10-K 1 d10k.htm FORM 10-K FOR THE PERIOD ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2004 Form 10-K for the period ended December 31, 2004
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UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

 


 

FORM 10-K

 

(Mark One)

 

x ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2004

 

OR

 

¨ TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the transition period from          to         

 

Commission File Number: 000-32743

 


 

ZHONE TECHNOLOGIES, INC.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

 

Delaware   22-3509099

(State or other jurisdiction of

incorporation or organization)

 

(I.R.S. Employer

Identification No.)

 

7001 Oakport Street

Oakland, California 94621

(Address of principal executive office)

 

Registrant’s telephone number, including area code: (510) 777-7000

 

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act: None

 

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act:

Common Stock, $0.001 Par Value

(Title of class)

 

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

 

Indicate by check mark if disclosure of delinquent filers pursuant to Item 405 of Regulation S-K is not contained herein, and will not be contained, to the best of registrant’s knowledge, in definitive proxy or information statements incorporated by reference in Part III of this Form 10-K or any amendment to this Form 10-K x.

 

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

 

As of February 15, 2005, there were 94,176,303 shares outstanding of the registrant’s common stock, $0.001 par value. As of June 30, 2004 (the last business day of the registrant’s most recently completed second fiscal quarter), the aggregate market value of common stock held by non-affiliates of the registrant was approximately $172,737,000.

 

DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE

 

Portions of the registrant’s definitive Proxy Statement for the 2005 Annual Meeting of Stockholders are incorporated by reference into Part III of this Form 10-K where indicated.

 



Table of Contents

TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

          Page

PART I

         

Item 1.

   Business    3

Item 2.

   Properties    13

Item 3.

   Legal Proceedings    13

Item 4.

   Submission of Matters to a Vote of Security Holders    14

PART II

         

Item 5.

   Market for Registrant’s Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities    15

Item 6.

   Selected Financial Data    16

Item 7.

   Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations    17

Item 7A.

   Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk    42

Item 8.

   Financial Statements and Supplementary Data    43

Item 9.

   Changes in and Disagreements With Accountants on Accounting and Financial Disclosure    80

Item 9A.

   Controls and Procedures    80

Item 9B.

   Other Information    82

PART III 

         

Item 10.

   Directors and Executive Officers of the Registrant    83

Item 11.

   Executive Compensation    83

Item 12.

   Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management and Related Stockholder Matters    83

Item 13.

   Certain Relationships and Related Transactions    83

Item 14.

   Principal Accountant Fees and Services    83

PART IV 

         

Item 15.

   Exhibits, Financial Statement Schedules    84

Signatures

   85

Exhibits

   86

 

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PART I

 

ITEM 1.    BUSINESS

 

This Annual Report on Form 10-K, including “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations,” contains forward-looking statements regarding future events and our future results that are subject to the safe harbors created under the Securities Act of 1933 and the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. These statements are based on current expectations, estimates, forecasts, and projections about the industries in which we operate and the beliefs and assumptions of our management. We use words such as “anticipate,” “believe,” “continue,” “could,” “estimate,” “expect,” “goal,” “intend,” “may,” “plan,” “project,” “seek,” “should,” “target,” “will,” “would,” variations of such words, and similar expressions to identify forward-looking statements. In addition, statements that refer to projections of earnings, revenue, costs or other financial items; anticipated growth and trends in our business or key markets, including growth in the service provider market; future growth and revenues from our SLMS products; improvements in the capital spending environment; future economic conditions and performance; anticipated performance of products or services; plans, objectives and strategies for future operations; and other characterizations of future events or circumstances, are forward-looking statements. Readers are cautioned that these forward-looking statements are only predictions and are subject to risks, uncertainties and assumptions that are difficult to predict. Therefore, actual results may differ materially and adversely from those expressed in any forward-looking statements. Factors that might cause such a difference include, but are not limited to, the ability to generate sufficient revenue to achieve or sustain profitability, the ability to raise additional capital to fund existing and future operations, defects or other performance problems in our products, reliance on contract manufacturers to produce our products cost-effectively and in sufficient volumes, dependence on sole or limited source suppliers for key components, the economic slowdown in the telecommunications industry that has restricted the ability of our customers to purchase our products, commercial acceptance of our SLMS products, intense competition in the communications equipment market from large equipment companies as well as private companies that have announced plans for products that address the same networks needs as our products, higher than anticipated expenses that we may incur, and other factors identified below, under the heading “Risk Factors” and elsewhere in this report. We undertake no obligation to revise or update any forward-looking statements for any reason.

 

Company Overview

 

We design, develop and manufacture communications network equipment for telephone companies and cable operators worldwide. We believe that these network service providers can increase their revenues and lower their operating costs by using our products to deliver video and interactive entertainment services in addition to their existing voice and data service offerings, all on a platform that permits a seamless migration from legacy technologies to a converged packet-based architecture. Our Single Line Multi-Service (SLMS) architecture provides cost efficiency and feature flexibility with support for voice over internet protocol (VoIP) and IP video (IPTV). Within this SLMS architecture, our products allow service providers to deliver all of these converged packet services over their existing copper lines while providing support for fiber build-out. Our optical transport products complement our SLMS architecture by providing flexible, low-cost, additional capacity over existing fiber. As service providers expand their broadband service offerings, our optical transport products allow them to alleviate bandwidth bottlenecks in their fiber based transport networks. With our products, network service providers can seamlessly migrate from traditional circuit-based technology to packet-based networks, and from copper-based access lines to fiber-based access lines without abandoning the investments they have made in their existing infrastructures.

 

We were incorporated in Delaware under the name Zhone Technologies, Inc. in June 1999, and in November 2003, we consummated our merger with Tellium, Inc. Although Tellium acted as the legal acquirer, due to various factors, including the relative voting rights, board control and senior management composition of the combined company, Zhone was treated as the “acquirer” for accounting purposes. Following the merger, the combined company was renamed Zhone Technologies, Inc. and retained substantially all of Zhone’s previous management and operating structure. The mailing address of our worldwide headquarters is 7001 Oakport Street,

 

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Oakland, California 94621, and our telephone number at that location is (510) 777-7000. Our website address is www.zhone.com. The information on our website does not constitute part of this report. Through a link on the Investor Relations section of our website, we make available the following filings as soon as reasonably practicable after they are electronically filed with or furnished to the Securities and Exchange Commission: our Annual Report on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, Current Reports on Form 8-K and any amendments to those reports filed or furnished pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. All such filings are available free of charge.

 

Industry Background

 

Over the past several years, the communications network industry has experienced rapid expansion and change as the internet and the proliferation of bandwidth intensive applications and services have led to an increased demand for high bandwidth communications networks. However, service providers have had difficulty in meeting this increased demand for high speed broadband access due to the constraints of the existing communications network infrastructure. This infrastructure consists of two interconnected networks:

 

    the “core” network, which interconnects service providers with each other; and

 

    the “access” network, which connects end-users to a service provider’s closest facility.

 

To address the increased customer demand for higher transmission speeds via greater bandwidth, service providers expended significant capital to upgrade the core networks by replacing their copper infrastructure with high-speed optical infrastructure. While the use of fiber optic equipment in the core has relieved the capacity constraints in the core network, the access network continues to be a “bottleneck” that limits the transmission of high speed data. As a result, communications in the core network can travel up to 10 gigabytes per second, while in stark contrast, the majority of communications over the access network occurs at a mere 56 kilobytes per second, a speed that is 175,000 times slower. At 56 kilobytes per second, it may take several minutes to access a media rich website and several hours to download large files. Because re-wiring every individual customer’s home or business with fiber optic cable to deliver high bandwidth services is cost prohibitive and time consuming, solving the access network bottleneck requires both more efficient use of the existing copper wire infrastructure and support for the gradual migration from copper to fiber.

 

In an attempt to deliver high bandwidth services over existing copper wire in the access network, service providers began deploying digital subscriber line (DSL) technology over a decade ago. However, this early DSL technology has its own share of limitations. The amount of bandwidth available over a copper wire is inversely proportional to the length of the copper wire. In other words, the greater the distance between the service provider’s equipment and the customer’s premises, the lower the bandwidth. Unfortunately, most of the DSL services available are provided by first generation DSL access multiplexer (DSLAM) equipment. These large unwieldy devices require conditioned power and climate controls typically found only in a telephone company’s central office, which is often at great distance from the customer. While adequate for basic data services, these first generation DSLAMs were not designed to meet the needs of today’s high bandwidth applications. The modest bandwidth provided by existing DSLAM equipment is often incapable of delivering even a single channel of standard definition video, much less multiple channels or high definition video.

 

More recently, regulatory changes and new technologies have allowed new competitors to begin delivering cost effective telecommunication services. As an example, cable operators, with extensive networks designed originally to provide only video programming, have collaborated to adopt new packet technologies that leverage the capabilities of the coaxial cable infrastructure. Using the latest technologies, cable operators have begun to cost effectively deliver new service bundles. The new service offerings, including IPTV, video on demand (VOD), interactive programming, digital video recording and new VoIP calling capabilities, provide not only enhanced features and capability, but also allow the cable operators to deliver these services over a common network. The resulting cost efficiencies are difficult for incumbent telephone companies to match. Even with their legacy voice switches fully paid for, maintaining separate networks for their circuit-based voice and packet- based video and data networks is operationally non-competitive. And perhaps even more important than the

 

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economic efficiencies, by integrating these services over a common packet infrastructure, cable operators will realize levels of integration between applications and new features that will be difficult to achieve from a multi-platform solution.

 

This increased competition has placed significant pressure on service providers. With hundreds of billions of dollars of service revenues at risk, service providers have started to make investments to upgrade their networks and broaden their service offerings. In response to these competitive pressures, existing service providers have commenced a search for ways to modernize their legacy networks, to enable delivery of additional high bandwidth, high margin services, and to lower the cost of delivering these services.

 

The Zhone Solution

 

We believe that we are the first company dedicated solely to developing the full spectrum of next-generation solutions to cost effectively deliver next generation services while simultaneously preserving the investment in today’s networks. Most of our products are based upon our SLMS architecture. In addition, our optical transport products extend this architecture to the transport network for the efficient distribution of voice, data and video as well as other high-bandwidth services including VOD and high-definition television (HDTV). From its inception, this new SLMS architecture was specifically designed for the delivery of multiple classes of subscriber services (such as voice, data and video distribution), rather than being based on a particular protocol or media. In other words, our SLMS products are built to support the migration from circuit to packet technologies, and from copper to fiber technologies. This flexibility allows our products to adapt to future technologies while allowing service providers to focus on service delivery. With this SLMS architecture, service providers can leverage their existing networks to deliver a combination of voice, data and video services today, while they migrate, either simultaneously or at a future date, from legacy equipment to next generation equipment with minimal interruption. We believe that our SLMS solutions provide an evolutionary path for service providers from their existing infrastructures, as well as give newer service providers the capability to deploy cost-effective, multi-service networks.

 

Universal Bandwidth – SLMS provides among the most flexible and scalable access solutions, allowing cost-effective broadband deployment to every subscriber throughout the service providers footprint. Our SLMS access solutions are available in a range of configurations which support from as little as 8 to as many as 2,880 service ports per enclosure. This deployment flexibility allows service providers to minimize loop lengths and to select the precise port densities needed to meet any deployment requirement. SLMS preserves the investments made by service providers in their existing copper wire networks while providing the flexibility to cost-effectively migrate to fiber as warranted, with seamless in-service transitions and very high densities for optimal deployment options.

 

Packet Migration – SLMS is a flexible multi-service architecture that provides current services while simultaneously supporting migration to a pure packet network. This flexibility allows service providers to cost-effectively provide carrier class performance and functionality for current and future services without interrupting existing services or abandoning existing subscribers. SLMS also protects the value of the investments made by residential and commercial subscribers in equipment, inside wiring and applications, thereby minimizing transition impact and subscriber attrition.

 

Triple Play Services with Converged Voice, Data and Video – SLMS simplifies the access network by consolidating new and existing services onto a single line. This convergence of services and networks simplifies provisioning and operations, ensures quality of service and reliability, and reduces the time required to provision services. SLMS combines access, transport and customer premises equipment (CPE) and management functions in a standards-based system that provides scalability, interoperability and functionality for integrated voice, data and video services.

 

Optical Transport – Zhone’s optical transport products provide flexible low-cost, additional capacity over existing fiber with efficient multi-service transport. This technology provides for important revenue generating services including gigabit Ethernet business services, video distribution, video on demand and storage area network solutions.

 

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The Zhone Strategy

 

Our strategy is to combine internal development with acquisitions of established access equipment vendors to achieve the critical mass required of telecommunications equipment providers. Key elements of our strategy include:

 

    Deliver Full Customer Solutions. In addition to delivering hardware and software product solutions, we provide customers with pre-sales and post-sales support, education and professional services to enable our customers to more efficiently deploy and manage their networks. We provide customers with application notes, business planning information, web-based and phone-based troubleshooting assistance and installation guides. Our support programs provide a comprehensive portfolio of support tools and resources that enable our customers to effectively sell to, support and expand their subscriber base using our products and solutions.

 

    Expand Our Infrastructure to Meet Service Provider Needs. Network service providers require extensive support and tight integration with manufacturers to deliver reliable, innovative and cost-effective services. By combining advanced, computer-aided design, test, and manufacturing systems with experienced, customer-focused management and technical staff, we believe that we have established the critical mass required to fully support global service provider requirements. We continue to expand our infrastructure through ongoing development and acquisitions, continuously improving quality, reducing costs and accelerating delivery of advanced solutions.

 

    Continue the Advancement and Introduction of Our SLMS Products. Our SLMS architecture is the cornerstone of our product development strategy. The design criteria for SLMS products include carrier-class reliability, multi-protocol and service support and ease of provisioning. We intend to continue to introduce SLMS products that offer the configurations and feature sets that our customers require. In addition, we have introduced products that adhere to the standards, protocols and interfaces dictated by international standards bodies and service providers. To facilitate the rapid development of our SLMS architecture and products, we have established engineering teams responsible for each critical aspect of the architecture and products. We intend to continue to leverage our expertise in voice, data, and video technologies to enhance our SLMS architecture, supporting new services, protocols and technologies as they emerge. To further this objective, we intend to continue investing in research and development efforts to extend the SLMS architecture and introduce new SLMS products.

 

    Pursue Strategic Relationships and Acquisitions. We have grown through a combination of strategic hiring and the acquisition of companies with relevant technologies and skilled personnel. Our senior management has extensive experience in identifying, executing and integrating strategic acquisitions, both at Zhone and at previous companies. We intend to pursue additional strategic relationships and acquisitions with companies that have innovative technologies and products, highly skilled personnel, market presence, and customer relationships and distribution channels that complement our strategy. We also intend to enhance our product offerings and accelerate our time-to-market by using third-party technology licenses, distribution partnerships and manufacturing relationships.

