iPCS, Inc. Reports First Quarter Financial Results

* Reuters is not responsible for the content in this press release.

Mon May 11, 2009 8:01am EDT

Company Reaffirms 2009 Outlook
SCHAUMBURG, Ill.--(Business Wire)--
iPCS, Inc. (NASDAQ: IPCS), a PCS Affiliate of Sprint Nextel Corporation, today
reported financial and operational results for its first quarter ended March 31,
2009. 

First Quarter 2009 Highlights:

* Total revenue of $136.2 million, compared to $125.7 million for the prior year
quarter. 
* Net income of $5.8 million, or $0.34 per share, compared to a net loss of $1.6
million, or $0.09 per share, for the prior year quarter. Net income for the
first quarter includes a $4.3 million gain on the Sprint settlement as
previously announced on March 2, 2009. 
* Adjusted EBITDA of $27.7 million, compared to $22.7 million in the prior year
quarter. Included in Adjusted EBITDA for the first quarter is the $4.3 million
gain on the Sprint settlement and approximately $3.7 million in Sprint Nextel
litigation expenses compared to approximately $0.3 million in Sprint Nextel
litigation expenses in the prior year quarter. 
* Capital expenditures of $5.4 million, compared to $14.4 million for the prior
year quarter. 
* Free cash flow of $16.4 million, compared to negative free cash flow of $3.9
million for the prior year quarter. 
* Subscriber activity for the quarter as follows:

* Gross additions of approximately 60,600, compared to 59,200 for the prior year
quarter. 
* Net additions of approximately 9,000 in the quarter, compared to 10,700 for
the prior year quarter. 
* Monthly churn, net of 30 day deactivations, of approximately 2.3%, compared to
2.3% for the prior year quarter. 
* Ending subscribers of approximately 700,100, compared to 640,600 for the prior
year quarter.

"We are quite pleased with our financial results for the quarter. In a
challenging environment, we were able to deliver our first quarter of positive
EPS in company history," remarked Timothy M. Yager, President and CEO of iPCS.
"Our substantial investment in the network over the last several years,
particularly in our 3G, EVDO technology has enabled us to grow our subscriber
base and ARPU, helping drive increased revenue and EBITDA." 

"Our strong cash flow, balance sheet and liquidity position are real advantages
for us, allowing us to repurchase nearly $3.0 million of our common stock over
the past two months. While economic conditions and the consumer environment
remain challenging, our first quarter results reinforce our confidence that we
will meet our 2009 objectives and we reaffirm our guidance for 2009," concluded
Yager. 

iPCS reaffirms the following full year 2009 guidance:

* Gross additions of 250,000 to 275,000.

* Adjusted EBITDA of $100 million to $120 million, excluding expenses related to
the Sprint Nextel litigation and the $4.3 million gain on the Sprint settlement.

* Capital expenditures of $35 million to $45 million. 
* Free cash flow of $15 million to $25 million.

Conference Call to be held today, May 11th, at 11:00am ET (10:00am CT)

The Company will conduct a conference call to discuss its financial and
subscriber results for the first quarter on Monday, May 11, 2009 at 11:00 a.m.
Eastern Time (10:00 a.m. Central Time). To listen to the call, dial
1-800-632-2975 at least five minutes before the conference call begins and
reference the "iPCS Earnings Conference Call." Those calling in from
international locations should dial 973-935-8755. A replay of the call will be
available beginning at 12:00 p.m. Eastern Time on May 11, 2009. To access the
replay, dial 1-800-642-1687 using a pass code of 95435269. To access the replay
from international locations, dial 706-645-9291 and use the same pass code. The
call will also be webcast and can be accessed at the Investor Relations page of
the iPCS website at www.ipcswirelessinc.com. Replay of the webcast and the call
will be available through midnight on May 18, 2009. 

