-distance traffic in Mexico must
be routed and terminated through authorized international
gateways at established international settlement rates. However,
less expensive alternatives which by-pass authorized gateways
exist, particularly in the case of countries with whom Mexico
exchanges a significant amount of traffic. Given the disparity
between the government-authorized and alternative long-distance
interconnection and termination rates through local service
routes
and/or
Internet Protocol services, an increasing portion of the
long-distance market between Mexico and the United States is
served by entities that circumvent or “by-pass” the
international long-distance interconnection system. This
practice is illegal under applicable law.
Maxcom cannot confirm whether any of its high-volume customers
are engaging in “by-pass” activities because it is not
required to make such a determination under Mexican regulations
and therefore has not implemented a system to detect such
activity. Maxcom is required, however, to comply with any
Mexican Federal Telecommunications Commission order to
disconnect a customer deemed to be engaged in
“by-pass” activities by the Mexican Federal
Telecommunications Commission. In 2000, Mexican regulatory
authorities announced their intention to conduct more rigorous
audits of persons or companies believed to be engaged in
“by-pass” activities. In December 2000, some of the
major Mexican long-distance carriers, including Maxcom, signed a
cooperation agreement to combat “by-pass” activities.
If, as a consequence of such actions, the regulatory authorities
determine that any of our high-volume customers are engaged in
“by-pass” activity, Maxcom would be required to
disconnect their service and our revenues could be negatively
affected.
Our
telecommunications network infrastructure has several
vulnerabilities and limitations.
Our telecommunications network is the source of all our
revenues. Any problem with or limitation of our network may
result in a reduction in the number of our customers or usage
level by our customers, our inability to attract new customers
or increased maintenance costs, all of which would have a
negative impact on our revenues and net income. The development
and operation of our network is subject to problems and
technological risks, including:
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physical damage;
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power loss;
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capacity limitations;
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software defects as well as hardware and software obsolescence;
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breaches of security, whether by computer virus, break-in or
otherwise;
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failure to interconnect with carriers linking us with our
customers;
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denial of access to our sites for failure to obtain required
municipal or other regulatory approvals; and
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33
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other factors which may cause interruptions in service or
reduced capacity for our customers.
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Our
results may be negatively impacted by high levels of
churn.
A high rate of residential or business customer lines attrition,
or “churn,” decreases revenue, reduces our ability to
recoup installation costs and increases our operating costs.
Churn may be impacted by:
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customer delinquency;
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our limited coverage area that restricts our ability to continue
providing service when a customer moves;
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our failure to meet service levels required by our customers;
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our failure to provide, efficiently or on competitive terms,
other services demanded by our customers;
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promotional and pricing strategies of our competitors; and
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macroeconomic conditions in Mexico.
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SPECIAL
NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
This prospectus contains forward-looking statements. Statements
that are not statements of historical fact, including statements
about our beliefs and expectations, are forward-looking
statements. The words “anticipates,”
“believes,” “could,” “estimates,”
“expects,” “forecasts,” “intends,”
“may,” “plans,” “potential,”
“predicts,” “projects,” “should,”
“targets,” “will” and similar words are
intended to identify these statements, which necessarily involve
known and unknown risks and uncertainties. Accordingly, our
actual results of operations may be different from our current
expectations, and prospective investors should not place undue
reliance on these forward-looking statements. Forward-looking
statements speak only as of the date they are made, and we do
not undertake any obligation to update them in light of new
information or future developments.
These statements are based on management’s current
expectations, assumptions and beliefs in light of the
information currently available to us. These expectations,
assumptions and beliefs also involve risks and uncertainties
which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements
to be materially different from any future results, performance
or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking
statements. Potential risks and uncertainties include, without
limitation:
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competition in local services, data, Internet, Voice over
Internet Protocol and Internet Protocol Television services;
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our ability to service our debt;
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limitations on our access to sources of financing on competitive
terms;
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significant economic or political developments in Mexico and the
United States;
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changes in our regulatory environment, particularly developments
affecting the regulation of the telecommunications industry;
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our need for substantial capital;
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general economic conditions, including the economic slow-down in
Mexico and the United States;
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the global telecommunications downturn;
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performance of financial markets and thus our ability to
refinance our financial obligations when they come due;
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our history of operating losses;
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the risks associated with our ability to implement our growth
strategy;
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customer attrition;
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34
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technological innovations;
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currency fluctuations and inflation in Mexico;
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changes in the policies of central banks
and/or
foreign governments; and
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the risks factors discussed under “Risk Factors.”