 

Product Portfolio

 

Our products provide the framework around which we are designing and developing high speed communications software and equipment for the access network. All of the products listed below are currently available and shipping. Our products span three distinct categories:

 

SLMS Products

 

Our SLMS products address three areas of customer requirements. The Zhone Management System, or ZMS, product provides the software tools necessary to manage all of the component hardware as well as subscribers and services in the network. ZMS is capable of interfacing with and managing other vendor equipment already deployed in network service providers’ networks. Our Broadband Aggregation and Service products aggregate, concentrate and optimize communications traffic from copper and fiber networks. These

 

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products are deployed in central offices, remote offices, points of presence, curbsides, data and co-location centers and large enterprises. Our Customer Premise Equipment, or CPE, products offer a cost-effective solution for combining analog voice and data services to the subscriber’s premises over a single platform. These products deliver voice, data and video interface connectivity for broadcast and subscription television, internet routers and traditional telephony equipment.

 

Our SLMS products include:

 

Category


  

Product


  

Function


Network and Subscriber Management

   ZMS    Zhone Management System

Broadband Aggregation and Service

   MALC    Multi-Access Line Concentrator
     Raptor    Scalable ATM / IP DSLAM
     FiberSLAM    FTTP Optical Line Terminal
     BAN/Sechtor 100A    Voice and Data Gateway

Customer Premise Equipment (CPE)

   ZRG 600    ADSL2+ Residential Gateway
     ZRG 800    Fiber Residential Gateway

 

Optical Transport Products

 

New business models are emerging as coarse wavelength division multiplexer (CWDM) and dense wavelength division multiplexer (DWDM) transport enables economical support for non-linear, interactive, content-based services, including gigabit ethernet transport, video distribution, VOD, storage area networks (SAN), and edge aggregation. As a result, the access network is becoming much more responsive, combining multi-service flexibility, low cost, and bandwidth scalability—smarter, cheaper, and faster—to deliver competitive advantage. Our GigaMux CWDM/DWDM optical transport solutions enable the responsive network today, with over 3,000 nodes deployed by leading service providers around the globe.

 

Our optical transport products include:

 

Product


  

Function


GigaMux 6400

   Full Featured DWDM Product

GigaMux 3200/1600

   Modular CWDM / DWDM Product

GigaMux 50

   Low-Cost Point-to-Point CWDM Access

 

Legacy Products

 

Our legacy products support a variety of voice and data services, and are broadly deployed by service providers worldwide. Our legacy products include:

 

Product


  

Function


ISC 303

   Early Access Concentrator Replacement System

Access Node

   Access Concentrator

IMACS

   Multi-Access Multiplexer

RC Family

   M13 Multiplexers

FD-6

   Fiber Distribution System

VISTA

   SONET Transport

 

Global Service & Support

 

In addition to our product offerings, we provide a broad range of service offerings through our Global Service & Support organization. We supplement our standard and extended product warranties with programs that offer technical support, product repair, education services and enhanced support services. These services enable our customers to protect their network investments, manage their networks more efficiently and minimize

 

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downtime for mission-critical systems. Technical support services are designed to help ensure that our products operate efficiently, remain highly available, and benefit from recent software releases. Through our education services program, we offer in-depth training courses covering network design, installation, configuration, operation, trouble-shooting and maintenance. Our enhanced services offering is a comprehensive program that provides network engineering, configuration, integration, project management and other consultative support to maximize the results of our customers during the design, deployment and operational phases. As part of our commitment to ensure around-the-clock support, we maintain a technical assistance center and a staff of qualified network support engineers to provide customers with 24-hour service, seven days a week.

 

Technology

 

We believe that our future success is dependent upon continued investment in the development and acquisition of advanced technologies in a number of areas. SLMS is based on a number of core technologies that provide sustainable advantages, including the following:

 

    Services-Centric Architecture. SLMS has been designed from inception for the delivery of multiple classes of subscriber services (such as voice, data or video distribution), rather than being based on a particular protocol or media. Our SLMS products are built to interoperate in networks supporting packet, cell and circuit technologies. This independence between services and the underlying transportation is designed to position our products to be able to adapt to future transportation technologies within established architectures and to allow our customers to focus on service delivery.

 

    Common Code Base. Our SLMS products share a common base of software code, which is designed to accelerate development, improve software quality, enable rapid deployment, and minimize training and operations costs, in conjunction with network management software.

 

    Network Management and Operations. ZMS provides the following key technologies to enable rapid, cost-effective, and secure control of the network: standards-based interfaces for seamless integration with supporting systems; hierarchical service and subscriber profiles to allow rapid service definition and provisioning and to enable wholesaling of services; automated and intelligent CPE provisioning, to provide the best end-user experience and accelerate service turn-up; load-balancing for scalability; and full security features to ensure reliability and controlled access to systems and data.

 

    Test Methodologies. Our SLMS architecture provides for interoperability testing and certification with a variety of products that reside in networks in which we will deploy our products. We have built a testing facility to conduct extensive interoperability trials with equipment from other vendors and to ensure full performance under all network conditions. We have completed the Telcordia OSMINE services process for ZMS and for several of our other products. The successful completion of these processes is required by our largest customers to ensure interoperability with their existing software and systems.

 

    Acquired Technologies. We recognize the need to acquire complementary technologies to augment engineering resources when necessary to respond rapidly to service providers’ needs. Since our inception, we have completed eleven acquisitions pursuant to which we acquired products, technology and additional technical expertise. See Note 2 to our consolidated financial statements for detailed information regarding acquisitions.

 

Customers

 

We sell our products and services to network service providers who offer voice, data and video services to businesses, governments, utilities and consumers. They include regional, national and international telecommunications carriers, as well as cable service providers. To date, our products are deployed by over 300 network service providers on six continents worldwide, including two of the top three cable operators in North America. Our five largest customers during 2004 were Motorola, Qwest, Verilink, Consolidated Communications and MM02 LTD. Motorola accounted for 15% of our revenue in 2004. In 2003, Motorola and Qwest accounted for 17% and 11% of our revenue, respectively.

 

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Research and Development

 

The industry in which we compete is subject to rapid technological developments, evolving industry standards, changes in customer requirements, and continuing developments in communications service offerings. Our continuing ability to adapt to these changes, and to develop new and enhanced products, is a significant factor in maintaining or improving our competitive position and our prospects for growth. Therefore, we continue to make significant investments in product development.

 

We conduct the majority of our research and product development activities at our Oakland, California campus. In Oakland, we have built an extensive communications laboratory with hundreds of access infrastructure products from multiple vendors that serves as an interoperability and test facility. This facility allows us to emulate a communications network with serving capacity equivalent to that supporting a city of 350,000 residents. We also have focused engineering staff and activities at additional development centers located in Alpharetta, Georgia; San Diego, California; and Westlake Village, California.

 

Our product development activities focus on products to support both existing and emerging technologies in the segments of the communications industry that we consider being viable revenue opportunities. We are actively engaged in continuing to refine our SLMS architecture, introducing new products under our SLMS architecture, and creating additional interfaces and protocols for both domestic and international markets.

 

We continue our commitment to invest in leading edge technology research and development. Our research and product development expenditures were $23.2 million, $22.5 million and $29.8 million in 2004, 2003 and 2002, respectively. All of our expenditures for research and product development costs, as well as stock-based compensation expense relating to research and product development of $0.6 million, $0.7 million and $4.2 million, for 2004, 2003 and 2002, respectively, have been expensed as incurred. In addition, we also charged to expense purchased in-process research and development relating to acquisitions of $8.6 million and $0.1 million in 2004 and 2002, respectively. We plan to continue to support the development of new products and features, while seeking to carefully manage associated costs through expense controls.

 

Intellectual Property

 

We seek to establish and maintain our proprietary rights in our technology and products through the use of patents, copyrights, trademarks, and trade secret laws. We also seek to maintain our trade secrets and confidential information by nondisclosure policies and through the use of appropriate confidentiality agreements. We have obtained a number of patents and trademarks in the United States and in other countries. There can be no assurance, however, that these patents are valid or can be enforced against competitive products in every jurisdiction. Although we believe the protection afforded by our patents, patent applications, copyrights, trademarks and trade secrets has value, the rapidly changing technology in the networking industry and uncertainties in the legal process make our future success dependent primarily on the innovative skills, technological expertise, and management abilities of our employees rather than on the protection afforded by patent, copyright, trademark, and trade secret laws.

 

Many of our products are designed to include software or other intellectual property licensed from third parties. While it may be necessary in the future to seek or renew licenses relating to various aspects of our products, we believe, based upon past experience and standard industry practice, that such licenses generally could be obtained on commercially reasonable terms. Nonetheless, there can be no assurance that the necessary licenses would be available on acceptable terms, if at all. Our inability to obtain certain licenses or other rights or to obtain such licenses or rights on favorable terms, or the need to engage in litigation regarding these matters, could have a material adverse effect on our business, operating results, and financial condition.

 

The communications industry is characterized by rapidly changing technology, a large number of patents, and frequent claims and related litigation regarding patent and other intellectual property rights. We cannot assure you that our patents and other proprietary rights will not be challenged, invalidated or circumvented, that

 

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others will not assert intellectual property rights to technologies that are relevant to us, or that our rights will give us a competitive advantage. In addition, the laws of some foreign countries may not protect our proprietary rights to the same extent as the laws of the United States.

 

Sales and Marketing

 

We have a sales presence in various domestic and foreign locations, and we sell our products and services both directly and indirectly through channel partners with support from our sales force. Channel partners include distributors, resellers, system integrators and service providers. These partners sell directly to end customers and often provide system installation, technical support, professional services and support services in addition to the network equipment sale. Our sales efforts are generally organized according to customer and channel types:

 

    Strategic Account Sales. Our Strategic Account Sales organization focuses on large U.S. communications service providers. These include both cable operators and incumbent telephone companies. Our strategy is to target these service providers with our direct sales force and support them with dedicated engineering resources to meet their needs as they deploy SLMS and optical transport networks.

 

    North American Sales. Our North American Sales organization concentrates on established independent operating companies, or IOCs, as well as competitive carriers, developers and utilities. This organization is also responsible for managing our distribution and original equipment manufacturer, or OEM, partnerships.

 

    International Sales. Our International Sales organization targets foreign based service providers and is staffed with individuals with specific experience dealing with service providers in their designated international territories.

 

Our marketing team works closely with our sales, research and product development organizations and our customers by providing communications that keep the market current on our products and features. Marketing also identifies and sizes new target markets for our products, creates awareness of our company and products, generates contacts and leads within these targeted markets and performs outbound education and public relations.

 

Backlog

 

Our backlog consists of purchase orders for products and services that we expect to ship or perform within the next year. At December 31, 2004, our backlog was $8.0 million, as compared to $6.8 million at December 31, 2003. We consider backlog to be an indicator, but not the sole predictor, of future sales because our customers may cancel or defer orders without penalty.

 

Competition

 

We compete in the communications equipment market, providing products and services for the delivery of voice, data and video services. This market is characterized by rapid change, converging technologies and a migration to solutions that offer superior advantages. These market factors represent both an opportunity and a competitive threat to us. We compete with numerous vendors, including Alcatel, Calix, Ciena, Huawei, Lucent and Tellabs, among others. In addition, a number of companies have announced plans for products that address the same network needs that our products address, both domestically and abroad. Barriers to entry are relatively low, and new ventures to create products that do or could compete with our products are regularly formed. Many of our competitors have greater financial, technical, sales and marketing resources than we do.

 

The principal competitive factors in the markets in which we presently compete and may compete in the future include:

 

    Product performance;

 

    Interoperability with existing products;

 

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    Scalability and upgradeability;

 

    Conformance to standards;

 

    Breadth of services;

 

    Reliability;

 

    Ease of installation and use;

 

    Geographic footprints for products;

 

    Ability to provide customer financing;

 

    Price;

 

    Technical support and customer service; and

 

    Brand recognition.

 

While we believe that we compete successfully with respect to each of these factors, we expect to face intense competition in our market. In addition, the inherent nature of communications networking requires interoperability. As such, we must cooperate and at the same time compete with many companies.

 

Manufacturing

 

We primarily employ an outsourced manufacturing strategy that relies on contract manufacturers for manufacturing services. We utilize contract manufacturers to provide manufacturing services, including material procurement and handling, printed circuit board assembly and mechanical board assembly. We design, specify and monitor all of the tests that are required to meet our internal and external quality standards. We work closely with our contract manufacturers to manage costs and delivery times. We believe that outsourced manufacturing enables us to deliver products more quickly and allows us to focus on our core competencies, including research and product development, sales and customer service.

 

We complement our contract manufacturing relationships with in-house capabilities for final assembly and testing of our products. Our manufacturing engineers work closely with our design engineers to ensure manufacturability and feasibility of our products and to ensure that manufacturing and testing processes evolve as our technologies evolve. Additionally, our manufacturing engineers interface with our contract manufacturers to ensure that outsourced manufacturing processes and products will integrate easily and cost-effectively with our in-house manufacturing systems. We also configure, package, and ship products from our facilities after a series of inspections, reliability tests and quality control measures. Our manufacturing engineers design and build all of our testing stations, establish quality standards and protocols and develop comprehensive test procedures to assure the reliability and quality of our products. We are ISO-9001 certified which is based upon our model for quality assurance in design, development, production, installation and service processes meeting rigorous quality standards.

 

Compliance with Regulatory and Industry Standards

 

Our products must comply with a significant number of voice and data regulations and standards which vary between the U.S. and international markets, and which vary between specific international markets. Standards for new services continue to evolve, and we may need to modify our products or develop new versions to meet these standards. Standards setting and compliance verification in the U.S. are determined by the Federal Communications Commission, or FCC, Underwriters Laboratories, Quality Management Institute, Telcordia Technologies, Inc., and other communications companies. In international markets, our products must comply with standards issued by ETSI and implemented and enforced by the telecommunications regulatory authorities of each nation.

 

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Environmental Matters

 

Our operations and manufacturing processes are subject to federal, state, local, and foreign environmental protection laws and regulations. These laws and regulations relate to the use, handling, storage, discharge and disposal of certain hazardous materials and wastes, the pre-treatment and discharge of process waste waters and the control of process air pollutants. We believe that we are in compliance in all material respects with applicable environmental regulations.

 

Employees

 

As of December 31, 2004, we employed approximately 273 individuals worldwide. We consider the relationships with our employees to be positive. Competition for technical personnel in our industry is intense. We believe that our future success depends in part on our continued ability to hire, assimilate, and retain qualified personnel. To date, we believe that we have been successful in recruiting qualified employees, but there is no assurance that we will continue to be successful in the future.

 

Executive Officers

 

Set forth below is information concerning our current executive officers and their ages as of February 15, 2005.

 

Name


   Age

  

Position


Morteza Ejabat

   54    Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board of Directors

Jeanette Symons

   42    Chief Technology Officer and Vice President, Engineering

Kirk Misaka

   46    Chief Financial Officer, Vice President, Finance and Corporate Treasurer

 

Morteza Ejabat is a co-founder of Zhone and has served as our Chairman of the Board of Directors and Chief Executive Officer since our inception. Prior to co-founding Zhone, from June 1995 to June 1999, Mr. Ejabat was President and Chief Executive Officer of Ascend Communications, Inc., a provider of telecommunications equipment which was acquired by Lucent Technologies, Inc. in June 1999. Previously, Mr. Ejabat held various senior management positions with Ascend from September 1990 to June 1995, most recently as Executive Vice President and Vice President, Operations. Mr. Ejabat holds a B.S. in Industrial Engineering and an M.S. in Systems Engineering from California State University at Northridge and an M.B.A. from Pepperdine University.