About iPCS, Inc.

iPCS, through its operating subsidiaries, is a Sprint PCS Affiliate of Sprint
Nextel Corporation with the exclusive right to sell wireless mobility
communications network products and services under the Sprint brand in 81
markets including markets in Illinois, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Indiana, Iowa,
Ohio and Tennessee. The territory includes key markets such as Grand Rapids
(MI), Fort Wayne (IN), the Tri-Cities region of Tennessee (Johnson City,
Kingsport and Bristol), Scranton (PA), Saginaw-Bay City (MI), Central Illinois
(Peoria, Springfield, Decatur, and Champaign) and the Quad Cities region of
Illinois and Iowa (Bettendorf and Davenport, IA, and Moline and Rock Island,
IL). As of March 31, 2009, iPCS's licensed territory had a total population of
approximately 15.1 million residents, of which its wireless network covered
approximately 12.5 million residents, and iPCS had approximately 700,100
subscribers. iPCS is headquartered in Schaumburg, Illinois. For more
information, please visit iPCS's website at www.ipcswirelessinc.com. 

Definitions of Operating and Non-GAAP Financial Measures

iPCS provides readers financial measures calculated using generally accepted
accounting principles ("GAAP") and other measures which are derived from GAAP
("Non-GAAP Financial Measures"). These financial measures reflect conventions or
standard measures of liquidity, profitability or performance commonly used by
the investment community in the telecommunications industry for comparability
purposes. These financial measures are a supplement to GAAP financial measures
and should not be considered as an alternative to, or more meaningful than, GAAP
financial measures. 

The Non-GAAP Financial Measures and non-financial terms used in this release
include the following:

* Gross subscriber additions for the period represent the number of new
activations during the period (excluding transfers into our territory). 
* New subscriber additions for the period represented is calculated as the gross
subscriber additions in the period less the number of subscribers deactivated
plus the net subscribers transferred in or out of our markets during the period.

* Churn is a measure of the average monthly rate at which subscribers based in
our territory deactivate service on a voluntary or involuntary (credit-related)
basis. We calculate average monthly churn based on the number of subscribers
deactivated during the period (net of those who deactivate within 30 days of
activation and excluding transfers out of our territory) as a percentage of our
average monthly subscriber based during the period divided by the number of
months during the period. 
* Adjusted EBITDA represents earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and
amortization as adjusted for gain or loss on the disposal of property and
equipment, stock-based compensation expense and debt extinguishment costs.
Adjusted EBITDA is a measure used by the investment community in the
telecommunications industry for comparability and is not intended to represent
the results of our operations in accordance with GAAP. 
* ARPU, or average revenue per user, is a measure of the average monthly service
revenue earned from subscribers based in our territory. This measure is
calculated by dividing subscriber revenue (ARPU) or subscriber revenue plus
roaming revenue (ARPU including roaming) in our consolidated statement of
operations by the number of our average monthly subscribers during the period
divided by the number of months in the period. 
* CCPU, or cash cost per user, is a measure of the monthly costs to operate our
business on a per subscriber basis consisting of costs of service and
operations, and general and administrative expenses in our consolidated
statement of operations, plus handset subsidies on equipment sold to existing
subscribers, less stock-based compensation expense. These costs are divided by
the number of our average monthly subscribers during the period divided by the
number of months in the period. 
* CPGA, or cost per gross addition, is a measure of the average cost we incur to
add a new subscriber in our territory. These costs include handset subsidies on
new subscriber activations, commissions, rebates and other selling and marketing
costs. We calculate CPGA by dividing (a) the sum of cost of products sold less
product sales revenue associated with transactions with new subscribers, and
selling and marketing expense, net of stock-based compensation expense, during
the measurement period, by (b) the total number of subscribers activated in our
territory during the period. 
* Licensed Population represents the number of residents in the markets in our
territory for which we have an exclusive right to provide wireless mobility
communications services under the Sprint brand name. The number of residents
located in our territory does not represent the number of wireless subscribers
that we serve or expect to serve in our territory. 
* Covered Population represents the number of residents covered by our portion
of the wireless network of Sprint. The number of residents covered by our
network does not represent the number of wireless subscribers that we serve or
expect to serve in our territory. 
* Free Cash Flowis defined as the net increase (decrease) in cash and cash
equivalents less the change in debt (including payment in kind, or "PIK"
interest), proceeds from the exercise of common stock options or the issuance or
repurchase of common stock and other financing activities, net. This non-GAAP
measure should be used in addition to, but not as a substitute for, the analysis
provided in the statement of cash flows. We believe that Free Cash Flow provides
useful information to investors, analysts and our management about the cash
generated by our core operations after interest and dividends and our ability to
fund scheduled debt maturities and other financing activities, including
discretionary refinancing and retirement of debt, the repurchase of common stock
and purchase or sale of investments.