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We obtained the industry and market data used in this prospectus
from research, surveys or studies conducted by third parties on
our behalf, information contained in third-party publications,
such as Pyramid Research (an Economist Intelligence Unit
subsidiary), and other publicly available sources. Additionally,
certain market share data for the Mexican states is based on
published information available. There is no comparable data
available relating to the particular cities we serve. In
presenting market share estimates for these cities, we have
estimated the size of the market on the basis of the published
information for the state in which the particular city is
located. We believe this method is reasonable, but the results
have not been verified by any independent source.
35
The following table sets forth, for the periods indicated, the
period-end, average, high and low noon buying rates, in each
case for the purchase of U.S. dollars, all expressed in
nominal pesos per U.S. dollar. The noon buying rate on
October 25, 2007 was Ps.10.84 per U.S.$1.00.
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Noon Buying
Rate(1)
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Period End
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Average(2)
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High
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Low
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2002
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10.43
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9.75
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10.43
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9.00
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2003
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11.24
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10.85
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11.41
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10.11
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2004
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11.15
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11.31
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11.64
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10.81
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2005
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10.63
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10.87
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11.41
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10.41
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2006
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10.80
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10.90
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11.46
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10.43
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January 2007
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11.04
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10.96
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11.09
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10.77
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February 2007
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11.16
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11.00
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11.16
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10.92
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March 2007
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11.04
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11.11
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11.18
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11.01
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April 2007
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10.93
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10.98
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11.03
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10.92
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May 2007
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10.74
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10.82
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10.93
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10.74
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June 2007
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10.79
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10.83
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10.98
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10.71
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July 2007
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10.93
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10.81
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11.01
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10.73
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August 2007
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11.03
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11.04
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11.27
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10.93
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September 2007
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10.93
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11.04
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11.15
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10.93
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October 2007 (through October 25th)
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10.84
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10.84
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10.91
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10.79
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(1)
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Source: Federal Reserve Bank of New
York.
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(2)
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Represents the average rates for
each period indicated, calculated by using the average of the
exchange rates on the last day of each month during the years
presented and by using the daily average of the exchange rates
during the months presented.
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Our inclusion of these exchange ratios is not meant to suggest
that the peso amounts actually represent such U.S. dollars
or that such amounts could have been converted into
U.S. dollars at such rate or any other rate.
Except for the period from September through December 1982,
during a liquidity crisis, the Mexican Central Bank has
consistently made foreign currency available to Mexican
private-sector entities (such as us) to meet their foreign
currency obligations. Nevertheless, in the event of renewed
shortages of foreign currency, there can be no assurance that
foreign currency would continue to be available to
private-sector companies or that foreign currency needed by us
to service foreign currency obligations or to import goods could
be purchased in the open market without substantial additional
cost.
36
All acceptances of the exchange offer and withdrawals of
tendered outstanding senior notes must be made as set forth in
this prospectus.
Purpose
and Effect of the Exchange Offer
The Issuer and the Guarantors entered into a registration rights
agreement with Morgan Stanley & Co. Incorporated, as
representative of the initial purchasers, on each of the
original issue dates of the outstanding senior notes. In that
agreement, the Issuer and the Guarantors agreed for the benefit
of the holders of the outstanding senior notes that the Issuer
and the Guarantors will file with the SEC and use their
reasonable best efforts to cause to become effective a
registration statement relating to an offer to exchange the
outstanding senior notes for an issue of SEC-registered senior
notes with terms identical to the outstanding senior notes
(except that the new senior notes will not be subject to
restrictions on transfer or to any increase in annual interest
rate as described below).
If the exchange offer is not completed on or before
September 30, 2007, the annual interest rate borne by the
outstanding senior notes will be increased by 0.50% per annum.
This increase in the interest rate will end upon the earlier of
(i) completion of the exchange offer, (ii) the
effectiveness of the shelf registration or (iii) the
outstanding senior notes being freely tradable under the
Securities Act.
Following the consummation of the exchange offer, holders of the
outstanding senior notes who were eligible to participate in the
exchange offer but who did not tender their outstanding senior
notes will not have any further registration rights and their
outstanding senior notes will continue to be subject to certain
restrictions on transfer. Accordingly, the liquidity of the
market for the outstanding senior notes could be adversely
affected.
Terms of
the Exchange Offer
Upon the terms and subject to the conditions set forth in this
prospectus and in the applicable letter of transmittal, we will
accept any and all outstanding senior notes validly tendered and
not withdrawn prior to 5:00 p.m. New York City time,
on the expiration date of the exchange offer. We will issue
$1,000 principal amount of exchange senior notes in exchange for
each $1,000 principal amount of outstanding senior notes
accepted in the exchange offer. Any holder may tender some or
all of its outstanding senior notes pursuant to the exchange
offer. However, outstanding senior notes may be tendered only in
integral multiples of $1,000.