 

Jeanette Symons is a co-founder of Zhone and has served as our Chief Technology Officer and Vice President, Engineering since our inception. Prior to co-founding Zhone, Ms. Symons was Chief Technical Officer and Executive Vice President of Ascend Communications, Inc., which Ms. Symons co-founded, from January 1989 to June 1999. Before co-founding Ascend, Ms. Symons was a software engineer at Hayes Microcomputer, a modem manufacturer, where she developed and managed its ISDN program. Ms. Symons holds a B.S. in Systems Engineering from the University of California at Los Angeles.

 

Kirk Misaka has served as Zhone’s Vice President, Finance and Corporate Treasurer since November 2000 and as Chief Financial Officer since July 2003. Prior to joining Zhone, Mr. Misaka was with KPMG LLP from 1980 to 2000, becoming a partner in 1989. He is a Certified Public Accountant and member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants. Mr. Misaka received his B.S. and an M.S. in Accounting from the University of Utah and an M.S. in Tax from Golden Gate University.

 

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ITEM 2. PROPERTIES

 

Our worldwide headquarters are located at our Oakland, California campus. In March 2001, we purchased the land and buildings in Oakland, California which we had previously leased under a synthetic lease agreement. As part of the financing for the purchase, we granted a deed of trust on the property to Fremont Bank and were required to transfer the land and buildings to a new entity, Zhone Technologies Campus, LLC, from which we currently lease the land and buildings. We are the sole member and manager of Zhone Technologies Campus, LLC. Our lease for this facility will expire in March 2011. The Oakland campus consists of three buildings with an aggregate of approximately 180,000 square feet, and is used for our executive offices, research and product development activities, and manufacturing and warehousing. In April 2004, the Redevelopment Agency of the City of Oakland exercised its option to repurchase from us approximately 3.625 acres of undeveloped land located adjacent to our Oakland, California campus for the purchase price of approximately $1.5 million.

 

In addition to our Oakland campus, we also lease facilities for manufacturing, research and development purposes at locations including Alpharetta, Georgia, San Diego, California and Westlake Village, California. We also maintain smaller offices to provide sales and customer support at various domestic and international locations. We believe that our existing facilities are suitable and adequate for our present purposes.

 

ITEM 3. LEGAL PROCEEDINGS

 

As a result of the merger with Tellium, Inc., we became a defendant in a securities class action lawsuit. On various dates between approximately December 10, 2002 and February 27, 2003, numerous class-action securities complaints were filed against Tellium in the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey. On May 19, 2003, a consolidated amended complaint representing all of the actions was filed. The complaint alleges, among other things, that Tellium and its then-current directors and executive officers, and its underwriters, violated the Securities Act of 1933 by making false and misleading statements or omissions in its registration statement prospectus relating to the securities offered in the initial public offering. The complaint further alleges that these parties violated the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 by acting recklessly or intentionally in making the alleged misstatements and/or omissions in connection with the sale of Tellium stock. The complaint seeks damages in an unspecified amount, including compensatory damages, costs and expenses incurred in connection with the actions and equitable relief as may be permitted by law or equity. On March 31, 2004, the Court granted Tellium’s and the underwriters’ motions to dismiss the complaint and allowed the plaintiffs to file a further amended complaint. On May 14, 2004, the plaintiffs filed a second consolidated and amended complaint. On June 25, 2004, Zhone, as Tellium’s successor-in-interest, and the underwriters again moved to dismiss the complaint. The motions to dismiss have been fully briefed, and the parties are awaiting the Court’s decision on the motions.

 

As a result of the merger with Tellium, we became a defendant in stockholder derivative lawsuits. On January 8, 2003 and January 27, 2003, two derivative suits were filed in the Superior Court of New Jersey by plaintiffs who purport to be stockholders of Tellium. The complaints in these actions allege, among other things, that Tellium directors breached their fiduciary duties to the company by engaging in stock transactions with individuals associated with Qwest Communications International Inc., and by making materially misleading statements regarding Tellium’s relationship with Qwest. The actions seek damages in an unspecified amount, including imposition of a constructive trust in favor of Tellium for the amount of profits allegedly received through stock sales, disgorgement of proceeds in connection with the stock option exercises, damages allegedly sustained by Tellium in connection with alleged breaches of fiduciary duties, and costs and expenses incurred in connection with the actions. These cases have been stayed by the court pending the resolution of motions to dismiss in the above-referenced federal court securities actions. We intend to vigorously defend the claims made in these actions, which have been consolidated.

 

As a result of the merger with Tellium, we are involved in investigations related to Qwest Communications International Inc. The Denver, Colorado regional office of the SEC is conducting two investigations titled In the Matter of Qwest Communications International Inc. and In the Matter of Issuers Related to Qwest. The first of

 

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these investigations does not appear to involve any allegation of wrongful conduct on the part of Tellium. In connection with the second investigation, the SEC is examining various transactions and business relationships involving Qwest and eleven companies having a vendor relationship with Qwest, including Tellium. This investigation, insofar as it relates to Tellium, appears to focus on whether Tellium’s transactions and relationships with Qwest were appropriately disclosed in Tellium’s public filings and other public statements. In addition, the United States Attorney in Denver is conducting an investigation involving Qwest, including Qwest’s relationships with certain of its vendors, including Tellium. In connection with that investigation, the U.S. Attorney has sought documents and information from Tellium and has sought interviews and/or grand jury testimony from persons associated or formerly associated with Tellium, including certain of its officers. The U.S. Attorney has indicated that while aspects of its investigation are in an early stage, neither Tellium nor any of the company’s current or former officers or employees is a target of the investigation. We are cooperating fully with these investigations. We are not able, at this time, to say when the SEC and/or U.S. Attorney investigations will be completed and resolved, or what the ultimate outcome with respect to the combined company will be. These investigations could result in substantial costs and a diversion of management’s attention and may have a material and adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations.

 

We are subject to other legal proceedings, claims and litigation arising in the ordinary course of business. While the outcome of these matters is currently not determinable, management does not expect that the ultimate costs to resolve these matters will have a material adverse effect on our consolidated financial position or results of operations. However, litigation is subject to inherent uncertainties, and unfavorable rulings could occur. If an unfavorable ruling were to occur, there exists the possibility of a material adverse impact on the results of operations of the period in which the ruling occurs, or future periods.

 

ITEM 4. SUBMISSION OF MATTERS TO A VOTE OF SECURITY HOLDERS

 

None.

 

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PART II

 

ITEM 5. MARKET FOR REGISTRANT’S COMMON EQUITY, RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS AND ISSUER PURCHASES OF EQUITY SECURITIES

 

Price Range of Common Stock

 

Our common stock has been traded on the Nasdaq National Market under the symbol “ZHNE” since November 14, 2003, following the consummation of the merger with Tellium, Inc. Prior to that date, Tellium’s common stock was traded on the Nasdaq under the symbol “TELM”. The following table sets forth, for the periods indicated, the high and low closing sale prices as reported on Nasdaq for Zhone and Tellium common stock, as adjusted for all stock splits. Immediately prior to the consummation of the merger with Zhone, Tellium effected a one-for-four reverse split of its outstanding shares of common stock.

 

 

2004:

             
     High

   Low

Fourth Quarter ended December 31, 2004

   $ 3.12    $ 2.35

Third Quarter ended September 30, 2004

     3.65      2.56

Second Quarter ended June 30, 2004

     4.14      3.24

First Quarter ended March 31, 2004

     7.33      3.30

 

2003:

             
     High

   Low

Fourth Quarter ended December 31, 2003

   $ 7.36    $ 4.21

Third Quarter ended September 30, 2003

     6.12      3.08

Second Quarter ended June 30, 2003

     4.84      2.16

First Quarter ended March 31, 2003

     2.56      2.12

 

As of February 15, 2005, there were approximately 1,649 stockholders of record.

 

Dividend Policy

 

We have never paid or declared any cash dividends on our common stock or other securities and do not anticipate paying cash dividends in the foreseeable future. Any future determination to pay cash dividends will be at the discretion of the Board of Directors, subject to any applicable restrictions under our debt and credit agreements, and will be dependent upon our financial condition, results of operations, capital requirements, general business condition and such other factors as the Board of Directors may deem relevant.

 

Recent Sales of Unregistered Securities

 

In June 2004, we issued warrants to the City of Oakland to purchase 16,450 shares of our common stock at an exercise price of $6.49 per share. These warrants were issued in connection with the repricing of warrants previously issued to the City of Oakland. The issuance of these warrants was not registered under the Securities Act of 1933 in reliance upon an exemption from registration afforded by Section 4(2) of the Securities Act of 1933, and/or Regulation D promulgated thereunder.

 

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ITEM 6. SELECTED FINANCIAL DATA

 

The following selected financial data has been derived from our consolidated financial statements and should be read in conjunction with the consolidated financial statements and notes thereto and with “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” and other financial data included elsewhere in this report. The historical results are not necessarily indicative of results to be expected for any future period.

 

     Year Ended December 31,

 
     2004

    2003

    2002

    2001

    2000

 
     (in thousands, except per share data)  

Statement of Operations Data:

                                        

Net revenue

   $ 97,168     $ 83,138     $ 112,737     $ 110,724     $ 80,756  

Cost of revenue

     55,305       51,081       69,689       106,006       59,384  
    


 


 


 


 


Gross profit

     41,863       32,057       43,048       4,718       21,372  

Operating expenses:

                                        

Research and product development

     23,210       22,495       29,802       63,869       85,959  

Sales and marketing

     21,958       15,859       19,676       35,472       35,153  

General and administrative

     10,416       5,324       10,843       13,095       15,911  

Purchased in-process research and development

     8,631       —         59       11,983       439  

Restructuring charges

     —         —         4,531       5,115       —    

Litigation settlement

     —         1,600       —         —         —    

Stock-based compensation

     1,396       1,238       10,376       17,098       42,316  

Amortization and impairment of intangible assets

     10,132       7,942       15,995       88,834       38,082  

Impairment of long-lived assets

     —         —         50,759       —         —    
    


 


 


 


 


Total operating expenses

     75,743       54,458       142,041       235,466       217,860  
    


 


 


 


 


Operating loss

     (33,880 )     (22,401 )     (98,993 )     (230,748 )     (196,488 )

Other income (expense), net

     (1,561 )     (2,552 )     (9,434 )     (12,627 )     (1,849 )
    


 


 


 


 


Loss before income taxes

     (35,441 )     (24,953 )     (108,427 )     (243,375 )     (198,337 )

Income tax (benefit) provision

     205       (7,778 )     140       145       (1,866 )
    


 


 


 


 


Net loss

     (35,646 )     (17,175 )     (108,567 )     (243,520 )     (196,471 )

Accretion on preferred stock

     —         (12,700 )     (22,238 )     (3,325 )     (2,775 )
    


 


 


 


 


Net loss applicable to holders of common stock

   $ (35,646 )   $ (29,875 )   $ (130,805 )   $ (246,845 )   $ (199,246 )
    


 


 


 


 


Basic and diluted net loss per share applicable to holders of common stock

   $ (0.42 )   $ (1.87 )   $ (25.87 )   $ (59.87 )   $ (56.27 )

Shares used in per-share calculation

     85,745       15,951       5,057       4,123       3,541  
     As of December 31,

 
     2004

    2003

    2002

    2001

    2000

 
     (in thousands)  

Balance Sheet Data:

                                        

Cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments

   $ 65,216     $ 98,256     $ 10,614     $ 24,137     $ 71,972  

Working capital (deficit)

     71,789       82,301       (7,957 )     (47,361 )     53,767  

Total assets

     325,227       274,877       163,963       274,051       331,984  

Total short-term and long-term debt

     41,313       33,391       38,703       100,819       47,500  

Redeemable convertible preferred stock

     —         —         165,890       421,601       383,976  

Stockholders’ equity (deficit).

   $ 229,784     $ 186,879     $ (98,642 )   $ (335,990 )   $ (167,634 )

 

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ITEM 7. MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

 

Overview

 

We believe that we are the first company dedicated solely to developing the full spectrum of next-generation solutions to cost effectively deliver next generation services while simultaneously preserving the investment in today’s networks. Most of our products are based upon our SLMS architecture. In addition, our optical transport products extend this architecture to the transport network for the efficient distribution of voice, data and video as well as other high-bandwidth services including VOD and high-definition television (HDTV). From its inception, this new SLMS architecture was specifically designed for the delivery of multiple classes of subscriber services (such as voice, data and video distribution), rather than being based on a particular protocol or media. In other words, our SLMS products are built to support the migration from circuit to packet technologies, and from copper to fiber technologies. This flexibility allows our products to adapt to future technologies while allowing service providers to focus on service delivery. With this SLMS architecture, service providers can leverage their existing networks to deliver a combination of voice, data and video services today, while they migrate, either simultaneously or at a future date, from legacy equipment to next generation equipment with minimal interruption. We believe that our SLMS solutions provide an evolutionary path for service providers from their existing infrastructures, as well as give newer service providers the capability to deploy cost-effective, multi-service networks.

 

Our product offerings fall within three categories: the SLMS product family; optical transport products; and legacy products and services. Our customer base includes regional, national and international telecommunications carriers, as well as cable service providers. To date, our products are deployed by over 300 network service providers on six continents worldwide, including two of the top three cable operators in North America. We believe that we have assembled the employee base, technological breadth and market presence to provide a simple yet comprehensive set of next-generation solutions to the bandwidth bottleneck in the access network and the other problems encountered by network service providers when delivering communications services to subscribers.

 

Since inception, we have incurred significant operating losses and have an accumulated deficit of $631.4 million at December 31, 2004. The global communications market has deteriorated significantly over the last several years. Many of our customers and potential customers have reduced their capital spending and many others have ceased operations. As a result our revenues declined 26% from 2002 to 2003. In 2004, we have seen market conditions stabilize as demand for our products has increased. In addition, during 2004 we generated additional revenue from a new line of products we acquired from Sorrento Networks Corporation in July 2004.

 

Going forward, our key financial objectives include the following:

 

    Increasing revenue while continuing to carefully control costs;

 

    Continued investments in strategic research and product development activities that will provide the maximum potential return on investment;

 

    Minimizing consumption of our cash and short-term investments; and

 

    Analyzing and pursuing strategic acquisitions that will allow us to expand our customer, technology and revenue base.

 

Basis of Presentation

 

In November 2003, we consummated our merger with Tellium. Tellium was the surviving entity under corporate law and following the merger its name was changed to Zhone Technologies, Inc. However, due to various factors, including the relative voting rights, board control and senior management composition of the combined company, Zhone was treated as the “acquirer” for accounting purposes. As a result, the financial

 

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statements of the combined company after the merger reflect the financial results of Zhone on a historical basis after giving effect to the merger exchange ratio to historical share-related data. The results of operations for Tellium were included in the combined company’s results of operations from the effective date of the merger.