"Safe Harbor" Statement under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of
1995

Statements in this press release regarding iPCS's business which are not
historical facts are "forward-looking statements." Forward-looking statements
generally can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as
"may," "will," "expect," "intend," "estimate," "anticipate," "believe" or
"continue" or the negative thereof or variations thereon or similar terminology.
Such statements are based upon the current beliefs and expectations of
management and are subject to significant risks and uncertainties. A variety of
factors could cause actual results to differ materially from those anticipated
in iPCS's forward-looking statements, including, but not limited to, the
following factors: (1) iPCS's dependence on its affiliation with Sprint; (2) the
final outcome of iPCS's litigation with Sprint concerning the scope of iPCS's
exclusivity under its affiliation agreements; (3) changes in Sprint's
affiliation strategy; (4) changes in Sprint's ability to devote as much of its
personnel and resources to the remaining Sprint Affiliates of Sprint Nextel; (5)
iPCS's reliance on Sprint's internal support systems and its related execution
of back office activities, including customer care, billing and back office
support; (6) changes in iPCS's customer default rates and/or in the level of bad
debt expense; (7) changes or advances in technology; (8) changes in Sprint's
national service plans, products and services or its fee structure with iPCS;
(9) adverse changes in the amounts of, and the relationship between, roaming
revenue iPCS receives and roaming expense iPCS pays; (10) iPCS's reliance on the
timeliness, accuracy and sufficiency of financial and other data and information
received from Sprint; (11) difficulties in network construction, expansion and
upgrades; (12) increased competition in iPCS's markets; (13) iPCS's dependence
on independent third parties for a sizable percentage of its sales; and (14) the
depth and duration of the economic downturn in the United States and its effect
on our vendors, distribution partners and customers. For a detailed discussion
of these and other cautionary statements and factors that could cause actual
results to differ from iPCS's forward-looking statements, please refer to iPCS's
filings with the SEC, especially in the "risk factors" section of the Annual
Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2008 and our Form Q
for the quarter ended March 31, 2009 to be filed following the earnings call
referenced in this press release.Investors and analysts should not place undue
reliance on forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements in this
document speak only as of the date of the document and iPCS assumes no
obligation to update the forward-looking statements or to update the reasons why
actual results could differ from those contained in the forward-looking
statements

 iPCS, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES                                                                                                                     
 CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS                                                                                                                     
 (UNAUDITED)                                                                                                                                     
 (In thousands, except share and per share amounts)                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                                 
                                                                                           March 31,                   December 31,              
                                                                                           2009                        2008                      
                                                                                                                                                 