The form and terms of the new senior notes are the same as the
form and terms of the outstanding senior notes except that:
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the new senior notes bear a Series B designation and
different ISIN, CUSIP and Common Code numbers, as the case may
be, from the outstanding senior notes;
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the new senior notes have been registered under the Securities
Act and hence will not bear legends restricting their
transfer; and
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the holders of the new senior notes will not be entitled to
certain rights under the registration rights agreements, all of
which rights will terminate when such exchange offer is
completed.
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The new senior notes will evidence the same debt as the
outstanding senior notes and will be entitled to the benefits of
the applicable indenture. The exchange offer is not conditioned
upon any minimum aggregate principal amount of outstanding
senior notes being tendered for exchange.
$200.0 million in aggregate principal amount of the
outstanding senior notes are subject to the exchange offer. We
have fixed close of business
on ,
2007 as the record date for the exchange offer for purposes of
determining the persons to whom this prospectus and the letters
of transmittal will be mailed initially.
Holders of outstanding senior notes do not have any appraisal or
dissenters’ rights under Mexican law or the indentures
relating to the senior notes in connection with the exchange
offer. We intend to conduct the exchange offer in accordance
with the applicable requirements of the Exchange Act and the
rules and regulations of the SEC.
37
We will be deemed to have accepted validly tendered outstanding
senior notes when, as and if we have given oral or written
notice of our acceptance to the exchange agent. The exchange
agent will act as agent for the tendering holders for the
purposes of receiving the new senior notes from us.
If any tendered outstanding senior notes are not accepted for
exchange because of an invalid tender, the occurrence of
specified other events set forth in this prospectus or
otherwise, the certificates for any unaccepted outstanding
senior notes will be returned, without expense, to the tendering
holder thereof as promptly as practicable after the expiration
date of the exchange offer.
Holders who tender outstanding senior notes in the exchange
offer will not be required to pay brokerage commissions or fees
or, subject to the instructions in the applicable letter of
transmittal, transfer taxes with respect to the exchange of
outstanding senior notes pursuant to the exchange offer. We will
pay all charges and expenses, other than transfer taxes in
certain circumstances, in connection with the exchange offer.
See “— Fees and Expenses.”
Expiration
Date; Extensions; Amendments
The term “expiration date” will mean 5:00 p.m.,
New York City time,
on ,
2007, unless we, in our sole discretion, extend the exchange
offer, in which case the term “expiration date” will
mean the latest date and time to which the exchange offer is
extended.
In order to extend the exchange offer, we will notify the
exchange agent of any extension by oral or written notice and by
mailing to the registered holders an announcement thereof or by
means of a press release or other public announcement, each
prior to 9:00 a.m., New York City time, on the next
business day after the previously scheduled expiration date.
We reserve the right, in our sole discretion, (1) to delay
accepting any outstanding senior notes, to extend the exchange
offer or to terminate the exchange offer if any of the
conditions set forth below under
“— Conditions” have not been satisfied, by
giving oral or written notice of any delay, extension or
termination to the exchange agent or (2) to amend the terms
of the exchange offer in any manner. Any delay in acceptance,
extension, termination or amendment will be followed as promptly
as practicable by oral or written notice thereof to the
registered holders.
Interest
on the New Notes
For each of the outstanding senior notes surrendered in the
exchange offer, the holder who surrendered the senior secured
note will receive a new senior secured note, having a principal
amount equal to that of the surrendered senior secured note.
Interest on each new senior secured note will accrue from the
later of:
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the last interest payment date on which interest was paid on the
outstanding senior secured note surrendered; and
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if no interest has been paid on the outstanding senior secured
note, from the date on which the outstanding senior notes were
issued.
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If the outstanding senior secured note is surrendered for
exchange on a date after the record date for an interest payment
date to occur on or after the date of the exchange offer
expiration date, interest on the new senior secured note will
accrue from that interest payment date.
Interest on the new senior notes is payable semi-annually on
each June 15 and December 15. For more information
regarding the terms of the new senior notes, see
“Description of the Notes.”
Procedures
for Tendering
Only a holder of outstanding senior notes may tender the
outstanding senior notes in the exchange offer.