 

In July 2002, in conjunction with our Equity Restructuring (as described in Note 6 to our consolidated financial statements), our Board of Directors approved a reverse stock split of our common stock at a ratio of one-for-ten (the Reverse Split), causing each outstanding share of common stock to convert automatically into one-tenth of a share of common stock. As a result of the merger with Tellium, stockholders of Zhone prior to the merger received 0.47 of a share of Tellium common stock for each outstanding share of Zhone common stock, following the conversion of all outstanding shares of preferred stock into common stock.

 

Stockholders’ equity (deficit) has been restated to give retroactive recognition to the Reverse Split and the effect of the Tellium merger for all periods presented by reclassifying the excess par value resulting from the reduced number of shares from common stock to paid-in capital. All references to preferred share, common share and per common share amounts for all periods presented have been retroactively restated to reflect the Reverse Split and the effect of the Tellium merger.

 

In October 2003, in response to an inquiry from the SEC, we restated our consolidated financial statements and related disclosures for the year ended December 31, 2002. All information, discussions and comparisons in this report reflect the restatement. The restatement reflected increased non-cash stock-based compensation expense resulting from a change in the estimated fair value of our common stock from $0.21 per share to $3.19 per share.

 

Acquisitions

 

As of December 31, 2004, we had completed eleven acquisitions of complementary companies, products or technologies to supplement our internal growth. To date, we have generated a significant amount of our revenue from sales of products obtained through acquisitions.

 

In July 2004, we completed the acquisition of Sorrento Networks Corporation in exchange for total consideration of $98.0 million, consisting of common stock valued at $57.7 million, options and warrants to purchase common stock valued at $12.3 million, assumed liabilities of $27.0 million, and acquisition costs of $1.0 million. We acquired Sorrento to obtain its line of optical transport products and enhance our competitive position with cable operators.

 

The purchase consideration was allocated to the fair values of the assets acquired as follows: net tangible assets—$23.4 million, amortizable intangible assets—$14.8 million, purchased in-process research and development—$2.4 million, goodwill—$57.2 million and deferred compensation—$0.2 million. The amount allocated to purchased in-process research and development was charged to expense during the third quarter of 2004, because technological feasibility had not been established and no future alternative uses for the technology existed. The estimated fair value of the purchased in-process research and development was determined using a discounted cash flow model, based on a discount rate which took into consideration the stage of completion and risks associated with developing the technology. Of the amount allocated to amortizable intangible assets, $9.2 million was allocated to core technology, which is being amortized over an estimated useful life of five years. The remaining $5.6 million was allocated to customer relationships, which is being amortized over an estimated useful life of four years.

 

In February 2004, we acquired certain assets of Gluon Networks, Inc. in exchange for total consideration of $6.5 million, consisting of common stock valued at $5.7 million, $0.7 million of cash and $0.1 million of acquisition related costs. The transaction was accounted for as an asset acquisition rather than a business combination, since only assets were acquired, which consisted primarily of Gluon’s intellectual property. Gluon was a development stage company that had developed a product for customer trials but had not generated any revenue to date. We agreed to acquire Gluon’s intellectual property and hired approximately ten of the former Gluon employees. We intend to incorporate elements of the Gluon technology into our future product offerings.

 

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The purchase price for the Gluon transaction was allocated to purchased in-process research and development—$6.2 million, and acquired workforce—$0.3 million. The amount allocated to purchased in-process research and development was charged to expense during the first quarter of 2004, because technological feasibility had not been established and no future alternative uses for the technology existed. The estimated fair value of the purchased in-process research and development was determined using a discounted cash flow model, based on a discount rate which took into consideration the stage of completion and risks associated with developing the technology. Because the transaction did not constitute a business combination, no goodwill was recorded and a portion of the purchase price was allocated to the acquired workforce, which was being amortized over a two year period. An impairment charge of $0.2 million was subsequently recorded in the second quarter of 2004 relating to the Gluon acquired workforce, because the majority of the former Gluon employees were no longer employed by us.

 

We are likely to acquire additional businesses, products and technologies in the future. If we complete additional acquisitions in the future, we could consume cash, incur substantial additional debt and other liabilities, incur amortization expenses related to acquired intangible assets or incur large write-offs related to impairment of goodwill and long-lived assets. In addition, future acquisitions may have a significant impact on our short term results of operations, materially impacting revenues or expenses and making period to period comparisons of our results of operations less meaningful.

 

Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates

 

Management’s discussion and analysis of its financial condition and results of operations is based upon our consolidated financial statements, which have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America. The preparation of these financial statements requires management to make estimates and judgments that affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities, revenue and expenses, and related disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities. The policies discussed below are considered by management to be critical because changes in such estimates can materially affect the amount of our reported net income or loss. For all of these policies, management cautions that actual results may differ materially from these estimates under different assumptions or conditions.

 

Revenue Recognition

 

We recognize revenue when the earnings process is complete. We recognize product revenue upon shipment of product under contractual terms which transfer title to customers upon shipment, under normal credit terms, or under sales-type leases, net of estimated sales returns and allowances at the time of shipment. Revenue is deferred if there are significant post-delivery obligations, if collection is not considered reasonably assured at the time of sale, or if the fees are not fixed or determinable. When significant post-delivery obligations exist, revenue is deferred until such obligations are fulfilled. Our arrangements generally do not have any significant post-delivery obligations. We offer products and services such as support, education and training, hardware upgrades and post warranty support. For multiple element revenue arrangements, we establish the fair value of these products and services based primarily on sales prices when the products and services are sold separately. If fair value cannot be established for undelivered elements, all of the revenue under the arrangement is deferred until those elements have been delivered. When collectibility is not reasonably assured, revenue is recognized when cash is collected. Revenue from education services and support services is recognized over the contract term or as the service is performed. We make certain sales to product distributors. These customers are given certain privileges to return a portion of inventory. We recognize revenue on sales to distributors that have contractual return rights when the products have been sold by the distributors, unless there is sufficient customer specific sales and sales returns history to support revenue recognition upon shipment. Revenue from sales of software products is recognized provided that a purchase order has been received, the software has been shipped, collection of the resulting receivable is probable, and the amount of the related fees is fixed or determinable. To date, revenue from software transactions and sales-type leases has not been significant. We accrue for warranty costs, sales returns, and other allowances at the time of shipment based on historical experience and expected future costs.

 

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Allowances for Sales Returns and Doubtful Accounts

 

We record an allowance for sales returns for estimated future product returns related to current period product revenue. The allowance for sales returns is recorded as a reduction of revenue and an allowance against our accounts receivable. We base our allowance for sales returns on periodic assessments of historical trends in product return rates and current approved returned products. If the actual future returns were to deviate from the historical data on which the reserve had been established, our future revenue could be adversely affected. We record an allowance for doubtful accounts for estimated losses resulting from the inability of customers to make payments for amounts owed to us. The allowance for doubtful accounts is recorded as a charge to general and administrative expenses. We base our allowance on periodic assessments of our customers’ liquidity and financial condition through analysis of information obtained from credit rating agencies, financial statement reviews and historical collection trends. Additional allowances may be required in the future if the liquidity or financial condition of our customers deteriorates, resulting in impairment in their ability to make payments.

 

Valuation of Long-Lived Assets, including Goodwill and Other Acquisition-Related Intangible Assets

 

Our long-lived assets consist primarily of goodwill, other acquisition-related intangible assets and property and equipment. We review long-lived assets for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of such assets may not be recoverable. Such events or circumstances include, but are not limited to, a significant decrease in the benefits realized from the acquired business, difficulty and delays in integrating the business or a significant change in the operations of the acquired business or use of an asset. Goodwill and other acquisition-related intangible assets not subject to amortization are tested annually for impairment using a two-step approach, and are tested for impairment more frequently if events and circumstances indicate that the asset might be impaired. An impairment loss is recognized to the extent that the carrying amount exceeds the asset’s fair value. We estimate the fair value of our long-lived assets based on a combination of the market, income and replacement cost approaches. In the application of the impairment testing, we are required to make estimates of future operating trends and resulting cash flows and judgments on discount rates and other variables. Actual future results and other assumed variables could differ from these estimates. As of December 31, 2004, we had $157.2 million of goodwill, $17.8 million of other acquisition-related intangible assets and $23.0 million of property and equipment. Other acquisition-related intangible assets are comprised mainly of technology in place and customer relationships. Many of the entities acquired by us do not have significant tangible assets. As a result, a significant portion of the purchase price is typically allocated to intangible assets and goodwill. Our future operating performance will be impacted by the future amortization of intangible assets, potential charges related to purchased in-process research and development for future acquisitions, and potential impairment charges related to goodwill. Accordingly, the allocation of the purchase price of the acquired companies to intangible assets and goodwill has a significant impact on our future operating results. The allocation process requires management to make significant estimates and assumptions, including estimates of future cash flows expected to be generated by the acquired assets and the appropriate discount rate for these cash flows. Should different conditions prevail, we would have to perform an impairment review that might result in material write-downs of intangible assets and/or goodwill. Other factors we consider important which could trigger an impairment review, include, but are not limited to, significant changes in the manner of use of our acquired assets, significant changes in the strategy for our overall business or significant negative economic trends. If this evaluation indicates that the value of an intangible asset or long-lived asset may be impaired, an assessment of the recoverability of the net carrying value of the asset over its remaining useful life is made. If this assessment indicates that the cost of an intangible asset or long-lived asset is not recoverable, based on the estimated undiscounted future cash flows or other comparable market valuations of the entity or technology acquired over the remaining amortization or depreciation period, the net carrying value of the related intangible asset or long-lived asset will be reduced to fair value and the remaining amortization or depreciation period may be adjusted. For example, in the fourth quarter of 2002, we recorded approximately $50.8 million of impairment in property, plant and equipment and other assets. Due to uncertain market conditions and potential changes in our strategy and product portfolio, it is possible that forecasts used to support our intangible assets may change in the future, which could result in additional non-cash charges that would adversely affect our results of operations and financial condition.

 

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Restructuring Charges

 

During the year ended December 31, 2002, we recorded charges of $4.5 million in connection with a restructuring program. These restructuring charges were comprised primarily of: (1) severance and related charges; (2) facilities and lease cancellations and (3) write-offs of abandoned equipment. We accounted for each of these costs in accordance with relevant accounting literature as summarized in SEC Staff Accounting Bulletin No. 100, Restructuring and Impairment Charges, Emerging Issues Task Force (EITF) Issue No. 94-3, Liability Recognition for Certain Employee Termination Benefits and Other Costs to Exit an Activity (Including Certain Costs Incurred in a Restructuring) and EITF Issue No. 88-10, Costs Associated with Lease Modification or Termination. Any such costs incurred in the future will be recorded in accordance with SFAS No. 146, Accounting for Costs Associated with Exit or Disposal Activities or SFAS No. 112, Employers Accounting for Post Employment Benefits, and any write-off of abandoned equipment will be accounted for in accordance with SFAS No. 144, Accounting for the Impairment or Disposal of Long Lived Assets.

 

RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

 

We list in the tables below the historical consolidated statement of operations as a percentage of revenue for the periods indicated.

 

     Year Ended December 31

 
     2004

    2003

    2002

 

Net revenue

   100 %   100 %   100 %

Cost of revenue

   57 %   61 %   62 %
    

 

 

Gross profit

   43 %   39 %   38 %

Operating expenses:

                  

Research and product development

   24 %   27 %   26 %

Sales and marketing

   23 %   19 %   18 %

General and administrative

   11 %   6 %   10 %

Purchased in-process research and development

   9 %   0 %   0 %

Restructuring charges

   0 %   0 %   4 %

Litigation settlement

   0 %   2 %   0 %

Stock-based compensation

   1 %   2 %   9 %

Amortization and impairment of intangible assets

   10 %   10 %   14 %

Impairment of long-lived assets

   0 %   0 %   45 %
    

 

 

Total operating expenses

   78 %   66 %   126 %

Operating loss

   -35 %   -27 %   -88 %

Other income (expense), net

   -2 %   -3 %   -8 %
    

 

 

Loss before income taxes

   -37 %   -30 %   -96 %

Income tax (benefit) provision

   N/M     -9 %   N/M  
    

 

 

Net loss

   -37 %   -21 %   -96 %
    

 

 

 

2004 COMPARED WITH 2003

 

Revenue

 

Information about our revenue for products and services for 2004 and 2003 is summarized below (in millions):

 

     2004

   2003

   Increase
(Decrease)


   %
change


 

Products

   $ 88.4    $ 75.3    $ 13.1    17 %

Services

     8.8      7.8      1.0    13 %
    

  

  

      
     $ 97.2    $ 83.1    $ 14.1    17 %
    

  

  

      

 

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Information about our revenue for North America and International markets for 2004 and 2003 is summarized below (in millions):

 

     2004

   2003

   Increase
(Decrease)


   %
change


 

North America

   $ 75.5    $ 75.5    $    NM  

International

     21.7      7.6      14.1    186 %
    

  

  

      
     $ 97.2    $ 83.1    $ 14.1    17 %
    

  

  

      

 

Information about our revenue by product line for 2004 and 2003 is summarized below (in millions):

 

     2004

   2003

   Increase
(Decrease)


    %
change


 

SLMS

   $ 29.4    $ 20.9    $ 8.5     41 %

Optical Transport

     8.9           8.9     100 %

Legacy and Service

     58.9      62.2      (3.3 )   (5 )%
    

  

  


     
     $ 97.2    $ 83.1    $ 14.1     17 %
    

  

  


     

 

Total revenue increased 17% or $14.1 million to $97.2 million for 2004 compared to $83.1 million for 2003. The increase in total revenue was due to incremental revenue relating to the acquisition of our new optical transport product line from Sorrento in July 2004, as well as increased demand for our SLMS products compared to the prior year. In 2004, product revenue increased 17% or $13.1 million and service revenue increased by 13% or $1.0 million compared to 2003. Service revenue represents revenue from maintenance and other services associated with product shipments. The increase in both product and service revenue was due to the stabilization of the overall economic environment as well as incremental revenue associated with our new optical transport product family. International revenue increased 186% or $14.1 million to $21.7 million in 2004 and represented 22% of total revenue compared with 9% in 2003. The significant increase in international revenue represents the increasing opportunity for our next generation products in both existing and new network deployments among international carriers, as well as incremental revenue from our new optical transport product family.

 

By product family, revenue for our SLMS product family increased $8.5 million or 41% in 2004 compared to 2003 as demand has increased, particularly in international territories. Revenue for our legacy products and services decreased $3.3 million or 5% in 2004 as we continue to focus our marketing efforts on our next generation SLMS products. Revenue for our optical transport products was $8.9 million in 2004. No revenue was generated from our optical transport product line in 2003 as this product family was acquired in July 2004.

 

While we anticipate focusing our sales and marketing efforts on our SLMS and optical transport product families in 2005, revenue from our legacy products and services is expected to continue to represent a significant percentage of total revenue in the near term, given current trends in service provider capital spending, which tend to focus more on supporting legacy type products, rather than investing in newer, more technologically advanced products. We expect that over time, the product mix will continue to shift toward next generation products in SLMS and optical transport. While we have experienced significant growth in international markets, we do not anticipate international revenues to continue to grow at the same rates experienced in 2004.