 Assets                                                                                                                                          
 Current Assets:                                                                                                                                 
 Cash and cash equivalents                                                                 $     70,696              $      55,940           
 Accounts receivable, net                                                                        38,356                     37,859           
 Receivable from Sprint                                                                          27,509                     25,623           
 Inventories, net                                                                                5,412                      5,465            
 Assets held for sale                                                                            389                        389              
 Prepaid expenses                                                                                6,769                      7,223            
 Other current assets                                                                            83                         63               
 Total current assets                                                                            149,214                    132,562          
 Property and equipment, net                                                                     156,418                    162,014          
 Financing costs, net                                                                            6,075                      6,419            
 Deferred customer activation costs                                                              3,554                      3,816            
 Intangible assets, net                                                                          88,308                     90,602           
 Goodwill                                                                                        141,783                    141,783          
 Other assets                                                                                    418                        416              
 Total assets                                                                              $     545,770             $      537,612          
                                                                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                                 
 Liabilities and Stockholders' Deficiency                                                                                                        
 Current Liabilities:                                                                                                                            
 Accounts payable                                                                          $     4,833               $      5,051            
 Accrued expenses                                                                                17,504                     18,337           
 Payable to Sprint                                                                               45,536                     41,067           
 Deferred revenue                                                                                14,129                     13,410           
 Accrued interest                                                                                4,856                      5,519            
 Current maturities of long-term debt and capital lease obligations                              39                         37               
 Total current liabilities                                                                       86,897                     83,421           
 Deferred customer activation fee revenue                                                        3,554                      3,816            
 Interest rate swap                                                                              15,459                     16,621           
 Other long-term liabilities                                                                     6,239                      6,551            
 Long-term debt and capital lease obligations, excluding current maturities                      475,392                    475,401          
 Total liabilities                                                                               587,541                    585,810          
                                                                                                                                                 
 Stockholders' Deficiency:                                                                                                                       
 Preferred stock, par value $.01 per share; 25,000,000 shares authorized; none issued            -                          -                
 Common stock, par value $.01 per share; 75,000,000 shares authorized, 17,264,052 and            173                        172              
 17,163,221 shares issued, respectively                                                                                                      
 Additional paid-in-capital                                                                      168,645                    167,531          
 Accumulated deficiency                                                                          (193,508  )                (199,280  )      
 Accumulated other comprehensive loss                                                            (15,459   )                (16,621   )      
 Treasury stock, at cost; 167,163 and 0 shares, respectively                                     (1,622    )                -                
 Total stockholders' deficiency                                                                  (41,771   )                (48,198   )      
 Total liabilities and stockholders' deficiency                                            $     545,770             $      537,612          


 iPCS, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES                                                                                                                                                     
 CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS                                                                                                                                           
 (UNAUDITED)                                                                                                                                        
 (Dollars in thousands, except share data)                                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                                                             
                                                                                                         For the Three Months Ended                                          
                                                                                                                                                                        
                                                                                                         March 31, 2009                              March 31, 2008     
                                                                                                                                                                        
 Revenue:                                                                                                                                                                
                  Service revenue                                                                 $      103,981                              $      92,099             
                  Roaming revenue                                                                        27,620                                      30,144             
                  Equipment and other                                                                    4,563                                       3,415              
                  Total revenue                                                                          136,164                                     125,658            
 Operating Expense:                                                                                                                                                      
                                      Cost of service and roaming                                        72,150                                      68,184             
                                      Cost of equipment                                                  16,212                                      11,663             
                                      Selling and marketing                                              16,650                                      17,859             
                                      General and administrative                                         8,881                                       7,088              
                                      Gain on Sprint Settlement                                          (4,273          )                           -                  
                                      Depreciation                                                       10,286                                      11,661             
                                      Amortization of intangible assets                                  2,294                                       2,294              
                                      Loss on disposal of property and equipment, net                    99                                          10                 
                                      Total operating expense                                            122,299                                     118,759            
 Operating income                                                                                         13,865                                      6,899              
 Interest income                                                                                          86                                          720                
 Interest expense                                                                                         (8,034          )                           (8,915          )  
 Other income, net                                                                                        5                                           15                 
 Income (loss) before provision for income tax                                                            5,922                                       (1,281          )  
 Provision for income tax                                                                                 150                                         325                
 Net income (loss)                                                                                 $      5,772                                $      (1,606          )  
                                                                                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                                                        
 Basic and diluted income (loss) per share of common stock:                                                                                                              
                  Income (loss) available to common stockholders                                  $      0.34                                 $      (0.09           )  
                                                                                                                                                                        
                  Weighted average basic and diluted common shares                                       17,155,931                                  17,136,043         
                  outstanding                                                                                                                                           


 iPCS, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES                                                                                                                                                                              
 CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS                                                                                                                                                                    
 (UNAUDITED)                                                                                                                                                                                              
 (In thousands)                                                                                                                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                                                                             
                                                                                                                              For the Three Months Ended                                            
                                                                                                                                                                                             