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In all cases, issuance of new senior notes for outstanding
senior notes that are accepted for exchange pursuant to the
exchange offer will be made only after timely, prior to the
expiration date, receipt by an exchange agent of:
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certificates for such outstanding senior notes or a timely
confirmation (a “Book-Entry Confirmation”) of a
book-entry transfer of such outstanding senior notes into the
exchange agent’s account at DTC (the “book-entry
transfer facility”), as the case may be;
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a duly executed letter of transmittal (with the signature
thereon guaranteed if required by the terms fo the letter of
transmittal) or a properly transmitted agent’s message, as
defined below, as applicable; and
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all other required documents.
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To be tendered effectively, the outstanding senior notes, letter
of transmittal or an agent’s message and other required
documents must be completed and received by the exchange agent
at the address set forth below under “— Exchange
Agent” prior to 5:00 p.m., New York City time, on the
expiration date. Delivery of the outstanding senior notes may be
made by book-entry transfer in accordance with the procedures
described below. Confirmation of the book-entry transfer must be
received by the exchange agent prior to the expiration date. If
any tendered outstanding senior notes are not accepted for any
reason set forth in the terms and conditions of the exchange
offer or if outstanding senior notes are submitted for a greater
principal amount than the holder desires to exchange, such
unaccepted or non-exchanged outstanding senior notes will be
credited to an account maintained with DTC as promptly as
practicable after the expiration of the exchange offer.
If you hold outstanding senior notes through DTC and wish to
accept the exchange offer, you must do so through DTC’s
Automated Tender Offer Program, or ATOP, pursuant to which you
will agree to be bound by the terms of the applicable letter of
transmittal. See “— Book-Entry Transfer.” If
you wish to tender such senior notes and cannot complete the
procedures for book-entry transfer prior to the expiration date,
you may tender such senior notes according to the guaranteed
delivery procedures set forth below under
“— Guaranteed Delivery Procedures.”
To participate in the exchange offer, each holder will be
required to make the following representations to us:
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Any new senior notes to be received by the holder and, if
applicable, each beneficial owner of senior notes held by such
holder, will be acquired in the ordinary course of the
holder’s, and, if applicable, each beneficial owner’s
business;
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The holder is not participating or engaging in, does not intend
to participate in or engage in and has no arrangement or
understanding with any person to participate or engage in the
distribution, within the meaning of Securities Act, of the new
senior notes in violation of the Securities Act;
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Neither the holder nor any beneficial owner of senior notes held
by such holder is our affiliate as defined in Rule 405
promulgated under the Securities Act;
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The holder is not a broker-dealer tendering outstanding senior
notes directly acquired from us for its own account;
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If the holder is not a broker-dealer, it is not engaged in, and
does not intend to engage in, the distribution of new senior
notes;
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If the holder or, if applicable, any beneficial owner of senior
notes held by such holder is a broker-dealer that will receive
new senior notes for its own account in exchange for outstanding
senior notes that were acquired as a result of market-making or
other trading activities, such broker dealer will deliver a
prospectus in connection with any resale of the new senior notes
(in this prospectus, we refer to these broker-dealers as
participating broker-dealers); and
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The holder is not acting on behalf of any person or entity that
could not truthfully make these representations.
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The tender by a holder and our acceptance thereof will
constitute an agreement between the holder and us in accordance
with the terms and subject to the conditions set forth in this
prospectus and in the letter of transmittal or agent’s
message.
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The delivery of outstanding senior notes and delivery of all
other required documents is at the election and sole risk of the
holder. As an alternative to delivery by mail, holders may wish
to consider facsimile, overnight courier or hand delivery
service. In all cases, sufficient time should be allowed to
assure delivery of the letter of transmittal or agent’s
message to an exchange agent before the required time on the
expiration date. No letter of transmittal or agent’s
message should be sent to issuer or any book-entry transfer
facility. If applicable, holders should request their respective
brokers, dealers, commercial banks, trust companies or nominees
to effect the above transactions for such holders. A holder that
tenders outstanding senior notes by use of the guaranteed
delivery procedures, however, must provide to an eligible
institution (as defined below) the information required on
page 2 of the notice of guaranteed delivery. See
“— Guaranteed Delivery Procedures.”
Any beneficial owner whose outstanding senior notes are
registered in the name of a broker, dealer, commercial bank,
trust company or other nominee and who wishes to tender should
contact the registered holder promptly and instruct such
registered holder to tender on such beneficial owner’s
behalf. See “Instructions to Registered Holder
and/or
Book-Entry Transfer Facility Participant from Beneficial
Owner” included with the letter of transmittal.