 

In 2004, Motorola accounted for approximately 15% of total revenue. In 2003, Motorola and Qwest accounted for 17% and 11% of total revenue, respectively. No other customer accounted for 10% or more of total revenue in either period. We anticipate that our results of operations in any given period will continue to depend to a large extent on sales to a small number of large accounts. As a result, our revenue for any quarter may be subject to significant volatility based upon changes in orders from one or a small number of key customers.

 

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Table of Contents

Cost of Revenue

 

Total cost of revenue increased $4.2 million, or 8% to $55.3 million for 2004 compared to $51.1 million for 2003, driven primarily by the overall increase in revenue. Total cost of revenue was 57% of revenue for 2004, compared to 61% of revenue for 2003. Cost of revenue included excess inventory charges of $2.4 million in 2004 and $6.0 million in 2003, representing 2% and 7% of revenue, respectively. The excess inventory charges recorded in 2003 were primarily due to the impact of our reduced sales forecast in 2003.

 

We expect that, in the future, our cost of revenue will also vary as a percentage of net revenue depending on the mix and average selling prices of products sold. In addition, competitive and economic pressures could cause us to reduce our prices, adjust the carrying values of our inventory, or record inventory charges relating to discontinued products and excess or obsolete inventory.

 

Research and Product Development Expenses

 

Research and product development expenses increased 3% or $0.7 million to $23.2 million for 2004 compared to $22.5 million for 2003. The increase was primarily due to increased personnel related costs to support development efforts on acquired technologies. This increase was partially offset by savings in facility related costs associated with the closure of one of our Canadian offices as we continued our efforts to consolidate our research and development locations. We intend to continue to invest in research and product development to attain our strategic product development objectives, while seeking to manage the associated costs through expense controls.

 

Sales and Marketing Expenses

 

Sales and marketing expenses increased 38% or $6.1 million to $22.0 million for 2004 compared to $15.9 million for 2003. The increase was primarily attributable to higher commissions and other personnel related costs to support revenue growth, particularly in the international territories, as well as increased spending on trade shows and other marketing promotions. In addition, we recorded a benefit of $2.4 million in 2003, related to the termination of a customer financing agreement with a financial institution.

 

General and Administrative Expenses

 

General and administrative expenses increased 96% or $5.1 million to $10.4 million for 2004 compared to $5.3 million for 2003. Significant increases were attributable to increased costs associated with being an SEC registrant, increased personnel related costs, subsequently incurred legal expenses related to acquisitions, and charges related to lease terminations for multiple excess facilities. The allowance for doubtful accounts expense also increased in 2004 because, in 2003, we realized a benefit in the allowance for doubtful accounts as we were able to collect amounts owing from certain customers whose accounts had been written off in prior years.

 

Purchased in process research and development

 

In 2004, we recorded an in process research and development charge of $8.6 million relating to the acquisitions of Sorrento and Gluon because technological feasibility for certain research and development efforts by these companies had not been established and no future alternative uses for these research and development efforts existed.

 

Litigation Settlement

 

In 2003, we recorded a charge of $1.6 million relating to the settlement of a litigation matter involving HeliOss Communications, Inc. There were no litigation settlement charges in 2004.

 

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Table of Contents

Stock-Based Compensation Expenses

 

Stock-based compensation expense increased $0.4 million to $1.6 million for 2004 compared to $1.2 million for 2003. For the years ended December 31, 2004 and 2003, $0.2 million and ($0.1) million of stock-based compensation expense was classified as cost of revenue, respectively, and $1.4 million and $1.2 million was classified as operating expenses, respectively. Stock-based compensation expense primarily resulted from the difference between the fair value of our common stock and the exercise price for stock options granted to employees on the date of grant. We amortize the resulting deferred compensation over the vesting periods of the applicable options using an accelerated method, which can result in a net credit to stock-based compensation expense during a particular period, if the amount reversed due to the forfeiture of unvested shares exceeds the amortization of deferred compensation.

 

For each period, we recorded stock-based compensation expense representing the amortization of deferred compensation, offset by a benefit due to the reversal of previously recorded stock compensation expense on forfeited shares. Components of stock-based compensation expense were comprised as follows (in millions):

 

     2004

    2003

 

Amortization of deferred stock compensation expense

   $ 1.7     $ 6.5  

Benefit due to reversal of previously recorded stock compensation expense on forfeited shares

     (0.1 )     (5.5 )

Compensation expense relating to non-employees

     —         0.2  
    


 


     $ 1.6     $ 1.2  
    


 


 

Amortization and Impairment of Intangibles

 

Amortization and impairment of intangibles increased $2.2 million to $10.1 million for 2004 compared to $7.9 million for 2003. The increase was primarily attributable to incremental amortization expense of $1.9 million relating to the acquisitions of Sorrento in July 2004 and eLuminant in February 2003. In addition, we recorded a charge of $0.2 million during 2004 relating to an impairment of acquired workforce from the Gluon acquisition in February 2004.

 

Other Income (Expense), Net

 

Other income (expense), net was $(1.6) million for 2004 compared to $(2.6) million for 2003. The components for each period were comprised as follows (in millions):

 

     2004

    2003

 

Interest expense

   $ (4.0 )   $ (3.9 )

Interest income

     1.3       0.4  

Other income

     1.1       0.9  
    


 


     $ (1.6 )   $ (2.6 )
    


 


 

Interest expense for 2004 increased by $0.1 million compared to 2003 due primarily to increased borrowings assumed from Sorrento in July 2004 offset by a decrease in the average balance outstanding on other borrowings. Interest income increased due to higher average balances of cash and short term investments. Other income increased by $0.2 million due to exchange gains on foreign currency transactions.

 

Income Tax (Benefit) Provision

 

During the year ended December 31, 2004, we recorded a net tax provision of $0.2 million related to foreign and state taxes. No deferred tax benefit was recorded due to our operating losses and net operating loss

 

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Table of Contents

carryforwards. Due to the significant uncertainty regarding the realization of our net deferred tax assets, a full valuation allowance was recorded.

 

In 2003, we recognized a net tax benefit of $7.8 million, which included a tax benefit of $8.0 million relating to the final resolution of tax refund claims for net operating loss carrybacks of post-acquisition losses incurred by Premisys, offset by foreign and state taxes of $0.2 million. We had originally received the tax refunds related to Premisys in previous years, but did not recognize any income tax benefit at that time due to the substantial uncertainty regarding whether the benefit could be sustained upon examination by tax authorities.

 

2003 COMPARED WITH 2002

 

Revenue

 

Information about our revenue for products and services for 2003 and 2002 is summarized below (in millions):

 

     2003

   2002

   Increase
(Decrease)


    %
change


 

Products

   $ 75.3    $ 105.3    $ (30.0 )   (29 )%

Services

     7.8      7.4      0.4     5 %
    

  

  


     
     $ 83.1    $ 112.7    $ (29.6 )   (26 )%
    

  

  


     

 

Information about our revenue for North America and International markets for 2003 and 2002 is summarized below (in millions):

 

     2003

   2002

   Increase
(Decrease)


    %
change


 

North America

   $ 75.5    $ 93.2    $ (17.7 )   (19 )%

International

     7.6      19.5      (11.9 )   (61 )%
    

  

  


     
     $ 83.1    $ 112.7    $ (29.6 )   (26 )%
    

  

  


     

 

Information about our revenue by product line for 2003 and 2002 is summarized below (in millions):

 

     2003

   2002

   Increase
(Decrease)


    %
change


 

SLMS

   $ 20.9    $ 32.8    $ (11.9 )   (36 )%

Legacy and Service

     62.2      79.9      (17.7 )   (22 )%
    

  

  


     
     $ 83.1    $ 112.7    $ (29.6 )   (26 )%
    

  

  


     

 

Total revenue decreased 26% or $29.6 million to $83.1 million for 2003 compared to $112.7 million for 2002. The decrease in total revenue was due to the continued capital constraints and economic slowdown affecting the communications industry and the technology industry in general. On a quarterly basis, our revenue declined significantly in the first quarter of 2003 as compared to the fourth quarter of 2002, but then increased sequentially over the remainder of the year.

 

In 2003, product revenue declined by 29% or $30.0 million while service revenue increased by 5% or $0.4 million compared to 2002. The decrease in product revenue was due to the overall economic environment impacting service provider capital spending. The modest increase in service revenue was due to revenue from maintenance and other services associated with product shipments that occurred in previous periods. International revenue declined 61% or $11.9 million to $7.6 million in 2003 and represented 9% of total revenue compared with 17% in 2002. The decline in international revenue was due to the global economic environment and declining sales to non-U.S. based competitive local exchange carriers, or CLECs.

 

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Table of Contents

By product family, revenue for our SLMS product family declined by $11.9 million or 36% in 2003 as compared to 2002. Revenue for our legacy and service products declined by $17.7 million or 22% in 2003. The percentage decline in SLMS product line revenue exceeded the overall percentage decline in revenue. Due to the economic environment affecting service providers during 2003, our customers and potential customers limited capital expenditures to sustain their current revenue generating activities while significantly reducing capital expenditures for newer technologies. As a result, during 2003, network service providers continued to invest in our legacy equipment and applications while spending more conservatively on newer technologies in the SLMS product line.

 

In 2003, Motorola and Qwest accounted for approximately 17% and 11% of total revenue, respectively. In 2002, Motorola accounted for approximately 12% of total revenue. No other customer accounted for 10% or more of total revenue in either period.

 

Cost of Revenue

 

Total cost of revenue decreased $18.6 million to $51.1 million for 2003 compared to $69.7 million for 2002, driven primarily by the overall decrease in revenue. Total cost of revenue was 61% of revenue for 2003, compared to 62% of revenue for 2002. Cost of revenue included excess inventory charges of $6.0 million in 2003 and $2.4 million in 2002, representing 7% and 2% of revenue, respectively. The higher excess inventory charges recorded in 2003 were primarily due to the impact of our reduced sales forecasts.

 

Excluding the effect of excess inventory charges, total cost of revenue as a percentage of revenue would have been 54% in 2003 compared to 60% in 2002. This improvement was primarily attributable to a shift in product mix towards a higher percentage of revenue from certain high margin legacy products.

 

Research and Product Development Expenses

 

Research and product development expenses decreased 25% or $7.3 million to $22.5 million for 2003 compared to $29.8 million for 2002. The decrease was primarily due to lower depreciation expense and facilities related costs, and a decrease in personnel-related expenses resulting from our restructuring activities in 2002, which resulted in a consolidation of product offerings and more focused development programs. Depreciation expense and facilities related costs decreased by approximately $4.1 million due to the effect of an impairment charge for certain facilities and equipment in 2002 and a consolidation of research and product development office locations. Personnel related expenses decreased by approximately $2.0 million for 2003 due primarily to headcount reductions resulting from the consolidation of product offerings.

 

Sales and Marketing Expenses

 

Sales and marketing expenses decreased 19% or $3.8 million to $15.9 million for 2003 compared to $19.7 million for 2002. The decrease was primarily due to a credit to sales and marketing expense of $2.4 million recorded in 2003, as a result of the termination of a customer financing agreement with a financial institution. The amount represented the recovery of a reserve for projected credit losses which had originally been recorded as sales and marketing expense in 2001.

 

General and Administrative Expenses

 

General and administrative expenses decreased 51% or $5.5 million to $5.3 million for 2003 compared to $10.8 million for 2002. The decrease was primarily due to lower provisions for doubtful accounts of approximately $7.1 million which occurred because there were no additional specifically reserved customer accounts in 2003. This decrease was partially offset by higher legal and accounting expenses of approximately $1.5 million, which was primarily attributable to increased costs associated with being an SEC registrant.

 

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Table of Contents

Restructuring Charges

 

We did not record any restructuring charges in 2003, as compared to $4.5 million of charges recorded during 2002 relating to severance and related charges, facilities and lease cancellations and equipment write-offs.

 

Litigation Settlement

 

In 2003, we recorded a charge of $1.6 million relating to the settlement of a litigation matter involving HeliOss Communications, Inc. No litigation settlement charges were recorded in 2002.

 

Stock-Based Compensation Expenses

 

Stock-based compensation expense decreased $9.6 million to $1.2 million for 2003 compared to $10.8 million for 2002. The decrease was primarily attributable to lower amortization of deferred compensation due to the use of an accelerated amortization method. For the years ended December 31, 2003 and 2002, $(0.1) million and $0.4 million of stock-based compensation expense was classified as cost of revenue, respectively, and $1.2 million and $10.4 million was classified as operating expenses, respectively. Stock-based compensation expense primarily resulted from the difference between the fair value of our common stock and the exercise price for stock options granted to employees on the date of grant. We amortize the resulting deferred compensation expense over the vesting periods of the applicable options using an accelerated method, which can result in a net credit to stock-based compensation expense during a particular period, if the amount reversed due to the forfeiture of unvested shares exceeds the amortization of deferred compensation.

 

For each period, we recorded stock-based compensation expense representing the amortization of deferred compensation expense, offset by a benefit due to the reversal of previously recorded stock compensation expense on forfeited shares. For the year ended December 31, 2002, we also recorded compensation expense of $2.5 million due to the cancellation of notes receivable due from officers relating to the repurchase by us of common stock subject to repurchase rights and issuance of promissory notes to the founders relating to their purchase of our common stock. For the year ended December 31, 2002, we also recorded compensation expense of $1.8 million due to the exchange of certain shares of our common stock subject to repurchase rights for Series B preferred stock. Components of stock-based compensation expense were comprised as follows (in millions):

 

     2003

    2002

 

Amortization of deferred stock compensation expense

   $ 6.5     $ 21.5  

Benefit due to reversal of previously recorded stock compensation expense on forfeited shares

     (5.5 )     (14.4 )

Compensation expense (benefit) relating to non-employees

     0.2       (0.6 )

Compensation expense relating to cancellation of prior notes receivable and issuance of notes receivable

     —         2.5  

Compensation expense relating to exchange of stock options

     —         1.8  
    


 


     $ 1.2     $ 10.8  
    


 


 

Amortization and Impairment of Intangibles

 

Amortization and impairment of intangibles decreased $8.1 million to $7.9 million for 2003 compared to $16.0 million for 2002. The decrease was primarily attributable to the intangibles from acquisitions made in previous years becoming fully amortized, offset by the incremental amortization expense of $1.3 million relating to the acquisition of eLuminant in February 2003. In addition, we recorded an impairment charge of $0.7 million during 2002 relating to the discontinuation of the development of certain technology obtained from the acquisition of OptaPhone Networks, Inc.

 

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Table of Contents

Impairment of Long-Lived Assets

 

We did not record any impairment charges in 2003, as compared to $50.8 million of charges recorded during 2002 relating primarily to a write down in the carrying value of our headquarters facility and related assets. The impairment charge in 2002 was recorded following an impairment review that resulted from factors including a significant reduction in forecasted revenues and excess equipment and building capacity caused by restructuring activities completed earlier in 2002.