                                                                                                                              March 31, 2009                          March 31, 2008           
                                                                                                                                                                                             
 Cash Flows from Operating Activities:                                                                                                                                                        
                  Net income (loss)                                                                                        $  5,772                                   $      (1,606   )      
                  Adjustments to reconcile net income (loss) to net cash flows from operating activities:                                                                                    
                  Loss on disposal of property and equipment                                                                  99                                             10              
                  Depreciation and amortization                                                                               12,580                                         13,955          
                  Non-cash interest expense                                                                                   344                                            344             
                  Stock-based compensation expense                                                                            1,120                                          1,841           
                  Provision for doubtful accounts                                                                             3,217                                          5,384           
                  Changes in assets and liabilities:                                                                                                                                         
                  Accounts receivable                                                                                         (3,713          )                              (4,176   )      
                  Receivable from Sprint                                                                                      (1,887          )                              2,952           
                  Inventories, net                                                                                            54                                             (2,467   )      
                  Prepaid expenses, other current and long-term assets                                                        693                                            451             
                  Accounts payable, accrued expenses and other long-term liabilities                                          (1,552          )                              (4,218   )      
                  Payable to Sprint                                                                                           4,469                                          (2,331   )      
                  Deferred revenue                                                                                            457                                            341             
                  Net cash flows provided by operating activities                                                             21,653                                         10,480          
 Cash Flows from Investing Activities:                                                                                                                                                        
                                           Purchases of property and equipment                                                (5,356          )                              (14,406  )      
                                           Proceeds from disposition of property and equipment                                123                                            19              
                                           Net cash flows used in investing activities                                        (5,233          )                              (14,387  )      
 Cash Flows from Financing Activities:                                                                                                                                                        
 Payments on capital lease obligations                                                                                         (9              )                              (7       )      
 Proceeds from the exercise of stock options                                                                                   -                                              137             
 Payment of special cash dividend                                                                                              (29             )                              (36      )      
 Repurchase of common stock                                                                                                    (1,626          )                              -               
 Net cash flows (used in) provided by financing activities                                                                     (1,664          )                              94              
 Net increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents                                                                          14,756                                         (3,813   )      
 Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of period                                                                              55,940                                         77,599          
 Cash and cash equivalents at end of period                                                                                 $  70,696                                  $      73,786          
                                                                                                                                                                                             
 Supplemental disclosure of cash flow information - cash paid for interest                                                     $ 8,334                                 $      9,136           
 
(net of amount capitalized)                                                                                                                                                                 
 Supplemental disclosure for non-cash investing activities:                                                                                                                                   
                  Accounts payable and accrued expenses incurred for the acquisition of property,                             1,579                                          8,542           
                  equipment and construction in progress                                                                                                                                     


 iPCS, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES                                                                                                                                             
 (UNAUDITED)                                                                                                                                                             
 (In thousands)                                                                                                                                                           
 Reconciliation of Non-GAAP Financial Measures                                                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                                                        
                 Adjusted EBITDA                                                                    For the Three Months Ended                                                
                                                                                                  March 31, 2009                               March 31, 2008          
                                                                                                                                                                       
                 Net income (loss)                                                                $         5,772                       $     (1,606               )  
                 Net interest expense                                                                       7,948                             8,195                   
                 Provision for income tax                                                                   150                               325                     
                 Depreciation and amortization                                                              12,580                            13,955                  
                 Stock-based compensation expense                                                           1,120                             1,841                   
                 Loss on disposal of property and equipment, net                                            99                                10                      
                 Adjusted EBITDA                                                                  $         27,699                      $     22,720                  
                                                                                                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                                                       
                 Free Cash Flow                                                                   For the Three Months Ended                                                
                                                                                                  March 31, 2009                               March 31, 2008          
                 Net increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents                              $         14,756                      $     (3,813               )  
                 Add back: Cash Flows from Financing Activities                                                                                                        
                 Payments on capital lease obligations                                                      9                                 7                       
                 Proceeds from the exercise of stock options                                                -                                 (137                 )  
                 Payment of special cash dividend                                                           29                                36                      
                 Repurchases of common stock                                                                1,626                             -                       
                 Free cash flow                                                                   $         16,420                      $     (3,907               )  


 iPCS, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES                                                                                                      
 (UNAUDITED)                                                                                                                     
 Summary of Operating Statistics                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
                                                             For the Three Months Ended                                           
                                                            March 31, 2009                          March 31, 2008           
                                                                                                                            