Signatures on a letter of transmittal or a notice of withdrawal,
as the case may be, must be guaranteed by an Eligibile Institute
(as defined below) unless the outstanding senior notes tendered
pursuant to the letter of transmittal are tendered (1) by a
registered holder who has not completed the box entitled
“Special Registration Instructions” or “Special
Delivery Instructions” on the letter of transmittal or
(2) for the account of an Eligible Institution. In the
event that signatures on a letter of transmittal or a notice of
withdrawal, as the case may be, are required to be guaranteed,
the guarantee must be by an Eligible Institution.
If the letter of transmittal is signed by a person other than
the registered holder of any outstanding senior notes listed in
this prospectus, the outstanding senior notes must be endorsed
or accompanied by a properly completed bond power, signed by the
registered holder as the registered holder’s name appears
on the outstanding senior notes with the signature thereon
guaranteed by an Eligible Institution.
If a letter of transmittal is signed by trustees, executors,
administrators, guardians, attorneys-in-fact, officers of
corporations or others acting in a fiduciary or representative
capacity, such persons should so indicate when signing, and
evidence satisfactory to us of their authority to so act must be
submitted with such letter of transmittal.
All questions as to the validity, form, eligibility (including
time of receipt), acceptance, and withdrawal of tendered
outstanding senior notes will be determined by us in our sole
discretion, subject to compliance with the applicable rules of
the SEC, which determination will be final and binding. We
reserve the absolute right to reject any and all outstanding
senior notes not properly tendered or any outstanding senior
notes the acceptance of which would, in the opinion of our
counsel, be unlawful. We also reserve the right to waive any
defects, irregularities or conditions of tender as to particular
outstanding senior notes. Our interpretation of the terms and
conditions of the exchange offer (including the instructions in
the letters of transmittal) will be final and binding on all
parties. Unless waived, any defects or irregularities in
connection with tenders of outstanding senior notes must be
cured within such time as we shall determine, in our sole
discretion and subject to compliance with the applicable rules
of the SEC. Although we intend to notify holders of defects or
irregularities with respect to tenders of outstanding senior
notes, neither we, the exchange agent nor any other person shall
incur any liability for failure to give such notification.
Tenders of outstanding senior notes will not be deemed to have
been made until such defects or irregularities have been cured
or waived. Any outstanding senior notes received by the exchange
agent that are not properly tendered and as to which the defects
or irregularities have not been cured or waived will be returned
by the exchange agent to the tendering holder, unless otherwise
provided in the letter of transmittal, as soon as practicable
following the expiration date.
Book-Entry
Transfer
We understand that the exchange agent will make a request
promptly after the date of this prospectus to establish accounts
with respect to the outstanding senior notes at DTC for the
purpose of facilitating the exchange offer, and subject to the
establishment thereof, any financial institution that is a
participant in DTC’s system may
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make book-entry delivery of outstanding senior notes by causing
DTC to transfer the outstanding senior notes into the exchange
agent’s account with respect to the outstanding senior
notes in accordance with DTC’s procedures for the transfer.
Although delivery of the outstanding senior notes may be
effected through book-entry transfer into the exchange
agent’s account at DTC, unless an agent’s message is
received by the exchange agent in compliance with ATOP, an
appropriate letter of transmittal properly completed and duly
executed with any required signature guarantee and all other
required documents must in each case be transmitted to and
received or confirmed by the exchange agent at its address set
forth below on or prior to the expiration date, or, if the
guaranteed delivery procedures described below are complied
with, within the time period provided under the procedures.
Delivery of documents or instructions to DTC does not constitute
delivery to the exchange agent.
DTC’s ATOP program is the only method of processing the
exchange offer through DTC. To accept the exchange offer through
ATOP, participants in DTC must send electronic instructions to
DTC through DTC’s communication system. In addition, such
tendering participants should deliver a copy of the applicable
letter of transmittal to the applicable exchange agent unless an
agent’s message is transmitted in lieu thereof. DTC is
obligated to communicate those electronic instructions to the
exchange agent through an agent’s message. To tender
outstanding senior notes through ATOP, the electronic
instructions sent to DTC and transmitted by DTC to the exchange
agent must contain the character by which the participant
acknowledges its receipt of and agrees to be bound by a letter
of transmittal. Any instruction through ATOP is at your risk and
such instruction will be deemed made only when actually received
by the exchange agent. In order for an acceptance of the
exchange offer through ATOP to be valid, an agent’s message
must be transmitted to and received by the exchange agent prior
to the expiration date, or the guaranteed delivery procedures
described below must be complied with. Delivery of documents or
instructions to DTC does not constitute delivery to the exchange
agent.
The term “agent’s message” means a message,
transmitted by the book-entry transfer facility to, and received