 

Other Income (Expense), Net

 

Other income (expense), net was $(2.6) million for 2003 compared to $(9.4) million for 2002. The components for each period were comprised as follows (in millions):

 

     2003

    2002

 

Interest expense

   $ (3.9 )   $ (9.5 )

Interest income

     0.4       0.4  

Other income (expense)

     0.9       (0.3 )
    


 


     $ (2.6 )   $ (9.4 )
    


 


 

Interest expense for 2003 decreased by $5.6 million compared to 2002 due primarily to a reduction in average borrowings outstanding during the year. Other income (expense) increased by $1.2 million due to various non-operating cash receipts, none of which were individually material.

 

Income Tax (Benefit) Provision

 

During the year ended December 31, 2003, we recorded a net tax benefit of $7.8 million, which consisted of a current tax benefit of $8.0 million, offset by foreign and state taxes of $0.2 million. No deferred tax benefit was recorded due to our operating losses and net operating loss carryforwards. Due to the significant uncertainty regarding the realization of our net deferred tax assets, a full valuation allowance was recorded.

 

We recognized a tax benefit of $8.0 million in 2003 relating to the final resolution of tax refund claims for net operating loss carrybacks of post-acquisition losses incurred by Premisys. We had originally received the tax refunds related to Premisys in previous years, but did not recognize any income tax benefit at that time due to the substantial uncertainty regarding whether the benefit could be sustained upon examination by tax authorities.

 

LIQUIDITY AND CAPITAL RESOURCES

 

Historically, we have financed our operations through private sales of capital stock and borrowings under various credit arrangements. Following the completion of our merger with Tellium in November 2003, in which our common stock became publicly traded, we have financed and expect to continue to finance our operations through a combination of our existing cash, cash equivalents and investments, available credit facilities, and sales of equity and debt instruments, based on our operating requirements and market conditions.

 

At December 31, 2004, cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments were $65.2 million. This amount includes cash and cash equivalents of $46.6 million, as compared with $32.5 million at December 31, 2003. The increase in cash and cash equivalents of $14.1 million was attributable to cash provided by investing activities of $58.1 million and cash provided by financing activities of $3.3 million, offset by cash used in operating activities of $47.3 million.

 

Net cash provided by investing activities consisted primarily of net proceeds of $47.0 million from the sales and maturities of short term investments, net cash acquired through the Sorrento and Gluon acquisitions of $5.6 million, and proceeds from the sale of certain excess facilities. Net cash provided by financing activities

 

28


Table of Contents

consisted primarily of net borrowings under our line of credit of $9.7 million, offset by the repayment of debt associated with the facilities sold and other debt. Net cash used in operating activities consisted of the net loss of $35.6 million, adjusted for non-cash charges totaling $21.8 million and changes in operating assets and liabilities totaling $33.4 million. The most significant components of the changes in operating assets and liabilities were a decrease in accrued expenses of $16.0 million and an increase in inventories of $7.3 million.

 

As a result of the financial demands of major network deployments and the difficulty in accessing capital markets, network service providers continue to request financing assistance from their suppliers. From time to time we may provide or commit to extend credit or credit support to our customers. This financing may include extending credit to customers or guaranteeing the indebtedness of customers to third parties. Depending upon market conditions, we may seek to factor these arrangements to financial institutions and investors to reduce the amount of our financial commitments for such arrangements. Our ability to provide customer financing is limited and depends upon a number of factors, including our capital structure, the level of our available credit and our ability to factor commitments to third parties. Any extension of financing to our customers will limit the capital that we have available for other uses. Currently, we do not have any significant customer financing commitments.

 

Our primary source of liquidity comes from our cash and cash equivalents and short-term investments, which totaled $65.2 million at December 31, 2004, and our $25 million line of credit agreement, under which $14.5 million was outstanding at December 31, 2004 and an additional $9.1 million was committed as security for obligations under our secured real estate loan facility and other letters of credit. Borrowings under the line of credit bear interest at the financial institution’s prime rate or LIBOR plus 2.9%, at the election of the borrower. Our short-term investments are classified as available-for-sale and consist of securities that are readily convertible to cash, including certificates of deposits, commercial paper and government securities, with original maturities at the date of acquisition ranging from 90 days to one year. At current revenue levels, we anticipate that some portion of our existing cash and cash equivalents and investments will continue to be consumed by operations.

 

In March 2005, we entered into an amendment to our existing revolving credit facility with Silicon Valley Bank providing for a one year extension of the term of the existing facility and an increase in the size of the facility from $25 million to $35 million (the “Amended Facility”). Under the Amended Facility we have the option of either borrowing funds at agreed upon rates of interest or selling specific accounts receivable to Silicon Valley Bank, on a limited recourse basis, at agreed upon discounts to the face amount of those accounts receivable, so long as the aggregate amount of outstanding borrowings and financed accounts receivable does not exceed $35 million. The amounts borrowed will bear interest, payable monthly, at a floating rate that, at our option, is either (1) Silicon Valley Bank’s prime rate, or (2) the sum of the LIBOR rate plus 2.9%; provided that in either case, the minimum interest rate is 4.0%.

 

In March 2004, we filed a Form S-3 Registration Statement which allows us to sell, from time to time, up to $100 million of our common stock or other securities. Although we may use this multi-purpose shelf registration to raise additional capital, there can be no certainty as to when or if we may offer any securities under the shelf registration or what the terms of any such offering would be.

 

Our accounts receivable, while not considered a primary source of liquidity, represents a concentration of credit risk because a significant portion of the accounts receivable balance at any point in time typically consists of a relatively small number of customer account balances. At December 31, 2004, one customer represented 10% of our total accounts receivable balance. Our fixed commitments for cash expenditures consist primarily of payments under operating leases, inventory purchase commitments, and payments of principal and interest for debt obligations. We do not currently have any material commitments for capital expenditures, or any other material commitments aside from operating leases for our facilities, inventory purchase commitments and debt. We currently intend to fund our operations for the foreseeable future using our existing cash, cash equivalents and investments and liquidity available under our line of credit agreement.

 

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Table of Contents

Based on our current plans and business conditions, we believe that our existing cash, cash equivalents and investments and available credit facilities will be sufficient to satisfy our anticipated cash requirements for at least the next twelve months. However, we may require additional funds if our revenues or expenses fail to meet our current projections or to support other purposes and may need to raise additional funds through debt or equity financing or from other sources. There can be no assurances that additional funding will be available at all, or that if available, such financing will be obtainable on terms favorable to us.

 

Contractual Commitments and Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements

 

At December 31, 2004, our future contractual commitments by fiscal year were as follows (in thousands):

 

     Total

   2005

   2006

   2007

  

2008

and beyond


Operating leases

   $ 1,928    $ 1,111    $ 471    $ 346    $ —  

Line of Credit

     14,500      14,500      —        —        —  

Debt

     41,313      1,378      31,068      8,867      —  

Inventory purchase commitments

     4,544      4,544      —        —        —  
    

  

  

  

  

Total future contractual commitments

   $ 62,285    $ 21,533    $ 31,539    $ 9,213      —  
    

  

  

  

  

 

The operating lease amounts shown above represent off-balance sheet arrangements to the extent that a liability is not already recorded on our balance sheet. For operating lease commitments, a liability is generally not recorded on our balance sheet unless the facility represents an excess facility for which an estimate of the facility exit costs has been recorded on our balance sheet. Payments made under operating leases will be treated as rent expense for the facilities currently being utilized. The debt and line of credit obligations have been recorded on our balance sheet. The debt obligation amounts shown above represent the scheduled principal repayments, including $31.1 million due in April 2006 in connection with our secured real estate loan, but not the associated interest payments which may vary based on changes in market interest rates. At December 31, 2004, the interest rate on our outstanding debt obligations ranged from 7.5% to 8%. Inventory purchase commitments represent the amount of excess inventory purchase commitments that have been recorded on our balance sheet at December 31, 2004.

 

We also had commitments under outstanding letters of credit totaling $0.4 million at December 31, 2004. We have recorded restricted cash of $0.3 million on our balance sheet related to amounts outstanding under these letters of credit.

 

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

 

In December 2004, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) enacted Statement of Financial Accounting Standards 123—revised 2004 (SFAS 123R), “Share-Based Payment” which replaces Statement of Financial Accounting Standards No. 123 (SFAS 123), “Accounting for Stock-Based Compensation” and supersedes APB Opinion No. 25 (APB 25), “Accounting for Stock Issued to Employees.” SFAS 123R requires the measurement of all share-based payments to employees, including grants of employee stock options, using a fair value-based method and the recording of such expense in our consolidated statements of income. The accounting provisions of SFAS 123R are effective for reporting periods beginning after June 15, 2005.

 

We are required to adopt SFAS 123R in the third quarter of fiscal 2005. The pro forma disclosures previously permitted under SFAS 123 no longer will be an alternative to financial statement recognition. See Note 1 in our Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements for the pro forma net loss and net loss per share amounts, for fiscal 2002 through fiscal 2004, as if we had used a fair value-based method similar to the methods required under SFAS 123R to measure compensation expense for employee stock incentive awards. We are evaluating the requirements under SFAS 123R and, although we have not yet determined whether the adoption of

 

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SFAS 123R will result in amounts that are similar to the current pro forma disclosures under SFAS 123, we do expect that the adoption will have a significant adverse impact on our consolidated statements of operations and net loss per share.

 

See Note 1 of the Consolidated Financial Statements for a description of other recent accounting pronouncements, including the expected dates of adoption and estimated effects on results of operations and financial condition.

 

RISK FACTORS

 

Set forth below and elsewhere in this report and in other documents we file with the SEC are risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from the results contemplated by the forward-looking statements contained in this report.

 

Our future operating results are difficult to predict and our stock price may continue to be volatile.

 

As a result of a variety of factors discussed in this report, our revenues for a particular quarter are difficult to predict. Our revenue and operating results may vary significantly from quarter to quarter due to a number of factors, many of which are outside of our control. The primary factors that may affect our results of operations include the following:

 

    commercial acceptance of our SLMS products;

 

    fluctuations in demand for network access products;

 

    the timing and size of orders from customers;

 

    the ability of our customers to finance their purchase of our products as well as their own operations;

 

    new product introductions, enhancements or announcements by our competitors;

 

    our ability to develop, introduce and ship new products and product enhancements that meet customer requirements in a timely manner;

 

    changes in our pricing policies or the pricing policies of our competitors;

 

    the ability of our company and our contract manufacturers to attain and maintain production volumes and quality levels for our products;

 

    our ability to obtain sufficient supplies of sole or limited source components;

 

    increases in the prices of the components we purchase, or quality problems associated with these components;

 

    unanticipated changes in regulatory requirements which may require us to redesign portions of our products;

 

    changes in accounting rules, such as recording expenses for employee stock option grants;

 

    integrating and operating any acquired businesses;

 

    our ability to achieve targeted cost reductions;

 

    how well we execute on our strategy and operating plans; and

 

    general economic conditions as well as those specific to the communications, internet and related industries.

 

Any of the foregoing factors, or any other factors discussed elsewhere herein, could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, and financial condition that could adversely affect our stock price.

 

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We have incurred significant losses to date and expect that we will continue to incur losses in the foreseeable future. If we fail to generate sufficient revenue to achieve or sustain profitability, our stock price could decline.

 

We have incurred significant losses to date and expect that we will continue to incur losses in the foreseeable future. Our net losses for 2004 and 2003 were $35.6 million and $17.2 million, respectively, and we had an accumulated deficit of $631.4 million at December 31, 2004. We have not generated positive cash flow from operations since inception, and expect this to continue for the foreseeable future. We have significant fixed expenses and expect that we will continue to incur substantial manufacturing, research and product development, sales and marketing, customer support, administrative and other expenses in connection with the ongoing development of our business. In addition, we may be required to spend more on research and product development than originally budgeted to respond to industry trends. We may also incur significant new costs related to acquisitions and the integration of new technologies, including our ongoing integration of Sorrento, and other acquisitions that may occur in the future. Further, given the increased costs associated with compliance with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, we have incurred and are likely to continue to incur increased expenses related to regulatory and legal compliance. We may not be able to adequately control costs and expenses or achieve or maintain adequate operating margins. As a result, our ability to achieve and sustain profitability will depend on our ability to generate and sustain substantially higher revenue while maintaining reasonable cost and expense levels. If we fail to generate sufficient revenue to achieve or sustain profitability, we will continue to incur substantial operating losses and our stock price could decline.

 

We have significant debt obligations, which could adversely affect our business, operating results and financial condition.

 

As of December 31, 2004, we had approximately $39.9 million in long-term debt. Our debt obligations could materially and adversely affect us in a number of ways, including:

 

    limiting our ability to obtain additional financing in the future for working capital, capital expenditures, acquisitions or general corporate purposes;

 

    limiting our flexibility to plan for, or react to, changes in our business or market conditions;

 

    requiring us to use a significant portion of any future cash flow from operations to repay or service the debt, thereby reducing the amount of cash available for other purposes;

 

    making us more highly leveraged than some of our competitors, which may place us at a competitive disadvantage; and

 

    making us more vulnerable to the impact of adverse economic and industry conditions and increases in interest rates.

 

We cannot assure you that we will generate sufficient cash flow or be able to borrow funds in amounts sufficient to enable us to service our debt or to meet our working capital and capital expenditure requirements. If we are unable to generate sufficient cash flow from operations or to borrow sufficient funds to service our debt, due to borrowing base restrictions or otherwise, we may be required to sell assets, reduce capital expenditures, refinance all or a portion of existing debt or obtain additional financing. We cannot assure you that we will be able to engage in any of these actions on reasonable terms, if at all.

 

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If we are unable to obtain additional capital to fund our existing and future operations, we may be required to reduce the scope of our planned product development and marketing and sales efforts, which would harm our business, financial condition and results of operations.

 

The development and marketing of new products and the expansion of our direct sales operations and associated support personnel requires a significant commitment of resources. We may continue to incur significant operating losses or expend significant amounts of capital if:

 

    the market for our products develops more slowly than anticipated;

 

    we fail to establish market share or generate revenue at anticipated levels;

 

    our capital expenditure forecasts change or prove inaccurate; or

 

    we fail to respond to unforeseen challenges or take advantage of unanticipated opportunities.

 

As a result, we may need to raise substantial additional capital. Additional capital, if required, may not be available on acceptable terms, or at all. If additional capital is raised through the issuance of debt securities, the terms of such debt could impose financial or other restrictions on our operations. If we are unable to obtain additional capital or are required to obtain additional capital on terms that are not favorable to us, we may be required to reduce the scope of our planned product development and sales and marketing efforts, which would harm our business, financial condition and results of operations.

 

If demand for our SLMS products does not develop, then our results of operations and financial condition will be adversely affected.