 Subscribers                                                                                                                 
                    Gross Additions                               60,600                                59,200          
                    Net Additions                                 9,000                                 10,700          
                    Total Subscribers                             700,100                               640,600         
                    Churn, net                                    2.3      %                            2.3      %      
                                                                                                                            
 Average Revenue Per User, Monthly                                                                                           
                    Including Roaming                      $      63                             $      64              
                    Without Roaming                        $      50                             $      48              
                                                                                                                            
 Cash Cost Per User, Monthly                                                                                                 
                    Including Roaming                      $      40                             $      40              
                    Without Roaming                        $      31                             $      31              
                                                                                                                            
 Cost Per Gross Addition                                    $      402                            $      399             
                                                                                                                            
 Licensed Population (Millions)                                    15.1                                  15.1            
 Covered Population (Millions)                                     12.5                                  12.0            
 Cell Sites                                                        1,912                                 1,696           


                                                                                                                                                   
 iPCS, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES                                                                                                                       
 (UNAUDITED)                                                                                                                                       
 (Dollars in thousands except per user and per add amounts)                                                                                            
 Reconciliation of Non-GAAP Financial Measures                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                                                         
                                                                                       For the Three Months Ended                                                             
                                                                                                  March 31, 2009                                       March 31, 2008     
 ARPU                                                                                                                                                                     
 Service revenue                                                                       $          103,981                                         $    92,099             
 Roaming revenue                                                                                  27,620                                               30,144             
 Total service revenue                                                                 $          131,601                                         $    122,243            
 Average subscribers                                                                              695,400                                              633,800            
                                                                                                                                                                          
 Average revenue per user including roaming, monthly                                   $          63                                              $    64                 
 Average revenue per user without roaming, monthly                                     $          50                                              $    48                 
                                                                                                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                                                          
 CCPU                                                                                                                                                                     
 Cost of service and roaming                                                           $          72,150                                          $    68,184             
 plus: General and administrative                                                                 8,881                                                7,088              
 less: Stock-based compensation expense                                                           (984            )                                    (1,628          )  
 less: Retail equipment upgrade revenue                                                           (1,273          )                                    (503            )  
 plus: Retail equipment cost of upgrades                                                          5,091                                                2,770              
 Total cash costs including roaming                                                    $          83,865                                          $    75,911             
 less: Roaming expense                                                                            (19,261         )                                    (16,526         )  
 Total cash costs without roaming                                                      $          64,604                                          $    59,385             
 Average subscribers                                                                              695,400                                              633,800            
                                                                                                                                                                          
 Cash cost per user, monthly                                                           $          40                                              $    40                 
 Cash cost per user without roaming, monthly                                           $          31                                              $    31                 
                                                                                                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                                                          
 CPGA                                                                                                                                                                     
 Selling and marketing                                                                 $          16,650                                          $    17,859             
 less: Stock-based compensation expense                                                           (136            )                                    (213            )  
 less: Equipment revenue, net of upgrade revenue                                                  (3,275          )                                    (2,900          )  
 plus: Equipment costs, net of cost of upgrades                                                   11,121                                               8,893              
 CPGA Costs                                                                            $          24,360                                          $    23,639             
 Gross additions                                                                                  60,600                                               59,200             
                                                                                                                                                                          
 Cost per gross addition                                                               $          402                                             $    399                


Investors:
Financial Dynamics
Nathan Elwell, 312-553-6706


Copyright Business Wire 2009

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