 

Although we expect that our Single Line Multi-Service (SLMS) product line will account for a substantial portion of our revenue in the future, to date we have generated a significant portion of our revenue from sales of products from the legacy and service product lines that we acquired from other companies. Our future revenue depends significantly on our ability to successfully develop, enhance and market our SLMS products to the network service provider market. Most network service providers have made substantial investments in their current infrastructure, and they may elect to remain with their current architectures or to adopt new architectures, such as SLMS, in limited stages or over extended periods of time. A decision by a customer to purchase our SLMS products will involve a significant capital investment. We must convince our service provider customers that they will achieve substantial benefits by deploying our products for future upgrades or expansions. We do not know whether a viable market for our SLMS products will develop or be sustainable. If this market does not develop or develops more slowly than we expect, our business, financial condition and results of operations will be seriously harmed.

 

Because our products are complex and are deployed in complex environments, our products may have defects that we discover only after full deployment, which could seriously harm our business.

 

We produce highly complex products that incorporate leading-edge technology, including both hardware and software. Software typically contains defects or programming flaws that can unexpectedly interfere with expected operations. In addition, our products are complex and are designed to be deployed in large quantities across complex networks. Because of the nature of these products, they can only be fully tested when completely deployed in large networks with high amounts of traffic, and there is no assurance that our pre-shipment testing programs will be adequate to detect all defects. As a result, our customers may discover errors or defects in our hardware or software, or our products may not operate as expected, after they have been fully deployed. If we are unable to cure a product defect, we could experience damage to our reputation, reduced customer satisfaction, loss of existing customers and failure to attract new customers, failure to achieve market acceptance, reduced sales opportunities, loss of revenue and market share, increased service and warranty costs, diversion of development resources, legal actions by our customers, and increased insurance costs. Defects, integration issues or other performance problems in our products could also result in financial or other damages to our customers.

 

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Our customers could seek damages for related losses from us, which could seriously harm our business, financial condition and results of operations. A product liability claim brought against us, even if unsuccessful, would likely be time consuming and costly. The occurrence of any of these problems would seriously harm our business, financial condition and results of operations.

 

We depend upon the development of new products and enhancements to existing products, and if we fail to predict and respond to emerging technological trends and customers’ changing needs, our operating results and market share may suffer.

 

The markets for our products are characterized by rapidly changing technology, evolving industry standards, changes in end-user requirements, frequent new product introductions and changes in communications offerings from network service provider customers. Our future success depends on our ability to anticipate or adapt to such changes and to offer, on a timely and cost-effective basis, products that meet changing customer demands and industry standards. We may not have sufficient resources to successfully and accurately anticipate customers’ changing needs, technological trends, manage long development cycles or develop, introduce and market new products and enhancements. The process of developing new technology is complex and uncertain, and if we fail to develop new products or enhancements to existing products on a timely and cost-effective basis, or if our new products or enhancements fail to achieve market acceptance, our business, financial condition and results of operations would be materially adversely affected.

 

A shortage of adequate component supply or manufacturing capacity could increase our costs or cause a delay in our ability to fulfill orders, and our failure to estimate customer demand properly may result in excess or obsolete component inventories that could adversely affect our gross margins.

 

Our manufacturing operations depend on our ability to anticipate our needs for components and products, and on the ability of our suppliers to deliver sufficient quantities of quality components and products at reasonable prices in time to meet critical manufacturing and distribution schedules. The long lead times that are required to manufacture, assemble and deliver certain components and products present challenges in planning production and managing inventory levels. If we are not able to effectively manage these challenges, we could incur substantial operating losses. Also, other supplier problems, including component shortages, excess supply and risks related to fixed-price contracts, could require us to pay more for our inventory of parts than competitive prices for such parts available in the open market.

 

Occasionally we may experience a supply shortage, or a delay in receiving, certain component parts as a result of strong demand for the component parts and/or capacity constraints or other problems experienced by suppliers. If shortages or delays persist, the price of these components may increase, we may be exposed to quality issues or the components may not be available at all. We may not be able to obtain enough components at reasonable prices and acceptable quality to build new products in a timely manner in the quantities or configurations needed. Accordingly, our revenue and gross margin could be adversely affected since we may lose time-sensitive sales or be unable to pass on price increases to our customers. In order to secure components for the production of new products, we may enter into non-cancelable purchase commitments with vendors. If we fail to anticipate customer demand properly, an oversupply of parts could result in excess or obsolete components that could adversely affect our gross margin. If we have excess inventory, we may have to reduce our prices and write down inventory, which in turn could result in lower gross margins.

 

Furthermore, as a result of binding price or purchase commitments with suppliers, we may be obligated to purchase components at prices that are higher than those available in the current market and be limited in our ability to respond to changing market conditions. In the event that we become committed to purchase components in excess of the current market price when the components are actually utilized, we may be at a disadvantage to competitors who have access to components, and our gross margin could decrease.

 

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We rely on contract manufacturers for a significant portion of our manufacturing requirements.

 

We rely on contract manufacturers to perform a significant portion of the manufacturing operations for our products. While we are not solely dependent on one contract manufacturer, we continue to use Solectron Corporation to manufacture certain product lines under the terms of an agreement which expired in March 2004, on a purchase order basis with no minimum purchase commitments. These contract manufacturers build product for other companies, including our competitors. In addition, we do not have contracts in place with some of these providers, including Solectron. We may not be able to effectively manage our relationships with our contract manufacturers, and we cannot be certain that they will be able to fill our orders in a timely manner. We face a number of risks associated with this dependence on contract manufacturers including reduced control over delivery schedules, the potential lack of adequate capacity during periods of excess demand, poor manufacturing yields and high costs, quality assurance, increases in prices, and the potential misappropriation of our intellectual property. We have experienced in the past, and may experience in the future, problems with our contract manufacturers, such as inferior quality, insufficient quantities and late delivery of products.

 

We depend on sole or limited source suppliers for several key components. If we are unable to obtain these components on a timely basis, we will be unable to meet our customers’ product delivery requirements, which would harm our business.

 

We currently purchase several key components from single or a limited number of suppliers. If any of our sole or limited source suppliers experience capacity constraints, work stoppages or any other reduction or disruption in output, they may be unable to meet our delivery schedules. Our suppliers may enter into exclusive arrangements with our competitors, be acquired by our competitors, stop selling their products or components to us at commercially reasonable prices, refuse to sell their products or components to us at any price or be unable to obtain or have difficulty obtaining components for their products from their suppliers. If we do not receive critical components from our sole or limited source suppliers in a timely manner, we will be unable to meet our customers’ product delivery requirements. Any failure to meet a customer’s delivery requirements could materially adversely affect our business, operating results and financial condition and could materially damage customer relationships.

 

Our target customer base is concentrated, and the loss of one or more of our customers could harm our business.

 

The target customers for our products are network service providers that operate voice, data and video communications networks. There are a limited number of potential customers in our target market. During the year ended December 31, 2004, one customer accounted for 15% of our revenue. During the year ended December 31, 2003, two customers accounted for approximately 17% and 11% of our revenue, respectively. Also, a significant portion of our future revenue will depend on sales of our products to a limited number of customers. Any failure of one or more customers to purchase products from us for any reason, including any downturn in their businesses, would seriously harm our business, financial condition and results of operations.

 

We are exposed to the credit risk of some of our customers and to credit exposures in weakened markets, which could result in material losses.

 

Industry and economic conditions have weakened the financial position of some of our customers. To sell to some of these customers, we may be required to assume incremental risks of uncollectible accounts. While we monitor these situations carefully and attempt to take appropriate measures to protect ourselves, it is possible that we may have to write down or write off uncollectible accounts. Such write-downs or write-offs, if large, could have a material adverse effect on our operating results and financial condition.

 

The market we serve is highly competitive and we may not be able to compete successfully.

 

Competition in the communications equipment market is intense. This market is characterized by rapid change, converging technologies and a migration to networking solutions that offer superior advantages. We are

 

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aware of many companies in related markets that address particular aspects of the features and functions that our products provide. Currently, our primary competitors include Alcatel, Calix, Ciena, Huawei, Lucent and Tellabs, among others. We also may face competition from other large communications equipment companies or other companies that may enter our market in the future. In addition, a number of companies have announced plans for products that address the same network needs that our products address, both domestically and abroad. Many of our competitors have longer operating histories, greater name recognition, larger customer bases and greater financial, technical, sales and marketing resources than we do and may be able to undertake more extensive marketing efforts, adopt more aggressive pricing policies and provide more customer financing than we can. Moreover, our competitors may foresee the course of market developments more accurately than we do and could develop new technologies that render our products less valuable or obsolete.

 

In our markets, principal competitive factors include:

 

    product performance;

 

    interoperability with existing products;

 

    scalability and upgradeability;

 

    conformance to standards;

 

    breadth of services;

 

    reliability;

 

    ease of installation and use;

 

    geographic footprints for products;

 

    ability to provide customer financing;

 

    price;

 

    technical support and customer service; and

 

    brand recognition.

 

If we are unable to compete successfully against our current and future competitors, we may have difficulty obtaining or retaining customers, and we could experience price reductions, order cancellations, increased expenses and reduced gross margins, any of which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

 

Industry consolidation may lead to increased competition and may harm our operating results.

 

There has been a trend toward industry consolidation in the communications equipment market for several years. We expect this trend to continue as companies attempt to strengthen or hold their market positions in an evolving industry and as companies are acquired or are unable to continue operations. We believe that industry consolidation may result in stronger competitors that are better able to compete as sole-source vendors for customers. This could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. Furthermore, rapid consolidation could result in a decrease in the number of customers we serve. Loss of a major customer could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

 

Our success largely depends on our ability to retain and recruit key personnel, and any failure to do so would harm our ability to meet key objectives.

 

Our future success depends upon the continued services of our executive officers and our ability to identify, attract and retain highly skilled technical, managerial, sales and marketing personnel who have critical industry

 

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experience and relationships that we rely on to build our business, including Morteza Ejabat, our co-founder, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Jeanette Symons, our co-founder and Chief Technical Officer, and Kirk Misaka, our Chief Financial Officer. The loss of the services of any of our key employees, including Mr. Ejabat, Ms. Symons and Mr. Misaka, could delay the development and production of our products and negatively impact our ability to maintain customer relationships, which would harm our business, financial condition and results of operations.

 

We have been, and may continue to be, adversely affected by recent unfavorable developments in the communications industry, geopolitical uncertainties and unfavorable economic and market conditions.

 

Adverse economic conditions worldwide have contributed to slowdowns in the communications industry and may continue to impact our business. Our customers and potential customers continue to experience a severe economic slowdown that has led to significant decreases in their revenues. For most of the last five years, the markets for our equipment have been influenced by the entry into the communications services business of a substantial number of new companies. In the United States, this was due largely to changes in the regulatory environment, in particular those brought about by the Telecommunications Act of 1996. These new companies raised significant amounts of capital, much of which they invested in new equipment, causing acceleration in the growth of the markets for communications equipment. More recently, there has been a reversal of this trend, including the failure of a large number of the new entrants and a sharp contraction of the availability of capital to the industry. This industry trend has been compounded by the weakness in the United States economy as well as the economies in virtually all of the countries in which we market our products. As a result of these factors, our revenue declined by 26% from 2002 to 2003, and we expect that these economic conditions will likely continue to impact our business. In addition, the continuing turmoil in the geopolitical environment in many parts of the world, including terrorist activities and military actions, particularly the aftermath of the war in Iraq, may continue to adversely effect global economic conditions. If the economic and market conditions in the United States and the rest of the world do not improve, or if they deteriorate further, we may continue to experience material adverse impacts on our business, operating results, and financial condition.

 

Capital constraints in the communications industry could restrict the ability of our customers to buy our products.

 

Due to the economic slowdown affecting the communications industry and the technology industry in general, our customers and potential customers have significantly reduced the rate of their capital expenditures, and as result, our revenue declined by 26% from 2002 to 2003. During the year ended December 31, 2004, excluding the impact of incremental revenue associated with the acquisition of Sorrento, revenue increased modestly compared to the same period in 2003. Any reduction of capital equipment acquisition budgets or the inability of our current and prospective customers to obtain capital could cause them to reduce or discontinue purchase of our products, and as a result we could experience reduced revenues and our operating results could be adversely impacted. In addition, many of the current and prospective customers for our products are emerging companies with limited operating histories. These companies require substantial capital for the development, construction and expansion of their businesses. Neither equity nor debt financing may be available to these companies on favorable terms, if at all. To the extent that these companies are unable to obtain the financing they need, our ability to make future sales to these customers and realize revenue from any such sales could be harmed. In addition, to the extent we choose to provide financing to these prospective customers, we will be subject to additional financial losses in the event that the customers are unable to pay us for the products and services they purchase from us.

 

Compliance with changing regulation of corporate governance and public disclosure may result in additional expenses.

 

Changing laws, regulations and standards relating to corporate governance and public disclosure, including the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, new SEC regulations and Nasdaq National Market rules, are greatly adding to

 

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the complexity of managing our business. In many cases, these new or modified laws, regulations and standards are subject to varying interpretations due to their lack of specificity, and as a result, their application in practice may evolve over time as new guidance is provided by regulatory and governing bodies. This situation leads to continuing uncertainty regarding compliance matters and higher costs to comply with ongoing revisions to disclosure and governance practices. We are committed to maintaining high standards of corporate governance and public disclosure. As a result, our efforts to comply with evolving laws, regulations and standards have resulted in, and are likely to continue to result in, increased general and administrative expenses and a diversion of management time and attention from revenue-generating and cost control activities to compliance activities. In particular, our efforts to comply with Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 and the related regulations regarding the required assessment of our internal control over financial reporting and our external auditors’ audit of that assessment has required the commitment of significant financial and managerial resources. We expect these efforts to require the continued commitment of significant resources. Further, our board members, Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer could face an increased risk of personal liability in connection with the performance of their responsibilities pursuant to the new or modified laws, regulations and standards. As a result, we may have difficulty attracting and retaining qualified board members and executive officers, which could harm our business. Furthermore, our reputation could be harmed if our efforts to comply with new or changed laws, regulations and standards differ from the activities intended by regulatory or governing bodies due to ambiguities in such laws, regulations and standards.

 

Changes in financial accounting standards related to stock option expenses are expected to have a significant effect on our reported results.

 

In December 2004, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) issued a revised standard that requires that we record compensation expense in the statement of operations for employee stock options using the fair value method. The adoption of the new standard is expected to have a significant effect on our reported earnings, although it will not affect our cash flows, and could adversely impact our ability to provide accurate guidance on our future reported financial results due to the variability of the factors used to establish the value of stock options. As a result, the adoption of the new standard in the third quarter of 2005 could negatively affect our stock price and our stock price volatility.

 

Due to the international nature of our business, political or economic changes or other factors in a specific country or region could harm our future revenue, costs and expenses and financial condition.

 

We currently have international operations consisting of sales, technical support and marketing teams in various locations around the world. We expect to continue expanding our international operations in the future. The successful management and expansion of our international operations requires significant human effort and the commitment of substantial financial resources. Further, our international operations may be subject to certain risks and challenges that could harm our operating results, including:

 

    trade protection measures and other regulatory requirements which may affect our ability to import or export our products into or from various countries;

 

    political considerations that affect service provider and government spending patterns;

 

    differing technology standards or customer requirements;

 

    developing and customizing our products for foreign countries;

 

    fluctuations in currency exchange rates;

 

    longer accounts receivable collection cycles and financial instability of customers;

 

    difficulties and excessive costs for staffing and managing foreign operations;

 

    potentially adverse tax consequences; and

 

    changes in a country’s or region’s political and economic conditions.

 

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Any of these factors could harm our existing international operations and business or impair our ability to continue expanding into international markets.

 

Adverse resolution of litigation may harm our operating results or financial condition.

 

We are a party to various lawsuits and claims in the normal course of our business. Litigation can be expensive, lengthy, and disruptive to normal business operations. Moreover, the results of complex legal proceedings are difficult to predict. An unfavorable resolution of a particular lawsuit could have a material adverse effect on our business, operating results and financial condition. For additional information regarding litigation in which we are involved, see Item 3, “Legal Proceedings,” contained in Part I of this report.

 

Our intellectual property rights may prove difficult to enforce.

 

We generally rely on a combination of copyrights, patents, trademarks and trade secret laws and restrictions on disclosure to protect our intellectual property rights. We also enter into confidentiality or license agreements with our employees, consultants and corporate partners and control access to and distribution of our proprietary information. Despite our efforts to protect our proprietary rights, unauthorized parties may attempt to copy or otherwise obtain and use our products or technology. Monitoring unauthorized use of our technology is difficult, and we do not know whether the steps we have taken will prevent unauthorized use of our technology, particularly in foreign countries where the laws may not protect our proprietary rights as extensively as in the United States. While we are not dependent on any individual patents, if we are unable to protect our proprietary rights, we may find ourselves at a competitive disadvantage to others who need not incur the substantial expense, time and effort required to create the innovative products.

 

We may be subject to intellectual property infringement claims that are costly and time consuming to defend and could limit our ability to use some technologies in the future.

 

Third parties have in the past and may in the future assert claims or initiate litigation related to patent, copyright, trademark and other intellectual property rights to technologies and related standards that are relevant to us. The asserted claims or initiated litigation can include claims against us or our manufacturers, suppliers, or customers, alleging infringement of their proprietary rights with respect to our existing or future products or components of those products. We have received correspondence from Lucent and other companies claiming that many of our products are using technology covered by or related to the intellectual property rights of these companies and inviting us to discuss licensing arrangements for the use of the technology. Regardless of the merit of these claims, intellectual property litigation can be time consuming, and result in costly litigation and diversion of technical and management personnel. Any such litigation could force us to stop selling, incorporating or using our products that include the challenged intellectual property, or redesign those products that use the technology. In addition, if a party accuses us of infringing upon its proprietary rights, we may have to enter into royalty or licensing agreements, which may not be available on terms acceptable to us, if at all. If we are unsuccessful in any such litigation, we could be subject to significant liability for damages and loss of our proprietary rights. Any of these results could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

 

We rely on the availability of third party licenses.

 

Many of our products are designed to include software or other intellectual property licensed from third parties. It may be necessary in the future to seek or renew licenses relating to various elements of the technology used to develop these products. We cannot assure you that our existing and future third-party licenses will be available to us on commercially reasonable terms, if at all. Our inability to maintain or obtain any third-party license required to sell or develop our products and product enhancements could require us to obtain substitute technology of lower quality or performance standards or at greater cost.

 

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Acquisitions are an important part of our strategy, and any strategic acquisitions or investments we make could disrupt our operations and harm our operating results.

 

As of December 31, 2004, we had acquired eleven companies or product lines since we were founded in 1999, and we may acquire additional businesses, products or technologies in the future. On an ongoing basis, we may evaluate acquisitions of, or investments in, complementary companies, products or technologies to supplement our internal growth. Also, in the future, we may encounter difficulties identifying and acquiring suitable acquisition candidates on reasonable terms.

 

If we do complete future acquisitions, we could:

 

    issue stock that would dilute our current stockholders’ percentage ownership;

 

    consume cash;

 

    incur substantial debt;

 

    assume liabilities;

 

    increase our ongoing operating expenses and level of fixed costs;

 

    record goodwill and non-amortizable intangible assets that will be subject to impairment testing and potential periodic impairment charges;

 

    incur amortization expenses related to certain intangible assets;

 

    incur large and immediate write-offs; and

 

    become subject to litigation.

 

Any acquisitions or investments that we make in the future will involve numerous risks, including:

 

    difficulties in integrating the operations, technologies, products and personnel of the acquired companies;

 

    unanticipated costs;

 

    diversion of management’s time and attention away from managing the normal daily operations of the business;

 

    adverse effects on existing business relationships with suppliers and customers;

 

    difficulties in entering markets in which we have no or limited prior experience;

 

    insufficient revenues to offset increased expenses associated with acquisitions and where competitors in such markets have stronger market positions; and

 

    potential loss of key employees, particularly those individuals employed by acquired companies.

 

Mergers and acquisitions of high-technology companies are inherently risky, and we cannot be certain that our previous or future acquisitions will be successful and will not materially adversely affect our business, operating results or financial condition. We do not know whether we will be able to successfully integrate the businesses, products, technologies or personnel that we might acquire in the future or that any strategic investments we make will meet our financial or other investment objectives. Any failure to do so could seriously harm our business, financial condition and results of operations.

 

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The long and variable sales cycles for our products may cause revenue and operating results to vary significantly from quarter to quarter.

 

The target customers for our products have substantial and complex networks that they traditionally expand in large increments on a periodic basis. Accordingly, our marketing efforts are focused primarily on prospective customers that may purchase our products as part of a large-scale network deployment. Our target customers typically require a lengthy evaluation, testing and product qualification process. Throughout this process, we are often required to spend considerable time and incur significant expense educating and providing information to prospective customers about the uses and features of our products. Even after a company makes the final decision to purchase our products, it may deploy our products over extended periods of time. The timing of deployment of our products varies widely, and depends on a number of factors, including our customers’ skill sets, geographic density of potential subscribers, the degree of configuration and integration required to deploy our products, and our customers’ ability to finance their purchase of our products as well as their operations. As a result of any of these factors, our revenue and operating results may vary significantly from quarter to quarter.

 

The communications industry is subject to government regulations, which could harm our business.

 

The Federal Communications Commission, or FCC, has jurisdiction over the entire communications industry in the United States and, as a result, our existing and future products and our customers’ products are subject to FCC rules and regulations. Changes to current FCC rules and regulations and future FCC rules and regulations could negatively affect our business. The uncertainty associated with future FCC decisions may cause network service providers to delay decisions regarding their capital expenditures for equipment for broadband services. In addition, international regulatory bodies establish standards that may govern our products in foreign markets. Changes to or future domestic and international regulatory requirements could result in postponements or cancellations of customer orders for our products and services, which would harm our business, financial condition and results of operations. Further, we cannot be certain that we will be successful in obtaining or maintaining regulatory approvals that may, in the future, be required to operate our business.

 

Your ability to influence key transactions, including changes of control, may be limited by significant insider ownership, provisions of our charter documents and provisions of Delaware law.

 

At December 31, 2004, our executive officers, directors and entities affiliated with them beneficially owned, in the aggregate, approximately 37% of our outstanding common stock. These stockholders, if acting together, will be able to influence substantially all matters requiring approval by our stockholders, including the election of directors and the approval of mergers or other business combination transactions. Circumstances may arise in which the interests of these stockholders could conflict with the interests of our other stockholders. These stockholders could delay or prevent a change in control of our company even if such a transaction would be beneficial to our other stockholders. In addition, provisions of our certificate of incorporation, bylaws, and Delaware law could make it more difficult for a third party to acquire us, even if doing so would be beneficial to certain stockholders.

 

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ITEM 7A.    QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET RISK

 

Cash, Cash Equivalents and Investments

 

We consider all cash and highly liquid investments purchased with an original maturity of less than three months to be cash equivalents.

 

Cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments consisted of the following as of December 31, 2004 and 2003 (in thousands):

 

     December 31,
2004


   December 31,
2003


Cash

   $ 24,434    $ 32,547

Money market funds

     5,294      —  

Commercial paper

     16,876      —  
    

  

Cash and cash equivalents

   $ 46,604    $ 32,547
    

  

Short-term investments

   $ 18,612    $ 65,709
    

  

 

Concentration of Credit Risk

 

Financial instruments which potentially subject us to concentrations of credit risk consist primarily of cash and cash equivalents, short-term investments and accounts receivable. Cash and cash equivalents and short-term investments consist principally of demand deposit and money market accounts, commercial paper, and debt securities of domestic municipalities with credit ratings of AA or better. Cash and cash equivalents and short-term investments are principally held with various domestic financial institutions with high-credit standing. As of December 31, 2004, accounts receivable balances from one customer represented 10% of our accounts receivable. As of December 31, 2004 and 2003, we had accounts receivable balances from customers in international territories of approximately $8.5 million and $6.1 million, respectively.

 

Interest Rate Risk

 

Our exposure to market risk for changes in interest rates relates primarily to our investment portfolio and long-term debt. We do not use derivative financial instruments in our investment portfolio. We do not hold financial instruments for trading or speculative purposes. We manage our interest rate risk by maintaining an investment portfolio primarily consisting of debt instruments of high credit quality and relatively short average maturities. Our cash and cash equivalents and short-term investments are not subject to material interest rate risk due to their short maturities. Under our investment policy, short-term investments have a maximum maturity of one year from the date of acquisition, and the average maturity of the portfolio cannot exceed six months. Due to the relatively short maturity of the portfolio, a 10% increase in market interest rates at December 31, 2004 would decrease the fair value of the portfolio by less than $0.1 million.

 

Foreign Currency Risk

 

We transact business in various foreign countries. Substantially all of our assets are located in the United States. We have sales operations throughout Europe, Asia, the Middle East and Latin America. Accordingly, our operating results are exposed to changes in exchange rates between the U.S. dollar and those currencies. During 2004 and 2003, we did not hedge any of our local currency cash flows. While our financial results to date have not been materially affected by any changes in currency exchange rates, any revaluation of the U.S. dollar against these currencies may affect our future operating results.

 

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ITEM 8. FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND SUPPLEMENTARY DATA

 

ZHONE TECHNOLOGIES, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES

 

INDEX TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

 

     Page

Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

   44

Consolidated Balance Sheets as of December 31, 2004 and 2003

   45

Consolidated Statements of Operations for Years Ended December 31, 2004, 2003 and 2002

   46

Consolidated Statements of Redeemable Convertible Preferred Stock and Stockholders’ Equity (Deficit) for Years Ended December 31, 2004, 2003 and 2002

   47

Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows for Years Ended December 31, 2004, 2003 and 2002

   49

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements

   50

 

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REPORT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM

 

The Board of Directors and Stockholders

Zhone Technologies, Inc.:

 

We have audited the accompanying consolidated balance sheets of Zhone Technologies, Inc. and subsidiaries (“the Company”) as of December 31, 2004 and 2003, and the related consolidated statements of operations, redeemable convertible preferred stock and stockholders’ equity (deficit), and cash flows for each of the years in the three-year period ended December 31, 2004. These consolidated financial statements are the responsibility of the Company’s management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on these consolidated financial statements based on our audits.

 

We conducted our audits in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States). Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free of material misstatement. An audit includes examining, on a test basis, evidence supporting the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements. An audit also includes assessing the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall financial statement presentation. We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinion.

 

In our opinion, the consolidated financial statements referred to above present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of Zhone Technologies, Inc. and subsidiaries as of December 31, 2004 and 2003, and the results of their operations and their cash flows for each of the years in the three-year period ended December 31, 2004, in conformity with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles.

 

We also have audited, in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States), the effectiveness of the Company’s internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2004, based on criteria established in Internal Control—Integrated Framework issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (COSO), and our report dated March 14, 2005 expressed an unqualified opinion on management’s assessment of, and the effective operation of, internal control over financial reporting.

 

/s/ KPMG LLP

 

Mountain View, California

March 14, 2005

 

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ZHONE TECHNOLOGIES, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES

 

Consolidated Balance Sheets

December 31, 2004 and 2003

(In thousands, except par value)

 

     2004

    2003

 

Assets

                

Current assets:

                

Cash and cash equivalents

   $ 46,604     $ 32,547  

Short-term investments

     18,612       65,709  

Accounts receivable, net of allowances for sales returns and doubtful accounts of $4,990 in 2004 and $3,505 in 2003

     19,243       11,001  

Inventories

     37,352       24,281  

Prepaid expenses and other current assets

     3,949       3,905  
    


 


Total current assets

     125,760       137,443  

Property and equipment, net

     22,967       22,585  

Goodwill

     157,232       100,337  

Other acquisition-related intangible assets, net

     17,847       12,877  

Restricted cash

     758       622  

Other assets

     663       1,013  
    


 


Total assets

   $ 325,227     $ 274,877  
    


 


Liabilities and Stockholders’ Equity                 

Current liabilities:

                

Accounts payable

   $ 14,155     $ 17,796  

Line of credit

     14,500       4,800  

Current portion of long-term debt

     1,378       1,351  

Accrued and other liabilities

     23,938       31,195  
    


 


Total current liabilities

     53,971       55,142  

Long-term debt, less current portion

     39,935       32,040  

Other long-term liabilities

     1,537       816  
    


 


Total liabilities

     95,443       87,998  
    


 


Stockholders’ equity:

                

Common stock, $0.001 par value. Authorized 900,000 shares; issued and outstanding 94,139 and 76,629 shares as of December 31, 2004 and 2003, respectively

     94       77  

Additional paid-in capital

     862,261       787,567  

Notes receivable from stockholders

     (550 )     (550 )

Deferred compensation

     (538 )     (4,444 )

Other comprehensive (loss)

     (80 )     (14 )

Accumulated deficit

     (631,403 )     (595,757 )
    


 


Total stockholders’ equity

     229,784       186,879  
    


 


Total liabilities and stockholders’ equity

   $ 325,227     $ 274,877  
    


 


 

See accompanying notes to consolidated financial statements.

 

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ZHONE TECHNOLOGIES, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES

 

Consolidated Statements of Operations

Years ended December 31, 2004, 2003, and 2002

(In thousands, except per share data)

 

     2004

    2003

    2002

 

Net revenue

   $ 97,168     $ 83,138     $ 112,737  

Cost of revenue

     55,095       51,166       69,231  

Stock-based compensation

     210       (85 )     458  
    


 


 


Gross profit

     41,863       32,057       43,048  
    


 


 


Operating expenses:

                        

Research and product development (excluding non-cash stock based compensation expense of $581, $652 and $4,236, respectively)

     23,210       22,495       29,802  

Sales and marketing (excluding non-cash stock based compensation expense of $459, $(241), and $996, respectively)

     21,958       15,859       19,676  

General and administrative (excluding non-cash stock based compensation expense of $356, $827, and $5,144, respectively)

     10,416       5,324       10,843  

Purchased in-process research and development

     8,631       —         59  

Restructuring charges

     —         —         4,531  

Litigation settlement

     —         1,600       —    

Stock-based compensation

     1,396       1,238       10,376  

Amortization and impairment of intangible assets

     10,132       7,942       15,995  

Impairment of long-lived assets

     —